Do you know Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China?It is located in northwestern China and borders countries such as Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.The Karakoram and Kunlun Mountains stretch to the south, the Tianshan Mountains stretch from east to west to the north, and vast grasslands and deserts spread out in the center.
There are many different ethnic groups living there, but most of them are Turkic Uyghurs.The Silk Road, which connects East Asia and the Mediterranean Sea, runs along the southern and northern mountain ranges.The Silk Road is dotted with oasis villages fed by snowmelt from the mountains.Marco Polo once traveled along the Silk Road.
Historically, in the chaos that ended World War II, the Chinese army invaded and occupied and occupied the area, and it continues to this day.Recently, the United States and European countries have denounced the suppression of the Uyghur people by the Chinese government, and it is attracting attention as an international human rights issue.
In August 2012, at the request of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region government, he visited this place and stayed there for a month.I started a project.
The purpose (mission) of the project was to build a cold chain to transport figs grown in the oasis to large cities such as Chongqing.Since I knew about the oppression of the Uyghur people at the time, I was a little worried about whether or not I would accept this job. I agreed to visit the Silk Road, which I had always dreamed of.
Whenever I traveled by car, I was under 24-hour surveillance, with public security vehicles in front and behind me.Of course, it was for my safety, but when I met with influential people in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, I was quite free, so I guess it was also for the purpose of monitoring contact with Uyghur people.
First, we conduct a site survey.In Japan, I have read many documents, materials, and papers, and conducted a preliminary survey, but the field survey is still the most important thing.Conduct research activities using your five senses, such as watching and listening.It is a research method called “Observation” of market reach.Observe not only objects, but also the characteristics and facial expressions of people's behavior.
The other is an in-depth interview with the people I met. It's a one-on-one interview, but I ask a lot of questions about one thing and listen deeply.We repeat "Why?"By doing this, even seemingly complicated phenomena can be understood very simply and concisely. (This is called "simplify".)
For example, when I visit a farmhouse, I see cooking utensils.Observe if you are using electricity, gas or wood.Suppose you're using firewood to cook, even though you have power lines and a TV.Why are you using firewood?I ask. Don't think you've figured it out just because the answer is, "This is the way it's always been."
I ask, "Isn't it okay to use an electric stove because electricity is coming?" "No, no, you can't cook good food on an electric stove."It's too early to be convinced here.
I ask, "What is the voltage?" "No, it's not a voltage problem, it's because the power goes out many times a day."This is the essence of the problem.Power outages can cause fatal troubles when building a cold chain.Nice find.
Only by understanding the essence of the problem can we think of ways to solve the problem.
I always told my juniors to go back to being XNUMX years old. "Why is the sky blue?" "Why is the elephant's trunk long?" It is.
There are many things that surprise me when I work abroad, especially in remote areas (from the perspective of developed countries).Different environments give birth to different cultures, customs, techniques, and ways of thinking.
There are many things about Uyghur that left an impression on me, but I will introduce only two this time.
For one, figs are fruit trees that grow in warmer regions.However, Uyghur has a desert climate, so the temperature drops to minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter.Fig trees usually die.But the Oasis people have a way of keeping their fig trees from dying in the bitter cold.So what is that method?Of course, it is not greenhouse cultivation.Write the answer at the end of the sentence.
Another thing that surprised me was that during my stay in Kashgar, I had only one day off, and the staff of the Ministry of Public Security invited me to go on a day trip.Leave the dormitory early in the morning and continue driving to the mountainous area with wonderful scenery.However, considering the time and direction we ran, we should have already crossed the border and reached the western edge of the Karakorum Mountains.In other words, it should have entered the territory of Afghanistan via Tajikistan. "But there weren't any border checkpoints on the way, just one PLA checkpoint, right?"
So I asked, "That mountain is K2, isn't it? Is this within the territory of Afghanistan? It's across the border, isn't it?" It's something people made a long time ago, isn't it? We're using a Chinese map, and on the Chinese map this place is within Chinese territory.The map changes every year."
This is the reality of so-called “effective rule,” and it is the real feeling of the Chinese people.
That's right, the answer to the quiz is "bury it in the soil".What struck me when I visited the fig orchard was that each branch of the fig tree had a support tree attached to it.When I asked why, the farmer's grandfather smiled as if to say, "Oh, you've noticed a good point." gave meI see!The wisdom of our ancestors is wonderful!This is hibernation of figs.
Faculty of International Communication Department of Tourism Makoto Yoshida
⇒ Faculty of International Communication Department of Tourism page
