From RFA Unplugged:
I must admit, when I first heard about the almond groves of Yarkand, it sounded highly romantic. I imagined half-buried tombs of ancient kings, oasis towns with bearded scholars of the Quran teaching young boys outside intricately patterned mosques so much for my highly Orientalist fantasy epitomised by this collection of old photos in the Library of Congress
but the reality is anything but romantic. Around 10,000 Uyghurs are working to expand production in those groves now, and farmers and official/quasi-official sources have admitted to RFA’s Uyghur service that their labor is both compulsory and unpaid. [Full Text]
