Lives of people in Hotan, NW China's Xinjiang

Two Uygur children play chess together after school while their friends watch the game in front of an oil painting shop at Tuancheng, the most renowned walking area in Hotan city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 22, 2021. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Ruohan)

Located in downtown Hotan, Tuancheng is a historical city block that is famous for its distinctive Uygur-style architecture and cultural characteristics. The place, nicknamed Gezixiang, or the "Lane of Doves" in English, used to be a run-down residential community where people once traded the doves for a living. After years of renovation, the old town has been transformed into a tourist attraction with family inns and shops selling local signature products. Tourists from near and far visit Tuancheng to experience the unique features of Uygur culture.