Kashgar was an entrepôt on the historic Silk Road, the gateway to the western regions that China claimed in the Qing period. With increasing Han and Hui migration into Xinjiang during the socialist period, Kashgar has gained prominence as the center of Uyghur identity. Recent years have seen the demolition of large parts of the old city for purposes of modernization. Kashgar has also been named China’s only inland special economic zone and is slated to be the centerpiece of the state-led “New Silk Road.” The city has thus experienced massive change over the last several years.