It's difficult to imagine now, but for a number of years in the early 20th Century Kashgar was a hotbed of political wheeling, dealing and scheming about influence and control in Central Asia and the former Chinese Turkestan. Our hotel was the former Russian Consulate and about a mile away was the former British Consulate building, now hidden away behind a modern hotel and being run as a rather scruffy Chinese cafe/restaurant. We understand that both buildings and their interiors have some sort of Chinese preservation order on them, but they are both badly in need of attention.
We have been reading about the espionage and counter espionage that took place between the diplomats and spys (although we understand they often met socially for drinks and cards!) Here are some photos of both the establishments today. Firstly (top) the Russian Consulate (now the Seman Hotel), the corridor and my room, and then the British Consulate (now a cafe/restaurant).
No comments:
Post a Comment