Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – As part of a press tour held in May 2024, a group of journalists from Central Asia visited China, specifically the folkloric tourist zone "Kazanci" in the old town of Kulja. 

The Kazanci zone covers a total area of nearly 23 square kilometers (currently 4.2 square kilometers are developed). In 2007, more than 100 million yuan were invested in the reconstruction, modernization, and development of local tourism. This zone is a national tourist attraction of 4A level, and it is currently undergoing modernization to reach the 5A level of national scenic area.

Walking through the vibrant and bustling historic streets, visitors are inevitably distracted by the colorful souvenir shops, enticing smells and interesting dishes from cafes and eateries, and the overwhelming music and noise. But I try not to succumb to these temptations and mentally greet the stone houses of Kazanci Street, admire the sprawling plane trees, and imagine that this street can, for a moment, transport you to the past. Visitors to this beautiful place will undoubtedly be pleased with what they see.

In the picturesque zone, there are more than 300 buildings of various types of ancient structures, ranging from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty to the period of the Republic of China, nearly 20,000 residential courtyards with extremely rich regional cultural characteristics, a Chinese historical and cultural block, a tourism and recreation block of the autonomous region, the Blue Gates of Ili, the national block for the protection of cultural relics Shenxi Dasi, the Uzbek cultural complex, the Tudakhun Bayi complex, and other distinctive cultural relics and architectural resources, which are referred to as a natural folk house-museum.

The tourist zone features 88 guest houses showcasing the folk and culinary culture of various ethnic groups, horse-drawn carriages with six poles, the "Kazanci" artistic troupe, a place for acquainting with intangible cultural heritage, and a crafts demonstration area, which has directly created jobs for more than 3,000 people.

To showcase the multi-ethnic folk customs of Ili and strive to preserve the original homes and folk customs as much as possible, the aim is to create a large-scale, original, ecological, and diversified humanitarian tourism attraction.