A woman picks apples in Aksu Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Oc-tober 23, 2023. The first apple cultural tourism festival kicked off on the same day in Aksu's Wensu county. Aksu is the main producing region for apples in Xin-jiang, with a total output of 817,200 tons annually. Photo: cnsphoto

When my foreign friends asked, "Have you felt any discrimination in Xinjiang," I recognized how misinformation from Western reports affected people's impressions of Xinjiang. Such false narratives not only lead to some people from Western countries believing that Xinjiang is still full of ethnic conflict, but also create an air of mystery and suspicion among people yet to visit the region. 

This partly explains why Xinjiang has to stick to opening-up. Besides considering the national strategy, for the region itself, it is also time to step out of the shadow of Western political and media-driven propaganda to confidently show a real Xinjiang to the whole world. 

Forget the so-called genocide, forget the so-called re-education camps - Xinjiang is far more vast, far more beautiful, and has a far richer history and culture heritage than you can read in any biased and maliciously skewed reports.   

What is Xinjiang really like? 

It is a wonderful land comprised of three mountain ranges and two basins, a place where lush pastures stretch out as far as the eyes can see and is complete with four seasons from the south to the north. 

It is also characterized by the smiling Uygur concierge in the hotel waiting for you at midnight, extending services with the phrase "please come to me whenever you need any help." It is the talented young Kazakh men proficient in five languages conversing with guests from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Iran like old friends. It is also the Han resident who would simply and directly tell you: "Our Xinjiang is the best."   

It is a paradise of fruits, from figs and various kinds of grapes to pomegranates. It is known as the home of succulent lamb and beef. As the locals say, "when we eat lamb, we are receiving nutrients from nature as what our sheep eat is all the grass and herbs naturally grown on the land."

Xinjiang's beauty beats the limited imagination of some. In the past, Xinjiang has been unable to effectively protect itself against politically-motivated mudslinging. For its admirers, both in China and in the rest of the world, simply taking in its beauty through images available online is an overwhelming experience, but some have embraced the adventure it holds and visited the region of themselves. 

But as 2023 has witnessed historical opening-up efforts, it is certain that the region will shake off the haze of the malicious campaigns against it and firmly move forward on its own track of development, playing a better role in serving as the country's bridgehead in its westward opening-up.