现为新疆维吾尔自治区，简称“新”，位于亚欧大陆中部，地处中国西北边陲，总面积166.49万平方公里，占中国陆地总面积的六分之一。

As David Makofsky has put it, he came to China largely through accident. But the decision to settle down in this eastern country is no coincidence at all.

In 2007, the US professor accepted a friend's offer and started teaching English at Minzu University of China, three years later, he left the teaching position and became a student, learning Chinese language full-time.

According to David, associating with Chinese grown-ups is more complicated, albeit interesting. And it proved to be an effective way to understand China in depth.

David also travels the country to get a sense of China's diverse culture.

His most recent trip was to western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where the scenery and culture were so fascinating that he is mulling the idea of moving to Xinjiang.

David:

"It was a marvelous trip. We went to Kashgar. Kashgar is a China that I have never seen and never heard about.

If you go to Kashgar, you will see things that are part Chinese and part Turkish, middle eastern style. It is amazing. And then we went to the caves in Datong and Dunhuang in Gansu province.

That's a whole different China.

So I was very impressed by my trip. And I was actually so impressed that I am thinking of moving to Kashgar."

His early experiences in the Middle East only added to David's fondness for the ethnic region. To him, Xinjiang is where China could rival Europe, both in terms of landscape and history.

David:

"This is where China actually rivals Europe. You know, when you go to Europe, you see a lot of cathedrals. When you go to the Buddhist caves you see some of the finest religious sites in the world."

However, David felt that tourism resources in western China are somewhat undermined by eastern landmarks. Most foreign travelers choose to visit Beijing and Shanghai instead of the western cities.

David:

"I had seen some of western China. In the last six months, I have spent two months in the west, in central Asia. And it is a marvelous place."

David's stories and photos on his Xinjiang trip were published by Beijing this Month, the magazine to which David is a regular contributor.

His other off-hour jobs include guest appearances in Chinese movies and talk shows on television. Among the numerous scenic spots in the capital, the 798 Art Zone and the Luxun Museum ranks high among David's favorite list.

David:

"Beijing is very much like New York to me. I am very familiar with New York. The 798 Art Zone is a lot like the central arts center in New York. It has the Ullens Art Center and they have wonderful talks about art in English. It is really one of the most interesting places in China.

Also, there is a wonderful museum that I take all my friends to whenever they come. That is the Luxun Museum. Right by Fuxingmen, there is this small museum. The life of Luxun is actually a very interesting life and he meets many famous people from all over the world. There are pictures of Luxun with George Bernard Shaw. It got wonderful photographs and also there's a bookstore and the bookstore has many books about Luxun and by Luxun in English and in French and in German. This is really a marvelous resource."

Every winter, David goes back to North America to visit family and friends. The rest of the year, the American professor indulges himself in his journey to discover China.

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