China's westernmost city: old town of Kax

Photo taken on June 7, 2015 shows a street corner in the old town of the old town of Kax, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Kax, the westernmost city in China, was the center of Uygur civilization for centuries, a place where people came together to trade and spread Islamic learning, on the caravan routes from Europe and Persia to China. Kashi's old town dates back more than 2,000 years and today is home to more than 200,000 people. Since 2010, a renovation project costing about 7 billion RMB yuan (about 1.1 billion USD), has transformed the decrepit houses in the town and rendered them earthquake-proof while keeping the traditional Uygur style. (Xinhua/Shen Qiao)