Homes become tourist magnets in Kashgar

People in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have rejuvenated their old houses and turned them into tourist attractions over the past few years, bringing in more money and improving their living standards.

Abudumijit Arzu, 36, opened a coffee shop in the old town of Kashgar. She now sees more than 50 customers coming to her 30-square-meter cafe each day. But she never thought that the old town would one day become a tourist magnet.

There has been a settlement on the site of Kashgar, a major city in southern Xinjiang, for more than 2,000 years. It is no stranger to visitors either - as it was an important trading post on the ancient Silk Road, which linked China, the Middle East and Europe.