E-COMMERCE RAISES INCOMES AND OPTIMISM IN FAR WEST

The development of online businesses is gaining speed and providing benefits for local entrepreneurs and residents, especially members of the Uygur ethnic group. Zhao Xinying and Aybek Askhar report from Aksu prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories about the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, looking at developments in the area's economy, culture, business sector and measures to alleviate poverty.

Sitting in a 10-square-meter office in downtown Aksu prefecture in the south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Mehmut Mardan was busy replying to constant inquiries from customers on aliwangwang, an instant-messaging platform developed by the e-commerce giant Taobao.