What's on in Kashgar, China through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Clocks run on two times at once

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Officially everything is Beijing time, two hours ahead of the sun here. In practice shops, buses and meals run on unofficial local time — always ask which one a departure or an opening hour means. Source ↗

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Floating dust season

  1 Mar – 31 May · usuallyRisk

  Spring lifts the Taklamakan off the desert floor and parks it over the oasis. On the worst days the sky is a flat beige and the mountains on the Karakoram road simply are not there.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Opening

  Khunjerab Pass season

  1 Apr – 30 Nov · usuallyTrail seasonClosuresBook early

  The crossing to Pakistan over the Karakoram Highway runs from about April to the end of the year for light vehicles and May to November for freight, but snow closes it early or late without warning. Source ↗

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Floating dust season (1 Mar – 31 May (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Floating dust season (1 Mar – 31 May (usually)), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Peak summer heat

  1 Jul – 20 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  The oasis follows the desert. Everything worth doing happens before ten and after seven, and the middle of the day belongs to the shaded courtyards and the tea houses.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Melon and grape season

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyHarvest

  Late summer is what the irrigation is for: melons stacked on handcarts, figs, pomegranates and grapes drying in the ventilated brick sheds outside town. The bazaars are at their best.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Peak summer heat (1 Jul – 20 Aug (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Melon and grape season (1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — National Day Golden Week in China, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Khunjerab Pass season (1 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Clocks run on two times at once (1 Jan – 31 Dec)