Talking about the taste of Xinjiang makes you hungry! Li Zehua, a lecturer at China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, believes the spirit of Xinjiang can most aptly be represented with a food metaphor: Xinjiang and Shanxi meet in a plate of deep-fried meat mixed noodles, and Central Asia makes itself known in a steaming serving of Xinjiang hand pilaf. The strategies for large-scale development of the western region are making Xinjiang an essential player for our times!