URUMQI－Gezixiang, meaning "Dove Lane", located in the old town of Tuancheng in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was once a place where people traded birds.

After four years of renovations, the lane has been turned into a tourist attraction lined with family inns and stores selling signature products.

With an investment of 317 million yuan ($44.8 million), the renovation project is still in progress with the aim of building it into a precinct that attracts tourists with its distinctive characteristics and culture.

Xinhua