At the desiccated northwest corner of Gansu province in western China, a fort known as Jiayuguan marks the end of the Great Wall. During the 1500s messages from this distant outpost could reach the imperial capital Beijing in a matter of days via a system of smoke signals and fires.
Since July, when China cut off Internet access to neighboring Xinjiang province following ethnic riots, history has come full circle and Jiayuguan is once again at the edge of China’s information network. The small industrial town even has the Internet refugees to prove it.
Over the past few months, many Xinjiang residents have made the long journey to Jiayuguan and other towns along the provincial border to contact relatives, update blogs or rejuvenate businesses slowed by the restrictions.
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