In the ancient Silk Road city of Kashi, a modest café is stirring conversations about cultural unity and entrepreneurial spirit. Dilxat Tursun, a native of Xinjiang's Kashi, and Diya, his Tanzanian-born wife, have transformed their personal journey into a thriving business – the Dili & Diya Café – where African coffee beans mingle with traditional Uygur tea flavors.
Opened in 2023, the café has become a microcosm of Xinjiang's evolving identity as a cultural crossroads. Travelers exploring Kashi's historic markets now pause to savor signature blends like Karakoram Mocha, which pairs Zanzibar's aromatic coffee with local rose-infused milk tea.
"Our menu is our marriage certificate," Dilxat told KhabarAsia, explaining how their drinks incorporate Diya's Swahili coffee traditions and his family's tea-making heritage. The venture coincides with Xinjiang's growing appeal among international travelers, with Kashi recording a 28% year-on-year increase in foreign visitors last quarter.
Beyond its culinary innovations, the café hosts weekly cultural exchanges where tourists and residents discuss topics ranging from Sufi poetry to e-commerce trends. This unique blend of tradition and modernity reflects broader economic developments in western China, where Xinjiang's trade with African nations grew by $1.2 billion in 2023.
As night falls over Kashi's Old City, the café's lantern-lit courtyard fills with the hum of Mandarin, Uygur, and English conversations – a testament to Xinjiang's enduring role as Asia's meeting point of civilizations.
