Located in the southwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kashgar is close to the borders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It has long been a gateway into China and a trading hub. In 2010, Kashgar was made into the only special economic zone in western China. The city has rapidly developed in recent years, as it aims to become an international metropolis. It's also a place of beauty, where old meets new, as these aerial views show.