Since the center was established in early 2015, more than 3,600 people from Aksu and other places in Xinjiang have participated in its free training programs, and 460 of them were Uygur.

The prefectural government identifies those who are passionate about e-commerce and sends them to Hangzhou for more systematic training, including lessons about finance and more advanced store-operating techniques.

To encourage more people to open online stores in the industrial park, the government offers free offices and packing facilities, and exempts store owners from utility costs. In addition, the association gives store owners a subsidy of 1 yuan for each parcel they deliver.

Those efforts are paying off. Last year, about 2,400 online stores were active on Taobao in downtown Aksu alone, a rise of 30 percent from 2017, according to Ji Wenjun, an official with the Aksu bureau of commerce.

In total, 18,000 people in the downtown were engaged in the e-commerce industry, delivering more than 13 million parcels, and revenue reached 820 million yuan, a rise of 37 percent from 2017.

Ji said that a recent official survey showed that Aksu ranked in the top five prefectures in Xinjiang in indexes related to e-commerce entrepreneurship, online shopping and e-commerce services, indicating that the sector is developing vigorously.

"E-commerce is booming in Aksu, producing a very good climate for online trading, and benefiting a large number of people," Ji said.