The night market. [Wang Zhuangfei / China Daily]

In all likelihood, such night food markets existed hundreds of years ago, too, packed with locals and merchants stopping by for replenishment of supplies. All kingdoms have long since been lost to the desert, but in Hotan many traditions such as bazaars and silk making are well and truly alive.

The majority of those who live in Hotan are Uygurs so the food in the night markets is full of authentic Uygur flavors. In Hotan the sun does not set until after 10 pm at the height of summer so the busiest time in the markets is after midnight, which stay open until 4 am.

The favorite food with locals is, undoubtedly, barbecued eggs, which are also a Hotan specialty. In the new night market, barbecued-egg sellers far outnumber those selling any other food. Perhaps surprisingly for visitors not used to such a warm climate, people are happy enough to sit around burning coals even on days when the temperature has climbed to 45 C, and on such days blazing heat can persist into the evening and the early morning.

Barbecue egg masters such as Turson Samat, 36, can cook eggs to the exacting demands of customers by adjusting how deep the eggs are buried in the burning coals, then pluck them out at just the right moment to deliver eggs from rare to well done to people sitting around intently watching the process.