"They couldn't understand why I'd visit a place that back then was considered one of China's most dangerous areas."
One of her friends pulled out of the trip and started "ghosting" her on WeChat, said the 35-year-old Chinese national, who did not want to reveal her real name.
"She said her parents forbade her from going anywhere near Xinjiang and did not want to engage further."
Anna went anyway, and returned this June. But it had changed, she says.
"Xinjiang was as beautiful as I remember it, but there are far too many tourists now, especially at the major attractions."
