Aynur Tursun, a doctor at the People's Hospital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said: "After the riot, I found it hard to call a taxi in the street." A kind Han driver finally stopped for her. In the car, he asked her how she hadn't been scarred mentally by the riot.

"I told him that I had been playing with Han friends since childhood and had a deep understanding and feeling for the Hans," she said emotionally.

"Anyone with a conscience does not want these things to happen and the rioters will sooner or later be punished."

At first, the driver was inhospitable to her, but they said goodbye when the doctor arrived at her destination. Tursun believed she untied a knot

in the driver's heart.

"There are definitely more knots to be untied, and time may heal the wounds," she said.

Dimurat Wanir, dean of the College of Humanities at the Xinjiang Normal University, said the riot's effect was very bad and far-reaching. But he was optimistic. "After all, most ordinary people long for peace,stability and prosperity."

The Urumqi museum is staging a photo exhibition entitled "We are a Family", showing pictures telling stories of people from different ethnic groups helping each other during the riot.

"The friendship between Hans and Uygurs has lasted for years," said a visitor to the exhibition, Li Xiaoxia. "It is not so easy to destroy it."

Iron hand

Efforts are being mounted to return the region to normal. Collecting evidence has been a heavy load for the city's police force. It had involved examinations at the crime scenes and DNA evaluation and the collection of many pieces of evidence, but it had been carried out swiftly, said Chen Zhuangwei, head of the Public Security Department of Urumqi.

He said 718 people had been detained on suspicion of being implicated in the riot, and the first 83 people been arrested on suspicion of the same implication.

Those arrested will face charges including murder, intentional injury, inciting racial hatred, arson and robbery, said procurator Utiku'er Abudrehman.

The regional media office sends short messages to mobile phone users every day reporting on the social situation in Urumqi. When resident Wang Shu switched on her cellphone Wednesday morning, she got the message. "Social order was good on Tuesday. We wish you healthy and safe. Let's unite to build our homeland into a better place."

"A nice day." Wang smiled.

(China Daily August 6, 2009)