Xinjiang - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Population

Eastern Turkestan is populated in majority by the Ouïgours, speaking a Turkish language, but of other people of Central Asia like the Kazakh , the Kyrgyz , the Tatars, the Uzbek , and the Tadjiks are also present. According to the last Chinese census, the population of these Musulman S is of a little more than 11 million, among which, 8,68 million Ouïgours constitutes the majority. The 9 remaining million is as a majority of the Hans. Those, which were less than 10% in the middle of last century, represent currently more than 40% of the total population live especially in the cities. Thus, in the majority of the cities, the Ouïgours-Chinese ratio passed from 9 per 1 to 1 per 9. The forests and the meadows were destroyed to meet the enormous needs for the Chinese economy.

Located on the Silk route, the Ouïgours played a big role in the cultural exchanges between the west and is, and developed their own culture and civilization.

Cities

Source: World Gazetteer

Languages

Many source languages kazakhes and ouïgoures are spoken in Xinjiang. The Ili turki is a language which is almost extinct there.

Etymology

Xinjiang means “new territories literally” or “new face pioneer”, “news goes” (often badly translated by analogy with the English by “new borders”).

Geography

Xinjiang is the greatest autonomous region of China. Its capital is Urumqi. Located at the west of China on old the Silk route, it has reserves of Pétrole which make of it a strategic area for Beijing.

Xinjiang is surrounded of the Tibet in the south, the Qinghai and the Gansu in south-east, the Mongolia in the east, the Russia in north and the Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and of the part of the Kashmir controlled by the India in the west. Xinjiang manages the area of Aksai Chin, an area considered by India as part of the Jammu-and-Cashmere.

Xinjiang is divided into two basins by the Tian Shan, that of Dzoungarie (Djoungarie) in north and Tarim in the south. The point low is 155 m under the sea level and more the high summit is with: 8611 m on the border with the Cashmere.

Several rivers cross Xinjiang like the Tarim or the Ertix.

History

Its geographical location in Central Asia making of Xinjiang a zone of passage, many ethnos groups cohabits, thanks to the various waves of colonization which followed one another: Indo-European populations (Tokhariens and Saces, the latter being of Iranian language) originally wandering and which were sédentarisées on the spot, then populations Turkish and finally proto-Mongolian Xiongnu , proto-Turkish, . Last archaeological research put at the day of many bodies preserved very well whose majority could have been those of Tokhariens or Saces. They date from III and II. Current Xinjiang results from centuries of fight between the Chinese dynasties and the colonizing people.

The dynasty of the Han failed on several occasions in its attempts to control the area: as of second century BC, the Chinese entered the territory of Xinjiang and clashed with the Xiongnu, which dominated the Central Asia of 200 av. J. - C. with 48 after J. - C. a principle of military colonies, the Tuntian , was founded by the emperor Wudi and his successors, but proved to be a failure. The Chinese dynasty of the Tang however took up this idea and installed as of the 7th century after J. - C. military governors in the towns of Karachahr, Koutcha, Kachgar and Khotan. Tang lost the control of the zone at the 8th century with the profit of the Tibetans, then Ouïgours.

The Khan Bögü of the Ouïgours converts with the Manichéisme after having taken Chang' year (Xi' year) in 762, and of invaluable manuscripts dating from the end from were found in Xinjiang and the Gansu, in the North-West of the China: superb illuminations of Qoco close to Tourfan, important religious texts discovered by the sinologist Paul Pelliot in the Caves of Mogao close to Dunhuang.

However the reign of Ouïgours suffered from notable exceptions: the many Turkish ethnos groups called into question their capacity, and forced them to resort to the protection of the Mongolian populations. However, the push of the Turkish ethnos groups was right of this protectorate: they introduced the Islam in Xinjiang at the time of the S, and installed it durably.

The Christianisme nestorien, which reached the Mongolia and the China, was lontemps present at the Ouïgours; at the 14th century, one still finds one évêché nestorien with Kachgar, capital history of Xinjiang and, in 1289, the Mongolian Khan of Perse (ilkhan) Arghoun sends the monk ouïgour nestorien Rabban Sauma in embassy near Philippe IV Beautiful the and of the king of England Edouard I {{er}} with a missive who considered a joint attack against the Mamelouks.

In 1759, the area was integrated at the Chinese State. Before the 19th century, the Chinese indicate it by the word Xiyu (“area of Occident”).

The Manchu Empire gains victories vis-a-vis Dzoungares, which has as a consequence the incorporation of Eastern Turkestan in 1876 with the empire. This area is then set up in province under the name of Xinjiang , the November 18th 1884.

After the Manchu empire was reversed by the Chinese nationalists in 1911, Eastern Turkestan fell under the cut from the nationalist Chinese government. Ouïgours, wanting to release itself from the foreign domination, were raised with many recoveries against the nationalist Chinese capacity and by twice, in 1933 and 1944, succeeded in installing a Republic independent of Eastern Turkestan.

The second Republic of Eastern Turkestan, which remained independent during five years, fell under the cut from communist China in 1949 after its leaders were killed in a mysterious air crash while going to a meeting with the Chinese president Mao Zedong.

Shortly after that the Popular republic of China recovered this territory, its borders were corrected. Its surface passes then from: 1820000 in 1949 with: 1626000 km ², with the profit of the provinces of the Qinghai and the Gansu.

Nuclear tests

Since 1961, China exploded forty six nuclear bombs on the site of Lop Nor in Eastern Turkestan. The radioactive fallout created in thirty-five years an ecological disaster, polluting the grounds, water, the plants and food, which would have resulted in the death of: 200000 people. A recent research undertaken secretly by an English scientific team revealed a serious nuclear pollution and a dramatic increase in the rates of Cancer.

Cultural revolution

During the Cultural revolution, Coran S were destroyed in great autos-da-fe.

Camps of work

China built its larger camps of forced labor ( Laogai ) in Eastern Turkestan, making there come from the criminals of all China. Each year of tens of criminals manage to escape and break out on the surrounding villages. All the criminals are constrained to settle in Eastern Turkestan after having purged their sorrow.

Resistance ouïgoure is very active on the spot and of the bomb attacks aim regularly the Chinese administrations and infrastructures.

Chronology of the riots of Ouïgours

February 5th, 1997: riots make tens of dead and hundreds of wounded among Ouïgours. Hans of the province undergo also the reprisals.
January 1999: twenty-nine islamist militants are stopped, shown to have organized riots against Beijing. Two of these militants were carried out on January 28th.
February 12th, 1999: to Urumqi, five Ouïgours wounded and 150 decrees following violent confrontations between the young people who shouted of the independence slogans and the police force.
July 21st, 2004: execution of two men; called upon reason: “breach of security of the State”. During all the summer, the arrests of adults and children multiplied (in particular in the district of Khotan) for “illegal religious activities”.
August 6th, 2004: The Chinese and Pakistani armies send approximately 200 soldiers in the area of Taxkorgan, close to the border with Afghanistan in order to “improve the capacity to fight terrorism together and to contain and repress the separatist forces, extremists and terrorists”.

The policy of repression of Beijing

Terror and arrests of the separatist leaders ouïgours

From 1997 to 1999, the Chinese authorities organized public judgments retransmis on television for “ to educate the masses ”. The defendants are equipped as convicts, shaven head and hands bound behind the back, and carry to their neck a sign describing their count of indictment.

The policy of Discrimination of Beijing

It is reinforced since the Années 1990. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 make it possible to justify repression against the separatists ouïgours, qualified islamist Terroriste S, like the Tchétchène S in the Russia of Vladimir Poutine. According to Amnesty International, “ “repression against the separatists, the terrorists and the monks extremists” continued these three last years whereas no “terrorist attack” was officially reported. ”

Institutionalization of the Chinese language

In 2002, the language ouïgoure is prohibited at the university. A reform envisages the extension of this prohibition to the colleges. Today, the teaching of Chinese starts as of the elementary school, and is increasing with the passing of years. To the college, all the courses of science of policy and sport are given in Chinese, so that the children speak perfectly this language at the exit about the college. The Chinese government also makes so that the most gifted children continue their schooling far from their area of origin, out of the family circle, in order to give them an education in conformity with its policy. Beijing east thus shown to attack the national identity ouïgoure.

Religious prohibitions

The teaching of the Islam to the young people of less than eighteen years is prohibited - in China, it is the case for all the religions. The Chinese Communist party narrowly supervises teaching in the mosques and the two Koranic universities of Xinjiang. To become civil servant, it is necessary to give up its religion. In 2002, Autodafé S were organized by the local authorities, destroying hundreds of books censured for “ideological attack at the Chinese State”. The Bazar of the capital was transformed into modern supermarket.

Economic discriminations

The populations ouïgoures have the feeling which the richnesses of the province are exploited only by the Hans and for Hans. The economic inequalities grow hollow with the detriment of Ouïgours, confined with subordinates employment. The farmers show the central government to force them to cultivate Coton at low prices, sold to the textile industrialists of the coast.

Reactions of Ouïgours

Certains Ouïgours faces the interdicts, in clandestinity. Many is afraid and is exiled in the close areas. But Beijing succeeded in making them return. A negligible minority joined the islamist S of Afghanistan: after the attacks of the September 11th 2001, 22 Ouïgours were stopped by the Americans in the camps of Bin Laden in Afghanistan. They were sent on the basis of American Guantanamo. Washington refused to return them to popular China, because Xinjiang is the only province where the execution of the political prisoners remains common. Lastly, part of the young people ouïgours take drugs to forget their condition.

In exile also, the resistance of Ouïgours is active. In Turkey, where approximately ten thousand live Ouïgours, of associations were create since 1965, date of the first arrivals of refugees. These associations have cultural activities (language class ouïgoure for the newborns in exile, publication of works on the culture of Eastern Turkestan, history etc), but such political: demonstrations, publication of reports/ratios on the situation in Xinjiang, diffusion of information… In Germany (Munich), the DUK (World congress of Ouïgours) was the only political institution representative of Ouïghours until 2004 when with Washington the Government in exile of Eastern Turkestan was founded (Dogu Türkistan Süngündeki Hükûmeti), the purpose of which wrote a Constitution and is to be able to immediately ensure the government as of the access to independence. The communication between these two institutions is however very difficult, insofar as the DUK does not recognize the Government in Exile. This last incarnates a firmer policy and intransigent towards China, and more specifically represents waitings of the young generation of the refugees.

Sources

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