A Sense of Xinjiang

by+China+Pictorial

Xinjiang， covering a vast area of 1.66 million square kilometers， accounts for a sixth of Chinas territory. The land is appealing； people are always attracted to further exploration. Its beauty lies in its vast land， rich resources， and diverse lifestyles， ethnic groups and religions. Since ancient time， Xinjiang has been a hotbed of cultural fusion between East and West. Along the ancient Silk Road， travelers brought contrasting cultures across the land， where they interwove， merged， and developed， before being carried to further places by travelers. Todays Xinjiang remains a place of integration – diverse customs， religions， and cultures have been existing and developing on this land for several thousand years.

Geography and History

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located along the northwestern border of China， directly at the center of the Eurasian supercontinent. Accounting for a sixth of Chinas total area， it is the largest of the countrys provinces and autonomous regions. Historically， it served as an important thoroughfare along the ancient Silk Road. As early as 138 B.C.， Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty （206 B.C.-A.D. 24） dispatched Zhang Qian， an imperial envoy， westward to establish ties between the Western Han and kingdoms of the Western Regions. In 60 B.C. a frontier command in Wulei （todays Luntai County） was established， marking the annexation of the Western Regions into the territory of the Western Han Dynasty. The Western Regions were renamed Xinjiang during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty（1644-1911）. In 1844， Xinjiang Province was established， with Dihua （present-day Urumqi） as its seat. Xinjiang was peacefully liberated in 1949 and became Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on October 1， 1955， with Urumqi as its capital.

Population and Ethnic Groups

Despite being named “Uygur Autonomous Region，”Xinjiang is inhabited by 47 ethnic groups， 13 making up its major population： Uygur， Han， Kazakh， Hui， Kirgiz， Mongolian， Xibe， Russian， Tadzhik， Uzbek， Tartar， Manchu， and Daur. Each ethnic group resides in a comparatively concentrated area. Some share communities with others.

Mosques

Xinjiang has 24，300 mosques in total， scattered throughout the region. They employ approximately 29，000 religious staffers and manage two religious institutes of higher learning. Statistics from the sixth national demographic census in 2010 showed some 13 million Muslims in Xinjiang. At present， the region has eclipsed traditional Islamic countries， including Saudi Arabia， Turkey， Egypt， and Iran， in terms of quantity， density， and per capita number of mosques.

Xinjiang-Related Terrorist Incidents

As pinpointed in The Blue Paper of National Security released on May 6， 2014， the first of its kind in the country， China is enduring a period of frequent terrorist activities within its borders. Targets of terrorist organizations， such as East Turkestan Islamic Movement， have widened from Xinjiang to other areas. Since 2014， separatists and terrorists from Xinjiang have launched a handful of violent terrorist attacks， including a bombing on January 24 in Xinhe County， Aksu Prefecture， causing one death and two injuries， a stabbing spree on March 1 at Kunming Railway Station that took 29 lives and injured 143， and an attack claimed by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement on April 30 at Urumqi South Railway Station that killed three people and injured 79 more. A morning market attack on May 22 in Urumqi left 31 dead and 94 injured.

Outside Support in Construction

In 2014， 19 provincial and municipal governments outside Xinjiang planned 1，100 assistance projects for a cumulative investment of 10.6 billion yuan for the regions development of housing， animal husbandry， education， employment， and industry. In 2013， a total of 1，092 assistance projects were implemented in Xinjiang， 845 of which were new， with paid-in investment of 11.17 billion yuan. Last year， Xinjiang implemented 671 projects to improve peoples livelihood， with assistant funding of 8.11 billion yuan， accounting for 72.2 percent of total aid.

Native Products

Xinjiang has long been known for its melons and fruits， such as seedless grapes from Turpan， Hami melons from Shanshan， bergamot pears from Korla， white apricots from Kuqa， figs from Artux， cherries， walnuts， and peaches from Kashgar， pomegranates from Yecheng， pears from Qipan， nectarines from Hotan， and apples from Ili. Xinjiang is richly endowed with mineral resources. Today， 138 different mineral products have been found there， accounting for over 80 percent of the nations total. Of its many mineral resources， five rank first in the country and 26 in the top five. So far， over 1，000 minerals have been discovered in more than 4，000 locations.

Natural Splendor and Tourist Attractions

Kanas Lake， located in northern Burqin County， Altay Prefecture， is one of the most well-known freshwater lakes in China. Not only is it famous for its beautiful scenery， but also for legendary “monsters” living in the lake.

Nalat Grassland， 110 kilometers from the county seat of Xinyuan， Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture， is a national park along the northern slope of Mt. Nalat. It is a high-elevation meadow rich in Tertiary alluvialpluvial deposits.

Urho Ghost City， 100 kilometers southwest of Karamay， draws visitors with its unique wind-erosion land formation of grotesque sandstone rocks – standing like a castle in the great wilderness of the desert.

Terraced Households of a Uygur community located on a loess cliff spanning 40 meters in height and 800 meters in length at the northeastern end of the old district of Kashgar are also a tourist draw. Built 600 years ago， the structures showcase the ancient dwellings and folklore of the local Uygur people.

Karez is a special irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels， most commonly seen in Turpan. It is renowned as one of the three construction wonders of ancient China， the other two being the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. There are more than 1，100 Karez wells in Turpan， and the channels total some 5，000 kilometers in length.

Nature Reserves

To better protect wild animals and plants， the government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has built dozens of nature reserves， totaling 10.46 million hectares and accounting for 6.3 percent of Xinjiangs total area. Thus the region leads the country in nature reserve coverage. Of its many nature reserves， the most famous are Tarbaghatay Almond Reserve， Kanas Natural Landscape Reserve， Burgen Beaver Reserve， Mt. Tianshan Swan （Waterfowl） Reserve， Tumur Peak Nature Reserve， Mt. Kalamali Ungulate Reserve， Mt. Altun Nature Reserve， Ili Black Bee Resource Reserve， Weili Populus Euphratica Forest Nature Reserve， and Gongliu Picea Schrenkiana Reserve.

Archaeological Discoveries

The Ruins of Loulan are located in the western part of Lop Nur. As a gateway in the Western Regions， it occupied an important position along the ancient Silk Road. Ancient Loulan Kingdom was built in 176 B.C. and vanished in 630 A.D. The reason for its disappearance remains a mystery， but evidence shows it was a distribution center for silk， tea， horses， grapes， and jewelry. Time of discovery： 1901， when Swedish explorer Sven Hedin declared the existence of the ruins of Loulan.

The Ancient Tombs of Astana in Turpan have been dubbed an underground museum for their secret documentation of the history of Gaochang and culture of the Western Regions. Brought to light were ancient coinage and notes from the Han and Tang（618-907） Dynasties， local currency， as well as a considerable amount of Persian silver coins and Roman golden coins. Excavation： Since 1959

The Ancient City of Gaochang， situated east of Turpan， was established during the 1st Century B.C. by the army of the Western Han Dynasty， and was abandoned during the 13th Century. Since the early 21st Century， tens of thousands of historic relics， including books， silk， woolen and cotton articles， epigraphs， coins， porcelain and wooden vessels， paintings， and even crops， were unearthed from more than 500 tombs.

Xiaohe Cemetery was found in a desert 60 kilometers south of the valley along the lower reaches of the Kongque （Peacock） River in Lop Nur. It was discovered by Swedish archaeologist F. Bergnm in 1934， who believed it to be the “best preserved mummy in the world” – provoking worldwide attention. Nevertheless， it faded from the desert and was re-discovered during the early 21st Century， when nearly 1，000 relics were unearthed， including wooden arrows carved with floral patterns， bows， and red-painted ox skulls. Time of excavation： 2003

Adunqiaolu Ruins and Tombs Known as a “Stone Maze，” the site was the first confirmed ruins from the early Bronze Age in Xinjiang. Initial investigation began in 2011， and large-scale excavation proceeded between June and September 2012， bringing to light three building blocks attached to each other， nine slab-stone tombs， and a number of precious relics， including pottery， stone vessels， small bronze ware， and gold-coated earrings. Time of excavation： 2011