Afghanistan- Historical Matters Concerning Xinjiang

(MENAFN- Afghanistan Times) The State Council Information Office of
the People's Republic of China

July 2019

Contents

Preamble                                                                                                             1

    I.  Xinjiang Has Long Been an Inseparable Part of
Chinese Territory      3

   II.  Xinjiang Has Never Been 'East Turkistan'                                            8

III.  The Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang Are Part of the
Chinese Nation          10

IV.  The Uygur Ethnic Group Formed Through a Long
Process of
        Migration and Integration                                                                       13

  V.  Xinjiang Ethnic Cultures Are Part of Chinese
Culture                         15

VI.  Multiple Religions Have Long Coexisted in
Xinjiang                         19

VII.  Islam Is Neither an Indigenous nor the Sole
Belief System
        of the Uygurs                                                                                            22

Conclusion                                                                                                        25

Appendix: A Brief Chronology of Chinese History          26

Preamble

The
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is situated in northwest China and in the
hinterland of the Eurasian Continent. It borders eight countries: Mongolia,
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
It was a place where the famed Silk Road connected ancient China with the rest
of the world and where diverse cultures gathered.

China
is a unified multiethnic country, and the various ethnic groups in Xinjiang
have long been part of the Chinese nation. Throughout its long history,
Xinjiang's development has been closely related to that of China. However, in more recent times, hostile
forces in and outside China, especially separatists, religious
extremists and terrorists, have tried to split China and break it apart by
distorting history and facts. They deny the fact that Xinjiang has been a part
of China's territory where various ethnic groups have lived together, many
cultures have communicated with each other, and different religions have
coexisted since ancient times. They call Xinjiang 'East Turkistan' and clamor
for independence. They attempt to separate ethnic groups in Xinjiang from the
Chinese nation and ethnic cultures in the region from the diverse but
integrated Chinese culture.

History
cannot be tampered with and facts are indisputable. Xinjiang has long been an
inseparable part of Chinese territory; never has it been the so-called East
Turkistan. The Uygur ethnic group came into being through a long process of migration and integration; it is part of the
Chinese nation. In Xinjiang, different cultures and religions coexist,
and ethnic cultures have been fostered and developed in the embrace of the
Chinese civilization. Islam is neither an indigenous nor the sole belief system
of the Uygur people. It has taken root in the Chinese culture and developed
soundly in China.

I.
Xinjiang Has Long Been an Inseparable
Part of Chinese Territory

A
unified multiethnic country, China came into being as a result of economic and
social development. Historically, the East Asia continent that nurtured the
ancestors of today's Chinese nation had both farming and nomadic herding areas.
Different ethnic groups with diverse livelihoods and lifestyles communicated
with and complemented each other, and migrated and lived together. They
experienced both conflict and integration, and pushed China to move forward and
become a unified multiethnic country.

Xia,
Shang, and Zhou, the three earliest dynasties in Chinese history, emerged
successively in the Central Plains, a vast area covering the middle and lower
reaches of the Yellow River. They integrated with neighboring clans, tribes,
and tribal alliances into bigger ethnic groups, called by the joint name Zhuxia
or Huaxia. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period,
Huaxia groups continued to communicate and blend with neighboring clans,
tribes, and tribal alliances, and gradually seven regions – Qi, Chu, Yan, Han,
Zhao, Wei, and Qin – came into being. These maintained contact with neighboring
ethnic groups such as Yi in the east, Man in the south, Rong in the west, and
Di in the north. In 221 BC, the First Emperor of Qin founded the first unified
feudal dynasty. In 202 BC, Liu Bang, later known as Emperor Gaozu, set up
another unified feudal dynasty – Han.

From
the Han to the middle and late Qing, the vast areas both north and south of the
Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang were called the Western Regions. Xinjiang was
formally included in Chinese territory in the Han Dynasty. Later dynasties in
the Central Plains, some strong, some weak, kept closer or looser contact with
the Western Regions, and the central authorities exercised tighter or slacker
administration over Xinjiang. But all of these dynasties regarded the Western
Regions as part of Chinese territory and exercised the right of jurisdiction
over Xinjiang. Through the long formative process of turning China into a
unified multiethnic country, many ethnic groups worked together to develop its
vast territories and build the diverse Chinese nation. The unification of
multiethnic China was a result of common efforts made by the whole Chinese
nation, including the ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

In the
early Western Han Dynasty, the nomadic Xiongnu people in northern China
controlled the Western Regions, and attacked the Central Plains from time to
time. After Emperor Wudi took the throne, he adopted a series of military and
political responses. In 138 BC and 119 BC, the Western Han government
dispatched Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions, who convinced the
Rouzhi and Wusun peoples to form an alliance to fight the Xiongnu. On three
occasions between 127 BC and 119 BC, the Western Han authorities dispatched
forces that inflicted heavy losses on the Xiongnu. They then set up four
prefectures – Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang – on key passageways from
the Central Plains to the Western Regions. In 101 BC, the Western Han began to
send garrison troops to transform wastelands to arable land in Luntai and some
other places, and appointed local officers to command them. In 60 BC, the
Xiongnu king who ruled the areas north of the eastern Tianshan Mountains
surrendered to the Han government, which thereby incorporated the Western
Regions into Han's territory. In the same year, the Western Regions Frontier
Command was established to exercise military and political administration over
the Western Regions. In 123, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Western
Regions Frontier Command was replaced by the Western Regions Garrison Command,
which continued to administer the Western Regions.

The
Kingdom of Wei of the Three Kingdoms Period adopted the Han system, stationing
a garrison commander to rule the Western Regions. The Western Jin Dynasty
stationed a garrison commander and a governor to exercise military and
political administration over the Western Regions. In the Three Kingdoms Period
and the Jin Dynasty, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Dingling, and Wuhuan in northern
China moved inland and finally integrated with the Han ethnic group. In 327,
the Former Liang regime spread the system of prefectures and counties to the
Western Regions and set up the Gaochang Prefecture in the Turpan Basin. From
460 to 640, the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochangcentered in the Turpan Basin and with
the Han people as the main population was ruled successively by the Kan, Zhang,
Ma, and Qu families.

The
Sui Dynasty ended the long-term division of the Central Plains, and expanded
the areas in the Western Regions that adopted the system of prefectures and
counties. The Turk, Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Jialiangyi, Fuguo and some other ethnic
groups submitted to the authority of the Sui. In the Tang Dynasty, the central
government strengthened its rule over the Western Regions by establishing the
Grand Anxi Frontier Command and the Grand Beiting Frontier Command to administer
the Western Regions. The ruling clan of the Kingdom of Khotan (232 BC-AD 1006)
asserted that it was related by blood to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and
changed its surname to Li, the surname of the Tang emperor. In the Song
Dynasty, local regimes of the Western Regions paid tribute to the Song. The
king of Uighur Kingdom of Gaochanghonored the Song emperor as 'Uncle' and
called himself 'Nephew in the Western Regions', while the Kara-Khanid Khanate
(840-1212) sent envoys many times to pay tribute to the Song court.

In the
Yuan Dynasty, the central government strengthened administration over the
Western Regions by establishing the Beiting Command and the Pacification
Commissioner's Office to manage military and political affairs. In 1251, the system
of administrative provinces was adopted in the Western Regions. In the Ming
Dynasty, the imperial court set up the Hami Garrison Command to manage local
affairs, and then set up six garrison cities – Anding, Aduan, Quxian, Handong,
ChijinMengu, and Shazhou – between the Jiayu Pass and Hami to support local
administration. In the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court quelled a rebellion
launched by the Junggar regime, defining the northwestern border of China. It
then adopted more systematic policies for governing Xinjiang. In 1762, the Qing
government established the post of Ili General and adopted a mechanism
combining military and political administration. In 1884, it established a
province and renamed the Western Regions as 'Xinjiang', meaning 'land newly
returned'. In 1912, as a response to the Revolution of 1911, Xinjiang became a
province of the Republic of China.

In
1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded, and Xinjiang was
liberated peacefully. In 1955, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was
established. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, all ethnic
groups in Xinjiang united and worked with other groups across the country,
opening a period of unprecedented prosperity for the region.

In the
long history, Chinese territory has experienced periods of division and
unification, but unification and development have always been the overall
trend. Small kingdoms or separatist regimes existed in the Central Plains in
different periods; similarly, Xinjiang also witnessed several local regimes
dividing the region. Nevertheless, no matter how long these regimes divided
Xinjiang and however serious the situation was, the region was ultimately
united. In different periods in Xinjiang there were city-states, nomadic
states, princedoms, kingdoms, khanates, vassal states, tributary states and
some other forms of local regime, such as the 36 states of the Western Regions
in the Han Dynasty, the Kara-Khanid Khanate and the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochang
in the Song Dynasty, the Chagatai Khanate in the Yuan Dynasty, and the Yarkant
Khanate in the Ming Dynasty. But these were all local regimes within the
territory of China; they were never independent countries. These local regimes
had a strong sense of national identity, and acknowledged themselves as
branches or vassals of the Central Plains authorities.

A Comprehensive Dictionary of Turkic Languages, written by Turkic scholar
Mahmud al-Kashgari in the 11th century, states that China [often referred to as
Qin in ancient times] was composed of three parts, namely Upper Qin (the area
of the Northern Song Dynasty), Middle Qin (the area of the Liao Dynasty), and
Lower Qin (the area of the Kara-Khanid
Khanate). In the Travels to the West of
Master of Eternal Spring QiuChuji, the Han people were
called the Tavghaq; and in A Comprehensive
Dictionary of Turkic Languages, the Uighur people were
called Tat Tavghaq, or the Uighurs of China. The coins of the Kara-Khanid
Khanate were often inscribed with such titles as TavghaqBughra Khan, King from
Qin, and King from Qin and the East to indicate that the khanate was part of
China.

II.
Xinjiang Has Never Been
'East Turkistan'

The
Turks (Tujue in
Chinese) were nomads who originated in the Altai Mountains in the middle of the
6th century. The Turks annihilated the Rouran and established a Turkic khanate
in 552, which split into two forces, settling on either side of the Altai in
583. The Tang Dynasty defeated the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (583-630) in 630,
and joined forces with the Ouigours to eliminate the Western Turkic Khaganate
(583-657) in 657, thus uniting the Western Regions under central rule. In 682,
the remnants of the Eastern Turks that were relocated in the north rebelled
against the Tang court and established the Second Turkic Khaganate (682-744).
This was quelled by the Tang in 744 with the help of the Ouigour and Karluk
peoples in Mobei (the area north of the vast deserts on the Mongolian Plateau).
Kutlug Bilge Khagan, leader of the Ouigours, was granted a title by the Tang
court, and established a khanate in Mobei. In the late 8th century, the nomadic
Turks dissolved as its last khanate collapsed. They mixed with local tribes
during their migration to Central and West Asia, but these newly formed peoples
were fundamentally different to the ancient
Turks. Ever since then, Turks have disappeared from China's northern
regions.

Never
in Chinese history has Xinjiang been referred to as 'East Turkistan', and there
has never been any state known as 'East Turkistan'. From the 18th century to
the first half of the 19th century, as the West made a distinction between the
various Turkic languages (branches of the Altaic languages), some foreign
scholars and writers coined the term 'Turkistan' to refer to the region south
of the Tianshan Mountains and north of Afghanistan, which roughly covered the
area from southern Xinjiang to Central Asia. They called the two areas on
either side of the Pamirs 'West Turkistan' and 'East Turkistan'. At the turn of
the 20th century, as 'Pan-Turkism' and
'Pan-Islamism' made inroads into Xinjiang, separatists in and outside
China politicized the geographical concept and manipulated its meaning, inciting all ethnic groups speaking Turkic languages
and believing in Islam to join in creating the theocratic state of 'East
Turkistan'. The advocacy of this so-called state has become a political tool
and program for separatists and anti-China forces attempting to split China.

III.
The Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang
Are Part of the Chinese Nation

Historically,
the Chinese nation was formed and developed through cultural communication,
exchanges and integration between peoples in the Central Plains and in other
regions. The Huaxia people who appeared in the pre-Qin period, after years of
integration with various other peoples, and especially after 500 turbulent
years of cultural convergence in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States
periods, further integrated with other peoples in the Qin and Han dynasties to
form the Han people, a majority group in the Central Plains and the major
people in Chinese history. In the period of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and
Southern Dynasties, different peoples, especially the northern ethnic
minorities, migrated on a large scale to the Central Plains, resulting in further
ethnic merging. In the 13th century, with the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, an
unprecedented level of political unification gave rise to unprecedented ethnic
migration, leading to various ethnic groups living together within the Yuan
territories.

After
this long historical process, different ethnic groups of China eventually
settled among each other, with compact communities here and there.
Multiethnicity is a prominent feature of China. Together, the ethnic groups of
China have explored the country's rich resources and vast territories, and have
created a long history and a splendid culture.

Xinjiang
has been in close contact with the Central Plains since ancient times. As early
as the Shang Dynasty, the Western Regions traded jade with the Central Plains.
In the Han Dynasty, imperial envoy Zhang Qian opened up the Silk Road, along
which emissaries and merchants traveled. In the Tang Dynasty, merchants from
the Central Plains and the Western Regions traded silk and horses, and a grand
thoroughfare connected the Western Regions directly to Chang'an, the Tang
capital, with courier stations along the way. Music and dances from Khotan,
Gaochang and other places in the Western Regions were performed in the Tang
court, and the exotic cultures of the Western Regions were popular in Chang'an.
The music of Qiuci (today's Kucha, Xinjiang) enjoyed great fame in the Central
Plains, and became an important component of court music in the Sui, Tang and
Song dynasties. In modern times, at critical junctures of the Chinese nation,
the ethnic peoples in Xinjiang have fought alongside the rest of the country
with great patriotism. Since the founding of the PRC, ethnic relations in
Xinjiang have entered a new era characterized by equality, solidarity, mutual
help, and harmony.

Xinjiang
has been a multiethnic region since ancient times. The earliest explorers of
Xinjiang included the Sai, Rouzhi, Wusun, Qiang, Qiuci, Yanqi, Khotan, Shule,
Shache, Loulan and Cheshi peoples living in the Tianshan Mountains and the
Xiongnu and Han peoples in the pre-Qin, Qin and Han dynasties. Following them
were peoples of the Han, the Xianbei, Rouran, Gaoche, Yeda, and Tuyuhun in the
period of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties; of the Turk, Tubo,
and Ouigour in the period of the Sui and Tang dynasties; of the Khitan in the
period of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties; of the Mongol, Jurchen, Dangxiang
(Tangut), Kazak, Kirgiz, Manchu, Xibe, Daur, Hui, Uzbek, and Tatar in the
period of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Large numbers of various ethnic
groups entering Xinjiang in different periods brought technology, culture and
ideas, folk customs, and many other aspects of their lives into the region,
promoting economic and social development through exchanges and integration. They
were all explorers of Xinjiang. By the end of the 19th century, 13 ethnic
groups – the Uygur, Han, Kazak, Mongol, Hui, Kirgiz, Manchu, Xibe, Tajik, Daur,
Uzbek, Tatar, and Russian – had settled in Xinjiang, with the Uygurs having the
largest population. Ethnic groups had grown, developed and integrated with each
other despite periods of isolations and conflict, and shared good fortune and
hardship in a close relationship. All of them have made important contribution
to exploring, developing and protecting Xinjiang, and they are all masters of
Xinjiang. Currently inhabited by 56 ethnic groups, Xinjiang is one of the
provincial-level administrative regions with the most ethnic groups in China.
The Uygur, Han, Kazak and Hui have populations of one million and above, and
the Kirgiz and Mongol have populations exceeding 100,000. Today, Xinjiang, home
to various ethnic groups, is an integral part of the Chinese nation.

The
evolution of ethnic relations in Xinjiang has always been linked to that
between all ethnic groups in China. There have been periods of isolation and
conflict, but exchange and integration, and unity and joint effort have always
been the prevailing trend. The ethnic groups of China, including those in
Xinjiang, live together alongside each other. They are economically
interdependent and embrace each other's culture, and are a unified whole that
has become impossible to separate. They are members of the same big family. In
this family of the Chinese nation, the ethnic groups in Xinjiang are like brothers
and sisters who work and live together and help each other out. They have
guarded against foreign aggression, opposed separatist activities, and
safeguarded national unification.

IV.
The Uygur Ethnic Group Formed Through a Long Process of Migration and
Integration

The
main ancestors of the Uygurs were the Ouigour people who lived on the Mongolian
Plateau during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Many different names were used in
historical records to refer to this group of people.

Historically,
to resist oppression and slavery by the Turks, the Ouigour people united with
some of the Tiele tribes to form the Ouigour tribal alliance. In 744, the Tang
court conferred a title on Kutlug Bilge Khagan, who united the Ouigour tribes.
In 788, the then Ouigour ruler wrote to the Tang emperor, requesting to have
their name changed to 'Uighur'.

After
the Uighur Khanate was defeated by the Kyrgyz people in 840, some of the
Uighurs moved inland to live with the Han people, and the rest were divided
into three sub-groups. One of the sub-groups moved to the Turpan Basin and the
present-day Jimsar region, where they founded the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochang.
Another moved to the Hexi Corridor, where they merged with local ethnic groups
to become what was later known as the Yugurs. The third sub-group moved to the
west of Pamir, scattered in areas from Central Asia to Kashgar, and joined the
Karluk and Yagma peoples in founding the Kara-Khanid Khanate. There they merged
with the Han people in the Turpan Basin and the Yanqi, Qiuci, Khotan, Shule,
and other peoples in the Tarim Basin to form the main body of the modern Uygur
ethnic group.

In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the various ethnic groups
in Xinjiang
further merged. The Mongols, especially those of the Chagatai Khanate, were
fused with the Uighurs, adding fresh blood to the Uighur group. In 1934, Xinjiang
issued a government order, stipulating that '维吾尔' would be the standard
Chinese name for Uygurs, which for the first time expressed the accurate
meaning of 'Uygur': to maintain unity among the people.

The
Ouigours endured slavery under the rule of the Turks. With support from Tang
Dynasty troops, they rebelled against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and defeated
the Western Turkic Khaganate and the Second Turkic Khaganate. After the demise
of the Western Turkic Khaganate, some Turkic-speaking tribes migrated westward.
One of these tribes gradually settled down in Asia Minor, and integrated with
local ethnic groups. The Uygurs are not descendants of the Turks.

Since
the modern times, some Pan-Turkism advocates with ulterior motives have
described all peoples of the Turkic language family as 'the Turks' using the
untenable argument that the Turkic-speaking tribe integrated with the ancestors
of the Turkish people after migrating westward. A language family and an ethnic
group are two essentially different concepts. In China, ethnic groups speaking
Turkic languages include the Uygurs, Kazaks, Kirgiz, Uzbeks, Tatars, Yugurs,
and Salars, each with its own history and unique culture. These peoples cannot
be referred to as 'Turks'.

V.
Xinjiang Ethnic Cultures Are Part
of Chinese Culture

The
Chinese nation has a civilization that dates back more than 5,000 years. Over
these five millennia, all ethnic groups of China have created a long history
and a splendid culture. The prosperity of the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties and
during the reign of the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors of the Qing Dynasty was
achieved by all the ethnic groups together. Ethnic and cultural diversity is a
salient feature of the Chinese nation and also an important driving force for
China's national development.

Since
ancient times, due to geographic variations and the unbalanced development of
different regions, Chinese culture has grown diverse between the south and the
north and between the east and the west. As early as the Spring and Autumn and
the Warring States periods, basic regional cultures with their own distinctive
features had already formed. From the Qin and Han dynasties, on through all the
dynasties that followed, across the vast territory of China, cultures of all
ethnic groups engaged in constant exchange and integration through migration,
convergence, wars, marriage, and trade, and finally formed a splendid overall
Chinese culture.

More
than 2,000 years ago and beyond, Xinjiang was a gateway for China's
civilization to open to the West and an important base for cultural exchange
and communication between the East and the West. The region experienced a
wealth of cultural diversity and coexistence. Long periods of exchange and
integration between the culture of the Central Plains and those of the Western
Regions drove not only the development of various ethnic cultures in Xinjiang,
but also the diversified and integrated Chinese culture as a whole. From the
very beginning, ethnic cultures in Xinjiang have reflected elements of Chinese
culture, which has always been the emotional attachment and spiritual home for
all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, as well as a dynamic source of development for
the ethnic cultures in the region.

Economic
and cultural exchange between the Central Plains and the Western Regions began
in the pre-Qin period. In the Han Dynasty, the Chinese language became one of
the official languages used in government documents of that region. Pipa (the
four-stringed Chinese lute), the Qiang flute, and other musical instruments were
introduced to the Central Plains from or via the region. Agricultural
production techniques, the system of etiquette, books in Chinese, and music and
dances of the Central Plains spread widely in the region.

Later,
the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochang adopted the calendar of the Tang Dynasty, and
this practice continued until the latter half of the 10th century. 'The
governor's generals are skilled in the songs of ethnic minorities, and local
chiefs are able to speak Chinese.' This verse by the Tang poet Cen Shen
reflects the equal status of Chinese and other ethnic languages commonly used
at that time. It also demonstrates the cultural prosperity of that period.

Late
in the Song Dynasty, Buddhist arts were still flourishing in the south of the
Tianshan Mountains and a large number of relics remain till today. In the
Western Liao period (1124-1218), the Khitan people, who destroyed the
Kara-Khanid Khanate, controlled the Xinjiang region and Central Asia and
realized regional unification, extensively inheriting and adopting the laws and
regulations and etiquette of the Central Plains.

In the
Yuan Dynasty, large numbers of Uighurs and people of other ethnic groups
migrated into the inland areas. They settled there and learned and used the
Chinese language. Some of them even sat for the imperial examinations and were
recruited as officials at various levels. From these groups emerged statesmen,
writers, artists, historians, agronomists, translators and specialists of other
types, who vigorously promoted the development of ethnic cultures in Xinjiang.

During
the Ming and Qing dynasties, under the influence of Islamic culture, ethnic
cultures in Xinjiang developed slowly in integration and conflict with cultures
from outside the region. In modern China, under the influence of the Revolution
of 1911, the October Revolution in Russia, the May 4th Movement, and the New
Democratic Revolution, ethnic cultures in Xinjiang began to modernize, and the
Chinese national and cultural identity of all ethnic groups in the region reached
a new height. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, ethnic cultures in
Xinjiang entered a period of unprecedented prosperity and development.

The
historical record indicates that when multiple languages were used as official
languages and when exchanges were frequent in Xinjiang, it witnessed a boom in
ethnic cultures and social progress. Long years of experience shows that
learning and using standard Chinese as a spoken and written language has helped
Xinjiang's ethnic cultures to flourish.

The ethnic
cultures in Xinjiang always have their roots in the fertile soil of Chinese
civilization and make up an inseparable part of Chinese culture. Well before
Islamic culture spread into Xinjiang, all ethnic cultures in the region,
including the Uygur culture, had prospered in the fertile soil of China's
civilization. It was not until the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, when
Islam spread into the region, that the Islamic culture of the Arab civilization
– which dates back to the 7th century – began to exert an influence on ethnic
cultures in Xinjiang.

Religion
can exert an influence on culture in two ways: willing acceptance, and forced
acceptance through cultural conflict or even religious wars. In the case of
Xinjiang, Islam entered mainly through the latter. This caused serious damage
to the cultures and arts of the various ethnic groups in Xinjiang created in
earlier periods when Buddhism was popular in the region. As to the incoming
Islamic culture, the ethnic cultures in Xinjiang both resisted and assimilated
it in a selective manner, and adapted it to China's realities. This did not
alter the fact that ethnic cultures in Xinjiang were ingrained with Chinese
features, nor did it halt the flow of local cultures into Chinese civilization,
or change the fact that they were part of Chinese culture. The epic Manas, which originated in the
9th and 10th centuries, became a literary masterpiece well-known in and outside
China, thanks to performances and adaptation by Kirgiz singers. Around the 15th
century, the epic Jangar of
the Oirat Mongols gradually took shape in Xinjiang. These two epics, together
with Life of King Gesar, are regarded as the three most renowned epics of
China's ethnic minority groups. Uygur literature has given birth to a galaxy of
excellent works, including KutadguBilig (Wisdom of Fortune
and Joy), Atebetu'lHakayik (A Guide to Truth), A Comprehensive
Dictionary of Turkic Languages, and Twelve Muqams, all of which are
treasures of Chinese culture. They represent the enormous contribution that
ethnic groups in Xinjiang have made to the formation and development of Chinese
culture.

Having
a stronger sense of identity with Chinese culture is essential to the
prosperity and development of ethnic cultures in Xinjiang. Throughout history,
whenever the central government exercised effective governance over Xinjiang
and the society of the region was stable, exchanges and communication between
ethnic cultures in Xinjiang and the culture of the Central Plains ran smoothly,
and the economy and culture of Xinjiang flourished and grew prosperous.
Whenever ethnic cultures in Xinjiang assimilated, integrated and accommodated
the diverse culture of the Central Plains,
including the concepts of benevolence, people-orientation, integrity,
sound reasoning, harmony and unity, diversity and integration of Xinjiang
ethnic cultures were more apparent, and these cultures could make more
progress. For the ethnic cultures in Xinjiang to prosper and develop they must
keep pace with the times, be open and inclusive, engage in exchange and
integration with other ethnic cultures in China and mutual learning with other
ethnic cultures throughout the world, and play their role in fostering a shared
spiritual home for all China's ethnic groups.

VI.
Multiple Religions Have Long Coexisted
in Xinjiang

China
has long been a multi-religious country. In addition to several major religions
that are structured in accordance with strict religious norms, a variety of
folk beliefs are also popular in China. Among these, Taoism and local folk
beliefs are native to China, while all other religions were introduced from
foreign countries. The history of Xinjiang shows that multiple religions have
long coexisted there, with one or two predominant. The region's religious
structure is characterized by blending and coexistence.

The
formation and evolution of the coexistence of multiple religions in Xinjiang
has been a long process:

• Prior to the 4th century
BC, primitive religion was widespread in Xinjiang.

•Around
the 1st century BC, Buddhism was introduced into Xinjiang.

•From the 4th to 10th
centuries, Buddhism reached its peak, while Zoroastrianism proliferated
throughout Xinjiang.

•During the late 16th
century and early 17th century, Tibetan Buddhism thrived in northern Xinjiang.

•Around the 5th century,
Taoism spread into Xinjiang, prevalent in Turpan and Hami areas. During the
Qing Dynasty, it revived in most parts of Xinjiang.

•In
the 6th century, Manichaeism and Nestorianism entered Xinjiang. From the 10th to 14th
centuries, Nestorianism flourished as the Uighur and some other peoples
converted to it.

In the
late 9th century and early 10th century, the Kara-Khanid Khanate accepted
Islam. It started a 40-year-long religious war in the mid-10th century against
the Buddhist Kingdom of Khotan, and conquered it in the early 11th century and
imposed Islam there, putting an end to the thousand-year history of Buddhism in
that region. With the expansion of Islam, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and
Nestorianism declined. In the mid-14th century, the rulers of the Eastern
Chagatai Khanate (1348-1509) spread Islam to the northern edge of the Tarim
Basin, the Turpan Basin and Hami through war and duress. By the early 16th
century, many religions had coexisted in Xinjiang, with Islam predominant,
Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism gone, and Buddhism and Taoism
surviving. The coexistence has continued to this day in the region. In the early
17th century, the Oirat Mongols accepted Tibetan Buddhism. Beginning in the
18th century, Protestantism, Catholicism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church
reached Xinjiang.

Xinjiang
now has multiple religions, including Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism,
Catholicism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. It has 24,800 venues for
religious activities, including mosques, churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples,
with 29,300 religious staff. Among these, there are 24,400 mosques, 59 Buddhist
temples, 1 Taoist temple, 227 Protestant churches (or meeting grounds), 26
Catholic churches (or meeting grounds), and 3 Orthodox churches (or meeting
grounds).

China,
along with most other countries, upholds separation of religion from
government. No religious organization is allowed to interfere in political and
government affairs. No individual or organization is allowed to use religion to
interfere in administration, judicial affairs, education, marriage and birth
control, to hinder social order, work order and life order, to oppose the
Communist Party of China and China's socialist system, or to undermine ethnic
solidarity and national unity.

Xinjiang
fully respects and protects freedom of religious belief as stipulated in the
Constitution of the PRC. Xinjiang respects citizens' freedom to believe in, or
not to believe in, any religion. Xinjiang shows zero tolerance to any action
that creates disputes between believers and non-believers, between believers of
different religions, and between believers of different sects of a religion.
Xinjiang always upholds equality for all religions, showing neither favoritism
towards nor discrimination against any religion and allowing no religion to be
superior to any other religion. Xinjiang always upholds equality for all
individuals before the law. Believers and non-believers enjoy equal rights and
obligations, and all law violators, whatever their social background,
ethnicity, and religious belief, will be punished in accordance with the law.

To
survive and develop, religions must adapt to their social environment. The
history of religions in China shows that only by adapting themselves to the
Chinese context can they be accommodated within Chinese society. The 70-year
history of the PRC also shows that only by adapting to socialist society can
religions in China develop soundly. We must uphold the principle of
independence and self-management of China's religious affairs, and prevent all
religious tendency that seeks to divest itself of all Chinese elements. We must
develop and encourage secular, modern and civilized ways of life, and abandon
backward and outdated conventions and customs. We must carry forward religious
practices adapted to Chinese society, inspire various religions in China with
core socialist values and Chinese culture, foster the fusion of religious
doctrines with Chinese culture, and lead these religions, including Islam, onto
the Chinese path of development.

VII.
Islam Is Neither an Indigenous nor
the Sole Belief System of the Uygurs

Primitive
religion and Shamanism were practiced by the ancestors of the Uygurs before
Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorianism and Islam were introduced
into the region. During the period spanning the Tang and Song dynasties,
Buddhism was the predominant religion practiced by the nobility and the common
people in the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochang and the Kingdom of Khotan. Many
Uighurs converted to Nestorianism during the Yuan Dynasty. Today in Xinjiang, a
significant number of people do not follow any religion, and many Uygurs follow
religions other than Islam.

The
introduction of Islam into Xinjiang was related to the emergence of the Arab
Empire and the eastward expansion of Islam. The Uighur conversion to Islam was
not a voluntary choice made by the common people, but a result of religious
wars and imposition by the ruling class, though this fact does not undermine
our respect for the Muslims' right to their beliefs. Islam is neither an
indigenous nor the sole belief system of the Uygur people.

In the
process of accepting Islam, the ancestors of the Uygurs and Kazaks integrated
it with local faiths and traditions, while absorbing the cultures of other
ethnic groups in the region and from inland areas. Some of their religious
concepts, rituals and customs remained as they evolved. Through interaction
with these elements, Islam in Xinjiang gradually developed distinct local and
ethnic features. For example, orthodox Islam does not allow the worship of
anyone or anything other than Allah. However, the Uygurs and some other ethnic
groups still venerate mazars, which are mausoleums or shrines, typically of
saints or notable religious leaders. Mazar worship is a prominent example of
the localization of Islam in Xinjiang. The practice of erecting long poles
around the mazars, hung with streamers and sheepskin, is a result of influence
from multiple religions including Shamanism and Buddhism. As another example,
the Baytulla Mosque in Yining and the Shaanxi Mosque in Urumqi, both first
built in Emperor Qianlong's reign (1736-1795) during the Qing Dynasty, are
characterized by beam-column construction which was common in inland areas.
This embodies a form of localization of Islam.

It
should be noted that since the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in particular
since the end of the Cold War, the surge in religious extremism around the world has caused a rise in
religious extremism in Xinjiang. This has resulted in an increasing
number of incidents of terror and violence that pose a serious danger to social
stability and to the lives and property of people in the region. Under the
guise of religion, religious extremism trumpets theocracy, religious
supremacism, actions against 'pagans', and 'holy wars'. It instigates terror
and violence and incites hostility between different ethnic groups, running
counter to the teachings concerning patriotism, peace, solidarity, the golden
mean, tolerance, and good works advocated by Islam and many other religions.
Religious extremism, which constitutes the ideological base of ethnic
separatism and terrorism, is by nature anti-human, anti-society,
anti-civilization, and anti-religion. It is a betrayal of religion and should
never be confused with religious matters, or be glossed over or excused through
religious rhetoric. Drawing lessons from international experiences and in view
of reality of the region, Xinjiang has taken resolute action to fight terrorism
and extremism in accordance with the law, effectively clamp down on terrorism
and violence and the spread of religious terrorism. Through these efforts
Xinjiang has responded to the public's expectation of security for all ethnic
groups, protected the basic human rights, and maintained social harmony and
stability in the region. Xinjiang's fight against terrorism and extremism is a
battle for justice and civilization against evil and barbaric forces. As such
it deserves support, respect and understanding. Some countries, organizations
and individuals that apply double standards to terrorism and human rights have
issued unjustified criticism of Xinjiang's effort. This kind of criticism
betrays the basic conscience and justice of humanity, and will be repudiated by
all genuine champions of justice and progress.

Conclusion

It is
a matter of principle to correctly treat historical issues. The historical and
dialectical materialist stance, viewpoint and methodology help us gain a clear
understanding of our country and its history, ethnic groups, culture, and
religious affairs. They help us to properly understand and treat historical
issues concerning Xinjiang. This is essential to maintaining the Chinese
people's sense of cohesion and identity, the country's unity and long-term
stability, and the security, stability and development of a wider region.

Xinjiang
is enjoying sustained economic development, social stability, a better standard
of living, unprecedented cultural prosperity, a harmonious coexistence of all
religions, and solidarity among all ethnic groups. The region is experiencing
its most auspicious period of development and prosperity. Hostile foreign
forces and separatist, religious extremist and terrorist forces that have
colluded to distort history and tamper with facts run counter to the trend of
our times and will be cast aside by history and the people.

Xinjiang
belongs to all ethnic groups in the region and the country. It is the common
responsibility and aspiration of the Chinese people, including all those in
Xinjiang, to carry forward our cultural heritage and build a shared spiritual
home based on Chinese culture. Under the leadership of the Central Committee of
the Communist Party of China with Xi Jinping as the core, and with the support
of the whole country and its people, all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are striving
to achieve the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
Xinjiang will embrace an ever better future.

Appendix

A Brief Chronology of Chinese History

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