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Xinjiang (Uyghur: (Shinjang); ; Postal Pinyin: Sinkiang), full name Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Uyghur: شىنجاڭ ئۇيغۇر ئاپتونوم رايونى (Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni); ), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area which takes up about a sixth of country's territory. Xinjiang borders the Tibet Autonomous Region to the south and Qinghai and Gansu provinces to the southeast, Mongolia to the east, Russia to the north, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and the Pakistan- and India-controlled parts of Kashmir to the west. It includes most of Aksai Chin, a region claimed by India as part of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Xinjiang" or "Ice Jecen" in Manchu, literally means "New Frontier", a name given during the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China. The name is considered offensive by many advocates of independence, who prefer to use historical or ethnic names such as Chinese Turkestan, East Turkestan (with Turkestan sometimes spelled as Turkistan) or Uyghuristan. Because of the association of these names with the East Turkestan independence movement, they are in turn considered synonymous with Pan-Turkic Islamist terrorism by the PRC government and local Han Chinese residents.
History
Struggle between Xiongnu and Han China
Traversed by the Silk Road, Xinjiang is the Chinese name for the Tarim and Dzungaria regions of what is now northwest China. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220), the region was subservient to the Xiongnu, a powerful nomadic people based in modern Mongolia. In the 2nd century BC, Han China sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the states in the region, beginning several decades of struggle between the Xiongnu and Han China over dominance of the region, eventually ending in Chinese success. In 60 BC Han China established the Protectorate of the Western Regions (西域都護府) at Wulei (烏壘; near modern Luntai) to oversee the entire region as far west as the Pamir. More on [ Xinjiang ]
China's Muslims - Strangers In Their Own Land - Reporter Ron Gluckman comments on the situation of the Uygur in China.
Meta Description: [ China's Muslims - Strangers in their own Land ]
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Eastern Turkistan (Uyghuristan) - WWW Virtual Library page (last modified July 1997).
Global WEBTV - With videoes and audio from Uighur activists and organizations.
Margareta Hook's Homepage - On the history of the Swedish mission in East Turkestan (1892-1938).
Meta Description: [ Beskrivning: ]
Reconnaissance Notes for the 1996 Tien Shan Field Trip to Xinjiang - Steve Roecker's diary of a geological field trip.
The Soviets in Xinjiang (1911-1949) - Article by Mark Dickens.
The Uighurs - History, politics, and literature of the Uighurs.
Urumqi Window - Official site covering the city's economy, development, culture and attractions.
Uyghur American Association - Serving the Uygur community in the US and representing the Uygur in Eastern Turkestan.
Meta Description: [ The Uyghur American Association (UAA) works to promote the preservation and flourishing of a rich, humanistic and diverse Uyghur culture, and to support the right of the Uyghur people to use peaceful, democratic means to determine their own political future. ]
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