Muslim minority riots erupt in China's west
By GILLIAN WONG – 52 minutes ago
BEIJING (AP) — Protesters from a Muslim ethnic group clashed with police in China's far west Sunday, with activists saying police fired shots in the air and used batons to disperse a crowd that had swelled to nearly 1,000.
State media said at least three ethnic Han Chinese were killed, while an activist group said one demonstrator may have died.
Protesters, mostly from the Uighur ethnic group, set at least one car on fire, overturned police barriers and attacked buses in several hours of violence that appeared to subside somewhat as police and military presence intensified into the night, according to participants and witnesses.
Tensions between Uighurs and Chinese are never far from the surface in Xinjiang province, China's vast Central Asian buffer province.
Accounts differed over what happened Sunday in the city of Urumqi, but the violence seemed to have started when a crowd of protesters — who started out peaceful — refused to disperse.
Adam Grode, an American Fulbright scholar studying in Urumqi, said he heard explosions and also saw a few people being carried off on stretchers and a Han Chinese man with blood on his shirt entering a hospital.
He said he saw police pushing people back with tear gas, fire hoses and batons, and protesters knocking over police barriers and smashing bus windows.
"Every time the police showed some force, the people would jump the barriers and get back on the street. It was like a cat-and-mouse sort of game," said Grode, 26.
People started to disperse after two hours, he said, but hundreds of police and soldiers poured into the city in the night with two dozen police buses, trucks, and other security vehicles and rounded up Uighurs who were sitting on street curbs.
The government's Xinhua News Agency quoted unnamed officials saying that at least three ethnic Han Chinese were killed in the violence, in which the crowd attacked passers-by, torched vehicles and interrupted traffic on some roads.
The demonstration started peacefully with more than 300 people staging a silent sit-down protest in People's Square in Urumqi to demand an investigation into a brawl June 25 between Uighur and Han Chinese workers at a toy factory in southern China, said Gulinisa Maimaiti, a 32-year-old employee of a foreign company who took part in the protest.
Two reportedly died in last month's factory melee in southern Guangdong province, but Gulisina said protesters believed the real figure was higher.
"We are mourning our compatriots who were beaten to death in Guangdong," Gulinisa said in a phone interview.
She said the crowd grew to 1,000 people, and when they refused to disperse, police pinned protesters to the ground before taking some 40 protesters away.
Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the pro-independence World Uighur Congress based in Germany, said he received calls from Urumqi describing the protest as peaceful until police used force to try to clear the square.
Dilxat said some protesters were beaten badly. One of his informants told him that one person was killed. The account could not immediately be corroborated.
Grode, the American student, said he saw groups of Uighurs harassing Han Chinese people who were trying to leave the scene.
A 23-year-old woman who belongs to another Muslim ethnic minority, the Hui, said the public bus she was on was attacked by dozens of Uighurs who were using sticks and bricks to smash the windows of the bus.
"I jumped off the bus to escape and got cut on my arms by the broken glass," said the woman, who declined to give her name for fear of retaliation. She said mobile phone communications in the city appeared to have been disrupted.
Video shot from a building nearby and photos from mobile phones taken from the protest showed people running from police and a car on fire. In other shots, smoke rises in the distance and fire engines race to the protest.
The Urumqi police and city government would not comment about the incident.
Uighur separatists have waged a sporadic campaign for independence in recent decades, and the military, armed police and riot squads maintain a visible presence in the region. After a few years of relative calm, separatist violence picked up last year with attacks against border police and bombings of government buildings.
A protest by several hundred Uighurs in the city of Yining in 1997 against religious restrictions turned into an anti-Chinese uprising that the military put down, leaving at least 10 dead.
Four Uighur detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba were recently released and relocated to Bermuda despite Beijing's objections because U.S. officials have said they fear the men would be executed if they returned to China. Officials have also been trying to transfer 13 others to the Pacific nation of Palau.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j794twyjYyjeOIdsKWwzCUhsgvUAD998ECLG0
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Uighur Muslims riot as ethnic tensions rise in China
Uighur Muslims riot as ethnic tensions rise in China
Protests over deaths of workers turn violent as mobs burn buses and attack residents from ethnic minorities in western province
In this image provided by un-named citizen, police assemble opposite protestors in Urumqi.
In this image provided by un-named citizen, police assemble opposite protestors in Urumqi. Photograph: AP
The western Chinese region of Xinjiang experienced the biggest display of ethnic unrest in recent memory today as thousands of Muslim Uighurs took to the streets in protest.
The protesters smashed up buses, threw stones through shop windows and assaulted Han Chinese passers-by, according to a witness, who said the spark was the recent killing of Uighur migrant workers in Guangdong, southern China.
Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that vehicles were set on fire and traffic guard rails overturned. Bloodied victims were rushed to hospital in the regional capital, Urumqi, as armed riot police moved in to restore order with tear gas, armoured vehicles and road blocks, according to a foreign student in Xinjiang.
A large section of Urumqi was shut off to vehicles tonight , with police manning roadblocks at the perimeter, and witnesses reported large numbers of armed officers inside the cordon. Mobile phone networks appeared to get cut off sporadically.
There's a terrible situation today. There were big ethnic riots - there was a lot of fighting," said one Han resident.
"It's not safe - you can't go anywhere near there. They've blocked it all off. You have to be careful."
"It's very dangerous so you can't go into the centre at all. It's the Uighurs causing violence," complained a Han businessman, who said he was unable to get home because of the blocks.
Shaky amateur video of the protest showed large crowds of people blocking several of the main streets in the city as people watched from rooftops. Other streams have been removed by internet censors. It is not known if there were any casualties but local Han Chinese were terrified, according to witnesses.
"I saw a Uighur man kicking a Han or Hui woman," said the student, who wished to remain anonymous. "In the hospital, I saw a Han man arrive with lots of blood over his shirt, but the Uighur staff paid him no attention."
"My family didn't dare go out," said Yang Yu, a Beijing-based journalist, whose family live in Urumqi. "They live on the 14th floor but they could still hear the people shouting and the emergency vehicles."
The protests were said to have started when several thousand people rallied in the Grand Bazaar to protest at the death of two Uighur migrants, and injuries suffered by hundreds of others, during an ethnic conflict between workers in a factory in Guangdong last month.
Muslim Uighurs are the indigenous ethnic majority of Xinjiang, but the region has experienced an influx of Han Chinese seeking to profit from the region's oil and gas resources, which has stirred up ethnic resentment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/05/china-uighur-riots-xianjing
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
China's Ancient Silk Road City Of Kashgar Facing Threat Of Bulldozers
China's Ancient Silk Road City Of Kashgar Facing Threat Of Bulldozers
Demolition has begun in parts of Kashgar's Old City.
June 30, 2009
By Antoine Blua
The ancient Silk Road trading hub of Kashgar, in China's northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is being threatened by an ambitious government redevelopment plan that some say has a hidden political agenda.
Kashgar's old city has survived the centuries, and remains an important Islamic cultural center for the Uyghurs, the Turkic ethnic group living in Xinjiang.
According to Matthew Hu Xinyu, an adviser to the nongovernmental Beijing Cultural Protection Center, the densely packed houses and narrow lanes of old Kashgar are the best-preserved examples of a traditional Islamic city in all of China.
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Province in northwest China
But the government's reconstruction plan, Hu says, is threatening to destroy the picturesque labyrinth that makes up old Kashgar.
"Last fall, I heard that the plan would be carried out through the next three years. I thought we would have some time to organize experts or architects to work on a constructive plan -- to suggest a more conservative plan -- so that the city's heritage can be preserved," Hu said. "But early this year the total investment for the plan has been increased to [$440 million], and the demolition of the old houses started very quickly."
City officials have been moving a number of families out of Kashgar's city center, saying they need to rebuild old, dangerous houses and improve infrastructure. In total, the government says it plans to renovate or reconstruct more than 5 million square meters of old homes and resettle some 45,000 households.
Officials say the project is necessary because an earthquake could destroy old buildings, putting residents at risk. Indeed, earthquakes frequently rock Xinjiang. In 2003, a quake killed some 270 people.
Reports say wrecking crews razed the historic Xanliq madrasah, one of the province's protected cultural sites, on June 15. Mahmud al-Kashgari, the 11th-century scholar, is believed to have studied at the madrasah.
Traditional Lives
Dominated by a gigantic statue of Mao, old Kashgar has seen many changes in recent decades, including the construction of a main street running through the old town center. Cars, buses, and trucks clog the city streets.
If we have the houses removed and rebuilt, then this layout will disappear, and the significance of the city will disappear.
Still, many residents manage to live a far more traditional life. They live in tumbledown mud-brick rentals or two-story homes that open onto courtyards. Artisans hammer metal bowls, pans, and pots, carve wood, and hone brightly decorated knives.
Street vendors sell hand-made candy, fresh mutton, or hand-sewn skull caps. Donkey-cart drivers navigate the narrow streets.
It’s unclear what will remain of the design and way of life of the city, which is hundreds of years old, after the reconstruction project is completed. The city says important buildings will be preserved, while many homes will be rebuilt to better withstand earthquakes while still preserving Uyghur building styles. However, several sectors are expected to be rebuilt with modern apartment buildings, public plazas, and schools.
Officials say infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sewers systems also will be installed.
No Details Forthcoming
The Beijing Cultural Protection Center says nobody denies Uyghurs the right to development, modernization, and security. But the center worries that it has been unable to obtain any details of the reconstruction plan, which Hu says should ensure the preservation of the city’s unique heritage.
A gate in Kashgar's Old City
“If we look at every single one of these Uyghur people's homes [individually], it's not significant, [although] some of them have very interesting carvings on the door frame or on the architecture, the wooden parts," Hu says.
"But this group of [homes] shows a way of life [and] a way of urban planning -- how the city can be organized around different mosques. If we have the houses removed and rebuilt, then this layout will disappear, and the significance of the city will disappear," he said.
China and Central Asian states support a plan to propose major Silk Road sites for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List, an incentive for governments to preserve areas of historical and cultural significance.
Beijing, however, has not included old Kashgar in its list of proposed sites.
Henryk Szadziewski, manager of the Uyghur Human Rights Project in Washington, D.C., taught for several years in Kashgar in the 1990s. He tells RFE/RL that there's no clear indication of what is going to be done with the remaining old city.
"As far as we understand the project, a remainder of the old city would be left, I imagine, to attract tourists. But who is going to manage that area and profit from the tourist revenue?" Szadziewski asks. "The tourist industry is worth about [$90 million] a year in Kashgar. We also have to remember that we have no indication that there was any meaningful participatory process that meant that the old city residents were party to the decision making."
Political Aspects Seen
The preservation of Kashgar's old town is facing challenges similar to those facing the preservation of other Chinese cities. But many see a political aspect to the redevelopment project in Kashgar, which Chinese officials consider a breeding ground for Uyghur separatism.
Chinese officials in recent years have alleged that Kashgar harbors terrorist cells. Uyghur extremists were blamed for a fatal attack on border police; two of the alleged organizers were executed this spring.
Uyghurs at a bazaar in Kashgar
Many see the Kashgar project as an attempt to remove the cultural roots of Uyghur separatism.
“There's definitely a difference between what's happening in eastern China and in Kashgar. That's largely due to the sensitivity over the Uyghurs and their particular concerns over human rights issues," Szadziewski says.
"The [Kashgar] project appears to be a tool to assimilate Uyghurs and to actually stifle peaceful dissent by putting old city residents from an organic living arrangement into a regimented, government-organized living arrangement. The [Chinese] authorities are able to monitor the activity of any peaceful dissent among Uyghurs,” he says.
Szadziewski says the assimilation process is taking place on many different fronts.
“One particular area is language, and we've seen a marginalization of Uyghur language in the economic sphere and the educational sphere," he says. "A 'China Daily' report said that learning Mandarin Chinese will help fight terrorism. The statement in itself may cast a sort of aspersion on Uyghur language itself, that it was a suspect language."
Critics accuse Beijing of using claims of terrorism as an excuse to crack down on peaceful pro-independence sentiment and expressions of Uyghur identity.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Turkey's Gul becomes first president to visit East Turkistan
Turkey's Gul becomes first president to visit East Turkistan
Gul is the first Turkish president visiting this autonomous region where almost 9.3 million Uyghur Turks are living.
Monday, 29 June 2009 12:42
World Bulletin / News Desk
Turkish President Abdullah Gul received Nur Bekri, chairman of the East Turkistan in Urumchi on Monday and Wang Lequan, secretary of Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Andolu news agency said the Turkish president arrived in the capital city of East Turkistan on Sunday, the last leg of his formal visit to China. President Gul is visiting the region upon an invitation of the Beijing administration.
The meetings at Yin Du Hotel were closed to press. Gul later attended a luncheon hosted in his honor by Bekri.
Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay, Turkish ambassador in Beijing Murat Esenli, Chinese officials and local officials from East Turkistan, that China calls it "the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region", attended the luncheon as well.
"Uyghurs like a bridge of friendship"
Gul said on Monday that the region was an important element that connected Turkey and China to each other.
Paying a visit to "Xinjiang" University, Gul was presented with the title of Honorary Professor by the university's rector.
Addressing a group of academicians and students, Gul said that Turkey desired to improve its economic relations with all the regions in China.
Gul said, "Uyghurs act like a bridge of friendship between Turkey and China. Such role will contribute to the further improvement of our relations".
Gul also visited Kiziltepe Park of Urumchi together with the city's mayor and Turkish ambassador in Beijing Murat Esenli.
Gul is the first Turkish president visiting this autonomous region where almost 9.3 million Uyghur Turks are living.
Historical records show that the Uyghurs have a history of more than 4000 years. Throughout the history the Uyghurs developed a unique culture and civilization and made remarkable contribution to the civilization of the world.
After embracing Islam the Uyghurs continued to preserve their cultural dominance in Central Asia. Uyghur earned world renowned-scholars in many fields.
East Turkistan was occupied by the communist China in 1949 and its name was changed in 1955. The communist China has been excersizing a colonial rule over the East Turkistan since then
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Recruitment for State Jobs in Xinjiang Discriminates Against Ethnic Minorities
Recruitment for State Jobs in Xinjiang Discriminates Against Ethnic Minorities
Ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) continue to face widespread discrimination in recruitment for state jobs, according to Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) analysis of recent recruiting efforts for jobs in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and XUAR schools. The recent recruitment programs follow other examples of discriminatory job recruiting practices in the XUAR and come during a period of high unemployment for XUAR college graduates.
Discrimination in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Continues
The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) has announced plans to recruit for 894 positions, of which 744 have been reserved for Han Chinese, according to rosters of available job openings. (See an index of job openings posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site to download the rosters.) Of the remaining positions, 137 are specified as unrestricted by ethnicity and thus are open to applicants of all ethnic groups including Han, while 11 positions are reserved for Uyghurs and 2 positions are reserved for Kazakhs. The job recruitment follows earlier discriminatory hiring practices in the XPCC documented by the CECC in 2006. All of the positions advertised in the 2009 XPCC recruiting program require at least a technical or college degree. The positions include jobs in employing agencies such as government bureaus, Communist Party committee offices, the XPCC court system, and prisons. All candidates must take the job recruitment exam in Mandarin Chinese, according to information on the job recruiting program posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site. (For additional information on the 2009 XPCC job recruitment, see also a brochure posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site and an article posted May 8 on the Kashgar district government Web site.)
As noted in previous analysis by the CECC, the Chinese government established the XPCC in 1954 as a means of settling demobilized soldiers and Han migrants to perform border defense functions and to support economic development. The central government's 2003 White Paper on the History and Development of Xinjiang says that the ranks of the XPCC are now "a mosaic of people from 37 ethnic groups, including the Han, Uygur, Kazak, Hui, and Mongolian." The White Paper describes the XPCC as "a special social organization, which handles its own administrative and judicial affairs" but "in accordance with the laws and regulations of the state and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region." As noted by the CECC, Chinese law forbids discrimination based on ethnicity. Within this framework of non-discrimination, several provisions in Chinese laws stipulate measures to promote the hiring of ethnic minorities.
Teaching Positions Discriminate Against Ethnic Minorities
Recent job recruitment announcements from one district and one autonomous prefecture in the XUAR also indicate widespread discrimination against ethnic minorities during the recruitment process for jobs in XUAR schools. In Aqsu district, 347 of 436 open positions in district schools are reserved for Han Chinese, while the remaining 89 positions are reserved for Uyghurs, according to a roster of open positions. (See an announcement on the job openings posted May 8 on the Shayar county government Web site to download the roster of job openings.) In addition to the restrictions based on ethnicity, candidates must not believe in a religion or participate in religious activities, according to the May 8 announcement. In the Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture within the XUAR, 413 of almost 500 jobs in local schools are reserved exclusively for Han Chinese, according to a list of open positions. (See a May 4 brochure on the Southern Xinjiang Personnel Net to download the roster.) In addition, 37 positions are specified as unrestricted by ethnicity and thus are open to applicants of all ethnic groups including Han, while 26 positions are reserved for Uyghurs and 10 exclusively for Mongols. In addition, 5 posts are open either for Han or Mongol candidates.
Available information on the job recruitment in Aqsu and Bayangol indicates that the ethnicity-based categories are not proxies for language skills, as the positions contain separate stipulations regarding language capability, in addition to ethnicity-based restrictions. (XUAR schools traditionally have offered separate tracks of schooling in Mandarin and in ethnic minority languages, though such tracking has diminished with the implementation of Mandarin-centered "bilingual" education.) According to the recruiting announcement from Aqsu district, ethnic minority candidates must meet a minimum requirement on a national Mandarin Chinese exam. In addition, 56 of the 89 positions for Uyghurs are reserved for Uyghurs who received their schooling in Mandarin-language schools (minkaohan students), according to the roster of open positions in Aqsu. The announcement on job recruitment in the Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture specifies that ethnic minorities whose native language (mother tongue, or muyu) is Mandarin Chinese may apply for positions reserved for Han Chinese, thereby appearing to exclude ethnic minority candidates who are fluent in Mandarin (such as minkaohan students who learned Mandarin in school), but do not speak it as their native language.
Graduates Face High Unemployment Rates
The barriers to employment for ethnic minority job candidates come during a period of high unemployment in the XUAR. XUAR authorities have pledged to boost employment and to focus on increasing job prospects for ethnic minorities, but the evidence of ongoing discriminatory practices, along with limited information on implementation of policies to promote employment of ethnic minorities, call such a stated focus into question.
According to a March 2 article from the XUAR Ethnic Affairs Commission (via the State Ethnic Affairs Commission) and March 10 China Daily report, the government has pledged to sustain an employment rate of over 70 percent for recent XUAR college graduates through measures including programs that send medical and educational workers to rural areas and through the establishment of job training bases. The rural jobs and training bases will focus on hiring and training ethnic minorities, according to the reports. Since making the pledge, authorities have reported on efforts to create new jobs for college graduates, though some information has had limited or no information on increasing job prospects for ethnic minorities. An April 16 article from Xinhua Xinjiang reported that the region has established over 7,000 spots for university graduates in the job training bases. The article did not include information on efforts to encourage training of ethnic minority graduates. A May 18 article from Xinhua Xinjiang noted that as of the end of April, only 22.1 percent of college graduates in the XUAR had signed employment contracts, down 1.49 percent from the previous year. The article reported that a government official outlined steps to spur employment, including through job recruitment for positions in the government and XPCC. (The government has also filled XPCC positions with people from outside the XUAR. See information on efforts to recruit approximately 4,400 college graduates from Gansu province for XPCC jobs, as reported in an April 10 China Ethnicities News report, via the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The percentage of college graduates who signed employment contracts in the XUAR compares with an unofficial estimated nationwide figure for college graduates of 33 percent as of March 2009, according to an April 3 report posted on the Xinyang, Henan province, Personnel Bureau Web site.) At the same time it reported on job opportunities in the XPCC, shown by the CECC to exclude most ethnic minority candidates, the May 18 article said the government would focus employment assistance work on giving priority to hiring and providing benefits to ethnic minority graduates and graduates with difficulties finding employment. An April 15 government notice, posted May 22 on Tianshan Net, provided information on a program to send graduates to work in rural areas, but neither the notice nor accompanying materials provided information on promoting the hiring of ethnic minorities. Information on civil servant hiring in the XUAR has given some information on ethnicity-based restrictions and efforts to promote the hiring of ethnic minorities. Of 6,558 open civil servant positions in the XUAR government, the government has both left "the majority of positions unrestricted by ethnicity," thereby open to candidates of all ethnic groups including Han, and has "reserved a set amount of positions" for ethnic minorities, according to a May 12 report from the Xinjiang Personnel Department.
The continuation of government-sponsored discriminatory job recruitment practices in the XUAR accompanies broader policies in the region that also violate the rights of ethnic minority citizens. For more information on conditions in the XUAR, see Section IV--Xinjiang in the CECC 2008 Annual Report.
Ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) continue to face widespread discrimination in recruitment for state jobs, according to Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) analysis of recent recruiting efforts for jobs in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and XUAR schools. The recent recruitment programs follow other examples of discriminatory job recruiting practices in the XUAR and come during a period of high unemployment for XUAR college graduates.
Discrimination in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Continues
The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) has announced plans to recruit for 894 positions, of which 744 have been reserved for Han Chinese, according to rosters of available job openings. (See an index of job openings posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site to download the rosters.) Of the remaining positions, 137 are specified as unrestricted by ethnicity and thus are open to applicants of all ethnic groups including Han, while 11 positions are reserved for Uyghurs and 2 positions are reserved for Kazakhs. The job recruitment follows earlier discriminatory hiring practices in the XPCC documented by the CECC in 2006. All of the positions advertised in the 2009 XPCC recruiting program require at least a technical or college degree. The positions include jobs in employing agencies such as government bureaus, Communist Party committee offices, the XPCC court system, and prisons. All candidates must take the job recruitment exam in Mandarin Chinese, according to information on the job recruiting program posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site. (For additional information on the 2009 XPCC job recruitment, see also a brochure posted May 7 on the Bingtuan Personnel Testing Authority Web site and an article posted May 8 on the Kashgar district government Web site.)
As noted in previous analysis by the CECC, the Chinese government established the XPCC in 1954 as a means of settling demobilized soldiers and Han migrants to perform border defense functions and to support economic development. The central government's 2003 White Paper on the History and Development of Xinjiang says that the ranks of the XPCC are now "a mosaic of people from 37 ethnic groups, including the Han, Uygur, Kazak, Hui, and Mongolian." The White Paper describes the XPCC as "a special social organization, which handles its own administrative and judicial affairs" but "in accordance with the laws and regulations of the state and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region." As noted by the CECC, Chinese law forbids discrimination based on ethnicity. Within this framework of non-discrimination, several provisions in Chinese laws stipulate measures to promote the hiring of ethnic minorities.
Teaching Positions Discriminate Against Ethnic Minorities
Recent job recruitment announcements from one district and one autonomous prefecture in the XUAR also indicate widespread discrimination against ethnic minorities during the recruitment process for jobs in XUAR schools. In Aqsu district, 347 of 436 open positions in district schools are reserved for Han Chinese, while the remaining 89 positions are reserved for Uyghurs, according to a roster of open positions. (See an announcement on the job openings posted May 8 on the Shayar county government Web site to download the roster of job openings.) In addition to the restrictions based on ethnicity, candidates must not believe in a religion or participate in religious activities, according to the May 8 announcement. In the Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture within the XUAR, 413 of almost 500 jobs in local schools are reserved exclusively for Han Chinese, according to a list of open positions. (See a May 4 brochure on the Southern Xinjiang Personnel Net to download the roster.) In addition, 37 positions are specified as unrestricted by ethnicity and thus are open to applicants of all ethnic groups including Han, while 26 positions are reserved for Uyghurs and 10 exclusively for Mongols. In addition, 5 posts are open either for Han or Mongol candidates.
Available information on the job recruitment in Aqsu and Bayangol indicates that the ethnicity-based categories are not proxies for language skills, as the positions contain separate stipulations regarding language capability, in addition to ethnicity-based restrictions. (XUAR schools traditionally have offered separate tracks of schooling in Mandarin and in ethnic minority languages, though such tracking has diminished with the implementation of Mandarin-centered "bilingual" education.) According to the recruiting announcement from Aqsu district, ethnic minority candidates must meet a minimum requirement on a national Mandarin Chinese exam. In addition, 56 of the 89 positions for Uyghurs are reserved for Uyghurs who received their schooling in Mandarin-language schools (minkaohan students), according to the roster of open positions in Aqsu. The announcement on job recruitment in the Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture specifies that ethnic minorities whose native language (mother tongue, or muyu) is Mandarin Chinese may apply for positions reserved for Han Chinese, thereby appearing to exclude ethnic minority candidates who are fluent in Mandarin (such as minkaohan students who learned Mandarin in school), but do not speak it as their native language.
Graduates Face High Unemployment Rates
The barriers to employment for ethnic minority job candidates come during a period of high unemployment in the XUAR. XUAR authorities have pledged to boost employment and to focus on increasing job prospects for ethnic minorities, but the evidence of ongoing discriminatory practices, along with limited information on implementation of policies to promote employment of ethnic minorities, call such a stated focus into question.
According to a March 2 article from the XUAR Ethnic Affairs Commission (via the State Ethnic Affairs Commission) and March 10 China Daily report, the government has pledged to sustain an employment rate of over 70 percent for recent XUAR college graduates through measures including programs that send medical and educational workers to rural areas and through the establishment of job training bases. The rural jobs and training bases will focus on hiring and training ethnic minorities, according to the reports. Since making the pledge, authorities have reported on efforts to create new jobs for college graduates, though some information has had limited or no information on increasing job prospects for ethnic minorities. An April 16 article from Xinhua Xinjiang reported that the region has established over 7,000 spots for university graduates in the job training bases. The article did not include information on efforts to encourage training of ethnic minority graduates. A May 18 article from Xinhua Xinjiang noted that as of the end of April, only 22.1 percent of college graduates in the XUAR had signed employment contracts, down 1.49 percent from the previous year. The article reported that a government official outlined steps to spur employment, including through job recruitment for positions in the government and XPCC. (The government has also filled XPCC positions with people from outside the XUAR. See information on efforts to recruit approximately 4,400 college graduates from Gansu province for XPCC jobs, as reported in an April 10 China Ethnicities News report, via the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The percentage of college graduates who signed employment contracts in the XUAR compares with an unofficial estimated nationwide figure for college graduates of 33 percent as of March 2009, according to an April 3 report posted on the Xinyang, Henan province, Personnel Bureau Web site.) At the same time it reported on job opportunities in the XPCC, shown by the CECC to exclude most ethnic minority candidates, the May 18 article said the government would focus employment assistance work on giving priority to hiring and providing benefits to ethnic minority graduates and graduates with difficulties finding employment. An April 15 government notice, posted May 22 on Tianshan Net, provided information on a program to send graduates to work in rural areas, but neither the notice nor accompanying materials provided information on promoting the hiring of ethnic minorities. Information on civil servant hiring in the XUAR has given some information on ethnicity-based restrictions and efforts to promote the hiring of ethnic minorities. Of 6,558 open civil servant positions in the XUAR government, the government has both left "the majority of positions unrestricted by ethnicity," thereby open to candidates of all ethnic groups including Han, and has "reserved a set amount of positions" for ethnic minorities, according to a May 12 report from the Xinjiang Personnel Department.
The continuation of government-sponsored discriminatory job recruitment practices in the XUAR accompanies broader policies in the region that also violate the rights of ethnic minority citizens. For more information on conditions in the XUAR, see Section IV--Xinjiang in the CECC 2008 Annual Report.
Demolition of Kashgar's Old City Draws Concerns Over Cultural Heritage Protection, Population Resettlement
Demolition of Kashgar's Old City Draws Concerns Over Cultural Heritage Protection, Population Resettlement
Authorities in a city in western China have launched a demolition project that has undermined the preservation of a cornerstone of the Uyghur ethnic group's cultural heritage and will result in the resettlement of roughly half the city's population. Official Chinese media have described the project to "reconstruct" the historic Old City section of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as a way to address infrastructure shortcomings and to guard against risk of earthquake damage. Chinese sources indicate that most of the existing buildings in the Old City will be demolished rather than restored. Overseas media have reported that authorities have undertaken the project despite opposition from local residents and have compelled residents to leave their homes, with reported cases of inadequate compensation. While reflecting ongoing problems across China with property seizure, resettlement, and heritage protection, the Kashgar demolition project also reflects features unique to the region. The XUAR is a government-designated ethnic minority autonomous region with legal protections for ethnic minority rights, including protections for culture and cultural heritage, but in practice, central and local government authorities exert tight controls in the region that undermine the protection of residents' rights and also impede available avenues for challenging government actions. Implementation of the project, which had been in the planning stages for several years, also coincides with a period of heightened repression in the region since early 2008. See Section IV--Xinjiang in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) 2008 Annual Report for general information on conditions in the region and see below for more information and analysis of the Kashgar project.
Chinese Government and Chinese Media Accounts of the Project--50,000 Households To Be Resettled
Under a 30 billion yuan (US$4.39 billion) project launched in late February with funds from the central and XUAR governments, authorities will "reconstruct" the Old City of Kashgar within a five-year period and resettle roughly 50,000 households, or more than 200,000 people, according to reports from Chinese government and media sources. Based on the reports, the number of people affected approaches half of the Kashgar city population. (For information on the planning stages of the project, see an August 13, 2008, report from the Kashgar district government Web site describing a meeting of government and Communist Party officials to address construction plans. For reports from the initial stages of construction and resettlement in February, see February 27 reports from Xinjiang Daily and Xinjiang News Net (1, 2), and a February 28 report from China News Net. For subsequent reporting, see a March 27 article from the Kashgar district government Web site, detailed report from Yaxin dated March 23, May 27 report from Xinhua Xinjiang, and June 8 Yaxin report. Figures on the exact number of people and households affected, as reported in these articles, varies.) According to the August report from the Kashgar district government, the project to "reconstruct" the Old City has received longstanding central government attention, and the impetus to implement it came after the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province. The Yaxin article reported that nearly 60% of the Old City houses, made of clay and wood, date from the 1950s and 1960s, and that poor construction has impeded infrastructure improvements and made the area vulnerable to earthquake damage. The information in the Yaxin report conflicts with earlier government reporting on the age of the buildings in the Old City. A 2007 report on the Kashgar district government Web site describes many of the buildings as older than 400 years old and describes most individual residences as more than 50 to 80 years old, with some as old as 150 years old.
Demolition and Resettlement Plans Linked to Ethnic Issues
In addition to stated concerns about earthquakes, the first February 27 Xinjiang News Net report said the dangers posed by the buildings also affected factors including "economic development, ethnic unity, and the reinforcement of Xinjiang's borders." In the August article, a government official also raised political concerns, describing Kashgar as an area where Uyghurs are most heavily concentrated and an area in the "front ranks" in the XUAR's fight against separatism, terrorism, and infiltration.
According to the February articles and March Yaxin article, the first group of residents affected by the initial stages of the project have been resettled in earthquake-proof high-rises in a suburb of the city. The Yaxin article reported that all the Old City families resettled as a result of the project will receive monetary compensation or replacement housing. Authorities will also take measures to establish businesses to help sustain the livelihoods of relocated populations, according to the report. The August 2008 article reported that some 23,000 subsistence-level and lower-income households affected by the project would "mainly be provided with low-cost rental housing or affordable housing to facilitate relocation," while residents "with resources but unwilling to leave" would receive subsidies for building new earthquake-proof housing on site or elsewhere. According to the August report, as of that date, the XUAR government already had re-designated townships in the Kashgar suburbs as towns and begun converting farmland in preparation for resettling affected populations. The report described efforts to distribute propaganda materials and launch "ideological mobilization" to garner support for the project. See also the March 23 Yaxin report for additional information on mobilizing support for the project by broadcasting images of the Sichuan earthquake. Overseas media reports, citing local residents, have challenged the adequacy of compensation and scope of local support for the project. See below for details.
Earlier plans to address infrastructure in the Old City date to a 2001 "Implementing Project for Safeguarding the Famous Historical and Cultural City of Kashgar and Taking Precautions to Quake-Proof the Old City" according to the Yaxin report. (See the 2007 Kashgar government report for additional information on earlier efforts to address the issue starting in 1999.) The 2001 project planned to invest 600 million yuan (US$87.8 million) into reinforcing and safeguarding key residences and relics, but came to a halt due to various factors including funding, according to the Yaxin report. Under existing efforts launched since 2001 to earthquake-proof the area, 2,500 households already have moved to earthquake-resistant housing, according to the second Xinjiang News Net report and a February 2 report from the Kashgar district government Web site. Authorities also have carried out other efforts to demolish and reconstruct parts of Kashgar. See, e.g., a July 16, 2005, Telegraph article on demolitions near the Id Kah mosque.
Preservation Efforts Minimal--Most Buildings To Be Demolished
Details of the Kashgar demolition project indicate shortcomings in both the project's capacity to protect the cultural heritage of the Old City as well as in the Chinese government's overall framework for cultural heritage protection, including as it relates to ethnic minorities' right to preserve their culture. At the August 2008 meeting to discuss the "reconstruction" of the Old City, as reported in the August 2008 article, officials indicated that efforts to preserve existing structures would be minimal. While authorities from various government agencies took part in the meeting, no officials from cultural heritage offices were reported to attend. Speaking at the event, the Kashgar district Communist Party secretary described the "reconstruction" of the Old City as a "human-centered" project and stressed that "what [the project] will protect is a construction style with ethnic features, and what it won't protect is dangerous old raw earth houses that endanger the people's safety." Noting that the Old City contained the world's largest complex of raw earth structures, a government official spoke of the importance of preserving the "historical style and regional features" of the Old City, but cautioned against wide-scale preservation:
The reconstruction of the Old City must take place under the premise of protecting historical and regional features, but some experts and scholars propose retaining the original appearance of Kashgar's Old City, and we think that [view] is out of touch with reality. Preservation of the people's lives, property, and safety must be placed first. Otherwise, if a fairly large earthquake strikes, not only will the people's lives and property receive damage, but the historic area will similarly be destroyed in a flash. Moreover, according to general surveys, buildings in the Old City with real historic preservation value are very few. We'll resolutely protect the buildings with historic preservation value, but we can't take every old and shabby building and keep them all. The facts will inevitably show that the Old City after its reconstruction not only will not have destroyed the Uyghurs' history and culture but will have inherited and developed the Uyghurs' history and culture. Using the excuse of protecting the history and culture of a famous old city to impede the Old City's restructuring shows extreme irresponsibility toward the safety of the lives of the 220,000 Old City residents of all ethnicities.
The official added that recently constructed buildings would be renovated to make them earthquake-proof, while the "few" buildings with preservation value would be repaired and reinforced. The official did not provide details on the process of determining which buildings have preservation value. According to a May 27 New York Times article, officials report that at least 85 percent of the area will be demolished. Authorities cited in the article said they would rebuild some parts of the Old City using a "Uyghur style" of architecture, in line with the Kashgar district Communist Party secretary's statement on using "a construction style with ethnic features." The statements did not provide additional information on how such "ethnic features" or "Uyghur styles" are defined. (For an example of interpretations of "Islamic-style" architecture and "ethnic character" within a reconstruction project in a Hui Muslim neighborhood in Beijing, see pp. 146-148 within Daniel B. Abramson, "The Aesthetics of City-scale Preservation Policy in Beijing," Planning Perspectives, Vol. 22, No. 2 (April 2007): 129-166.) According to a book cited in the New York Times article, describing Kashgar before the Old City demolition, "Kashgar is the best-preserved example of a traditional Islamic city to be found anywhere in Central Asia" (George Michell, Kashgar: Oasis City on China's Old Silk Road, Frances Lincoln, 2008, p. 79). The 2007 report from the Kashgar government Web site also stressed the historic character of the Old City and expressed support for preservation principles.
The Kashgar Communist Party secretary did not address how the determination that few buildings hold preservation value relates to Kashgar's designation as a national-level historic and cultural city with historic districts within the Old City. Kashgar received the designation in 1986, as recorded in a government notice from that year. (See also the 2007 Kashgar government report for information on historic districts within the city.) The 1986 designation adheres to a 1982 notice on preserving cities with historic value or significance to China's modern revolutionary history. Since then, the Chinese government has codified its process for designating and protecting historic cities into a Regulation on the Protection of Famous Historic and Cultural Cities, Towns, and Villages (Historic Cities Regulation). Both the Historic Cities Regulation and article 14 of the broader Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage call for preservation efforts for designated historic areas, and article 28 of the Historic Cities Regulation specifically forbids new construction or expansion in the centers of historic districts, with the exception of infrastructure installation. The article also details the procedures for gaining permission to carry out construction. Despite stipulating protections for historic areas, some provisions within the regulation are poorly defined, thus appearing to permit wide latitude in determining what kind of structures qualify for legal protections. For example, article 47(1) of the Historic Cities Regulation defines historic architecture (which is protected under the regulation) to mean certain structures designated by the government that "have definite preservation value and can reflect historical styles and regional features." The regulation does not detail how or by whom "preservation value" and ethnic and local "features" are defined, calling into question the capacity of Chinese law for effective cultural heritage preservation, including as it accords with ethnic minorities' right to define and protect their culture, and the state's obligation to secure this right.
In the case of the Kashgar project, ambiguities in the framework for heritage protection contribute to the formal leeway for authorities to take a narrow view of which structures have historic value and qualify for protection, thus removing most of the buildings in the Old City from the formal protections of the Historic Cities Regulation. Authorities also have excluded possible international mechanisms to preserve the Old City that would have come with its inclusion on a list of proposed Silk Road locations for entry in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (The Silk Road list's proposed sites include cities, but exclude locations within Kashgar except for the tomb of Mehmud Qeshqeri.) See the New York Times article for additional information. The Chinese government has formally committed itself to preserve its cultural heritage not only through its domestic legislation but also through its ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
Details of the project also suggest that authorities have bypassed ways to protect Old City residents' safety while preserving existing buildings. Standards set by professionals in the field of cultural heritage preservation indicate compatibility between historic preservation and measures to guard against natural disaster. Articles 10 and 14 of the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas, adopted by the non-governmental International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and available on its Web site, recognize the importance of introducing "contemporary elements" and preventative measures against natural disasters while ensuring they are "adapted to the specific character of the properties concerned." Scholar Ronald Knapp, cited in a May 3 National report, said that in the case of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province, problems came about “more from very poor ‘modern’ construction rather than the shortcomings of traditional practices.”
XUAR Residents, NGO, Overseas Observers Object to Project
Reports from overseas media have indicated opposition to the project from local residents and some local officials, as well as concerns from local residents and outside observers about housing resettlement and historic preservation. A report from a Beijing-based NGO also has expressed concern about historic preservation and raised questions about procedural aspects of the project. (See the May 27 New York Times article, May 3 National report, March 25 and April 2 reports from Radio Free Asia (RFA), a March 24 Washington Post article, March 24 Uyghur American Association (UAA) press release, March 26 South China Morning Post article (subscription required), April 3 article from openDemocracy, and undated report from the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center.) An official from the Kashgar cultural relics management office, cited in the April 2 RFA report, said that the project was being implemented without adequate attention to historic preservation, and another official expressed concern about resettled residents' ability to sustain their livelihoods, many of which were tied to workshops within the Old City. The UAA press release raised concerns that the population resettlement would increase government capacity to "control and monitor Uyghur activity" and pressure Uyghurs to assimilate. The openDemocracy article questioned the nature of future reconstruction in the city given a track record of co-opting cultural practices and redeveloping ethnic minority areas elsewhere in China to boost tourism. Kashgar was designated one of "China's superior tourist cities" in 2004, according to a report that year from Tianshan Net. Authorities plan to rebuild part of the Old City as an "international heritage scenery" site to attract tourism, according to the National article.
Information from overseas reports also raise questions about the process of consulting with residents on the project and on adequate compensation. Two men cited in the National report said they had received no information about compensation and did not know where they would be relocated to, while other sources said that the government had not consulted with them about the demolition. Some Kashgar residents cited in the New York Times article said that compensation amounts were inadequate. Sources cited in both the Washington Post article and March 25 RFA report indicated dissatisfaction with the project but said they lacked the means to challenge the government. A source cited in the RFA article noted that people felt scared to voice their opinions. China's Historic Cities Regulation specifies that authorities must solicit opinions from the public for restructuring projects (article 29). International standards also carve out a role for public input in preservation projects. Article 17(c) of UNESCO's Recommendation Concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas calls for authorities to include the opinions and participation of the public. Article 3 of the ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas states, "The participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged. The conservation of historic towns and urban areas concerns their residents first of all." Article 5 states, "The conservation plan should be supported by the residents of the historic area."
The report from the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a Beijing-based Chinese NGO, emphasized the preservation value of the Old City and expressed concern about procedural aspects of the project. The report noted the lack of detailed information on preservation efforts, including the full text of the city's preservation plan. Chapter 3 of the Historic Cities Regulation stipulates that the governments of areas designated as historic cities must prepare and implement a preservation plan. The regulation also details other procedural steps necessary to alter designated historic areas. See, for example, articles 28 - 32 on provisions regarding infrastructure construction in designated historic areas. A December 12, 2008, article from the Kashgar government reports that officials submitted plans for the current reconstruction project to examination by scholars, which adheres to article 29 of the regulation.
Shortcomings in Property Protection
The complaints by residents affected by the project reflect continuing problems with property seizure and resettlement in China. China's 2007 Property Law, which protects private property rights, addresses expropriation of and compensation for property (article 42). As noted in a recent examination of the law by legal scholar Mo Zhang, however, "the Property Law sets no standard or requirement to guarantee a fair and just process for the taking." (Mo Zhang, "From Public to Private: The Newly Enacted Chinese Property Law and the Protection of Property Rights in China," Berkeley Business Law Journal, Vol. 5, 2008, Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-39, p. 360, available through the Social Science Research Network Web site.) The Property Law also lacks a clear standard for "what constitutes the public interest to justify a taking" (p. 361). Among existing regulations that address takings, Zhang notes that the Urban Housing Demolition and Relocation Management Regulation "has a focus on the advancement of urban development, and as such it does not make the fair process for takings a priority. On the contrary, it has a bias against owners of households." (p. 360.)
Curbs Over Uyghurs' Rights
While underscoring shortcomings in cultural heritage preservation and continuing problems with property seizure and resettlement in China, the Kashgar demolition project also draws attention to broader problems in China's policies in ethnic minority areas and in the XUAR in particular. Although the XUAR is an officially designated ethnic minority autonomous region with legally stipulated guarantees for "ethnic minorities’ right to administer their internal affairs" (Preamble, Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law) and measures to protect ethnic minority culture and cultural heritage, the Kashgar project highlights the failure of the government to protect such rights in practice. (For specific Chinese legal provisions on ethnic minorities that focus on cultural heritage protection, see, e.g., article 38 of the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law and article 25 of Provisions on Implementing the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law.) The project, noted by a source in the New York Times article to have "unusually strong backing high in the government," accompanies longstanding policies of control over the Uyghur population, including harsh security measures and steps to dilute ethnic identity and promote assimilation, as noted in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China 2008 Annual Report and recent CECC analyses (1, 2, 3). The level of repression in the region undermines residents' ability to protect their rights, even as more space for challenging government abuses has opened up in China.
Additional Resources
* For more information on responses within China to the project, see a survey posted on the Bulletin Board Service (BBS) of the Uyghur-language Web site Xabnam.com (also available in Latin script on the Uyghur American Association Web site's discussion forum). See also a discussion on the BBS of the Uyghur-language Web site Diyarim.
* For more information on China's framework for historic preservation and an examination of preservation projects in Beijing, see Daniel B. Abramson, "The Aesthetics of City-scale Preservation Policy in Beijing," Planning Perspectives, Vol. 22, No. 2 (April 2007): 129-166 and Daniel B. Abramson, "Beijing's Preservation Policy and the Fate of the Siheyuan," Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Fall 2001): 7-22.
* For more information on property rights, see the CECC Virtual Academy page on Property Rights Resources.
* For more information on China's legal framework for ethnic minority rights, see the "Special Focus" section within the CECC 2005 Annual Report and Section II--Ethnic Minority Rights in the CECC 2007 and 2008 Annual Reports.
* For information on conditions in the XUAR, see Section IV--Xinjiang, in the CECC 2008 Annual Report.
Authorities in a city in western China have launched a demolition project that has undermined the preservation of a cornerstone of the Uyghur ethnic group's cultural heritage and will result in the resettlement of roughly half the city's population. Official Chinese media have described the project to "reconstruct" the historic Old City section of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as a way to address infrastructure shortcomings and to guard against risk of earthquake damage. Chinese sources indicate that most of the existing buildings in the Old City will be demolished rather than restored. Overseas media have reported that authorities have undertaken the project despite opposition from local residents and have compelled residents to leave their homes, with reported cases of inadequate compensation. While reflecting ongoing problems across China with property seizure, resettlement, and heritage protection, the Kashgar demolition project also reflects features unique to the region. The XUAR is a government-designated ethnic minority autonomous region with legal protections for ethnic minority rights, including protections for culture and cultural heritage, but in practice, central and local government authorities exert tight controls in the region that undermine the protection of residents' rights and also impede available avenues for challenging government actions. Implementation of the project, which had been in the planning stages for several years, also coincides with a period of heightened repression in the region since early 2008. See Section IV--Xinjiang in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) 2008 Annual Report for general information on conditions in the region and see below for more information and analysis of the Kashgar project.
Chinese Government and Chinese Media Accounts of the Project--50,000 Households To Be Resettled
Under a 30 billion yuan (US$4.39 billion) project launched in late February with funds from the central and XUAR governments, authorities will "reconstruct" the Old City of Kashgar within a five-year period and resettle roughly 50,000 households, or more than 200,000 people, according to reports from Chinese government and media sources. Based on the reports, the number of people affected approaches half of the Kashgar city population. (For information on the planning stages of the project, see an August 13, 2008, report from the Kashgar district government Web site describing a meeting of government and Communist Party officials to address construction plans. For reports from the initial stages of construction and resettlement in February, see February 27 reports from Xinjiang Daily and Xinjiang News Net (1, 2), and a February 28 report from China News Net. For subsequent reporting, see a March 27 article from the Kashgar district government Web site, detailed report from Yaxin dated March 23, May 27 report from Xinhua Xinjiang, and June 8 Yaxin report. Figures on the exact number of people and households affected, as reported in these articles, varies.) According to the August report from the Kashgar district government, the project to "reconstruct" the Old City has received longstanding central government attention, and the impetus to implement it came after the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province. The Yaxin article reported that nearly 60% of the Old City houses, made of clay and wood, date from the 1950s and 1960s, and that poor construction has impeded infrastructure improvements and made the area vulnerable to earthquake damage. The information in the Yaxin report conflicts with earlier government reporting on the age of the buildings in the Old City. A 2007 report on the Kashgar district government Web site describes many of the buildings as older than 400 years old and describes most individual residences as more than 50 to 80 years old, with some as old as 150 years old.
Demolition and Resettlement Plans Linked to Ethnic Issues
In addition to stated concerns about earthquakes, the first February 27 Xinjiang News Net report said the dangers posed by the buildings also affected factors including "economic development, ethnic unity, and the reinforcement of Xinjiang's borders." In the August article, a government official also raised political concerns, describing Kashgar as an area where Uyghurs are most heavily concentrated and an area in the "front ranks" in the XUAR's fight against separatism, terrorism, and infiltration.
According to the February articles and March Yaxin article, the first group of residents affected by the initial stages of the project have been resettled in earthquake-proof high-rises in a suburb of the city. The Yaxin article reported that all the Old City families resettled as a result of the project will receive monetary compensation or replacement housing. Authorities will also take measures to establish businesses to help sustain the livelihoods of relocated populations, according to the report. The August 2008 article reported that some 23,000 subsistence-level and lower-income households affected by the project would "mainly be provided with low-cost rental housing or affordable housing to facilitate relocation," while residents "with resources but unwilling to leave" would receive subsidies for building new earthquake-proof housing on site or elsewhere. According to the August report, as of that date, the XUAR government already had re-designated townships in the Kashgar suburbs as towns and begun converting farmland in preparation for resettling affected populations. The report described efforts to distribute propaganda materials and launch "ideological mobilization" to garner support for the project. See also the March 23 Yaxin report for additional information on mobilizing support for the project by broadcasting images of the Sichuan earthquake. Overseas media reports, citing local residents, have challenged the adequacy of compensation and scope of local support for the project. See below for details.
Earlier plans to address infrastructure in the Old City date to a 2001 "Implementing Project for Safeguarding the Famous Historical and Cultural City of Kashgar and Taking Precautions to Quake-Proof the Old City" according to the Yaxin report. (See the 2007 Kashgar government report for additional information on earlier efforts to address the issue starting in 1999.) The 2001 project planned to invest 600 million yuan (US$87.8 million) into reinforcing and safeguarding key residences and relics, but came to a halt due to various factors including funding, according to the Yaxin report. Under existing efforts launched since 2001 to earthquake-proof the area, 2,500 households already have moved to earthquake-resistant housing, according to the second Xinjiang News Net report and a February 2 report from the Kashgar district government Web site. Authorities also have carried out other efforts to demolish and reconstruct parts of Kashgar. See, e.g., a July 16, 2005, Telegraph article on demolitions near the Id Kah mosque.
Preservation Efforts Minimal--Most Buildings To Be Demolished
Details of the Kashgar demolition project indicate shortcomings in both the project's capacity to protect the cultural heritage of the Old City as well as in the Chinese government's overall framework for cultural heritage protection, including as it relates to ethnic minorities' right to preserve their culture. At the August 2008 meeting to discuss the "reconstruction" of the Old City, as reported in the August 2008 article, officials indicated that efforts to preserve existing structures would be minimal. While authorities from various government agencies took part in the meeting, no officials from cultural heritage offices were reported to attend. Speaking at the event, the Kashgar district Communist Party secretary described the "reconstruction" of the Old City as a "human-centered" project and stressed that "what [the project] will protect is a construction style with ethnic features, and what it won't protect is dangerous old raw earth houses that endanger the people's safety." Noting that the Old City contained the world's largest complex of raw earth structures, a government official spoke of the importance of preserving the "historical style and regional features" of the Old City, but cautioned against wide-scale preservation:
The reconstruction of the Old City must take place under the premise of protecting historical and regional features, but some experts and scholars propose retaining the original appearance of Kashgar's Old City, and we think that [view] is out of touch with reality. Preservation of the people's lives, property, and safety must be placed first. Otherwise, if a fairly large earthquake strikes, not only will the people's lives and property receive damage, but the historic area will similarly be destroyed in a flash. Moreover, according to general surveys, buildings in the Old City with real historic preservation value are very few. We'll resolutely protect the buildings with historic preservation value, but we can't take every old and shabby building and keep them all. The facts will inevitably show that the Old City after its reconstruction not only will not have destroyed the Uyghurs' history and culture but will have inherited and developed the Uyghurs' history and culture. Using the excuse of protecting the history and culture of a famous old city to impede the Old City's restructuring shows extreme irresponsibility toward the safety of the lives of the 220,000 Old City residents of all ethnicities.
The official added that recently constructed buildings would be renovated to make them earthquake-proof, while the "few" buildings with preservation value would be repaired and reinforced. The official did not provide details on the process of determining which buildings have preservation value. According to a May 27 New York Times article, officials report that at least 85 percent of the area will be demolished. Authorities cited in the article said they would rebuild some parts of the Old City using a "Uyghur style" of architecture, in line with the Kashgar district Communist Party secretary's statement on using "a construction style with ethnic features." The statements did not provide additional information on how such "ethnic features" or "Uyghur styles" are defined. (For an example of interpretations of "Islamic-style" architecture and "ethnic character" within a reconstruction project in a Hui Muslim neighborhood in Beijing, see pp. 146-148 within Daniel B. Abramson, "The Aesthetics of City-scale Preservation Policy in Beijing," Planning Perspectives, Vol. 22, No. 2 (April 2007): 129-166.) According to a book cited in the New York Times article, describing Kashgar before the Old City demolition, "Kashgar is the best-preserved example of a traditional Islamic city to be found anywhere in Central Asia" (George Michell, Kashgar: Oasis City on China's Old Silk Road, Frances Lincoln, 2008, p. 79). The 2007 report from the Kashgar government Web site also stressed the historic character of the Old City and expressed support for preservation principles.
The Kashgar Communist Party secretary did not address how the determination that few buildings hold preservation value relates to Kashgar's designation as a national-level historic and cultural city with historic districts within the Old City. Kashgar received the designation in 1986, as recorded in a government notice from that year. (See also the 2007 Kashgar government report for information on historic districts within the city.) The 1986 designation adheres to a 1982 notice on preserving cities with historic value or significance to China's modern revolutionary history. Since then, the Chinese government has codified its process for designating and protecting historic cities into a Regulation on the Protection of Famous Historic and Cultural Cities, Towns, and Villages (Historic Cities Regulation). Both the Historic Cities Regulation and article 14 of the broader Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage call for preservation efforts for designated historic areas, and article 28 of the Historic Cities Regulation specifically forbids new construction or expansion in the centers of historic districts, with the exception of infrastructure installation. The article also details the procedures for gaining permission to carry out construction. Despite stipulating protections for historic areas, some provisions within the regulation are poorly defined, thus appearing to permit wide latitude in determining what kind of structures qualify for legal protections. For example, article 47(1) of the Historic Cities Regulation defines historic architecture (which is protected under the regulation) to mean certain structures designated by the government that "have definite preservation value and can reflect historical styles and regional features." The regulation does not detail how or by whom "preservation value" and ethnic and local "features" are defined, calling into question the capacity of Chinese law for effective cultural heritage preservation, including as it accords with ethnic minorities' right to define and protect their culture, and the state's obligation to secure this right.
In the case of the Kashgar project, ambiguities in the framework for heritage protection contribute to the formal leeway for authorities to take a narrow view of which structures have historic value and qualify for protection, thus removing most of the buildings in the Old City from the formal protections of the Historic Cities Regulation. Authorities also have excluded possible international mechanisms to preserve the Old City that would have come with its inclusion on a list of proposed Silk Road locations for entry in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (The Silk Road list's proposed sites include cities, but exclude locations within Kashgar except for the tomb of Mehmud Qeshqeri.) See the New York Times article for additional information. The Chinese government has formally committed itself to preserve its cultural heritage not only through its domestic legislation but also through its ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
Details of the project also suggest that authorities have bypassed ways to protect Old City residents' safety while preserving existing buildings. Standards set by professionals in the field of cultural heritage preservation indicate compatibility between historic preservation and measures to guard against natural disaster. Articles 10 and 14 of the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas, adopted by the non-governmental International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and available on its Web site, recognize the importance of introducing "contemporary elements" and preventative measures against natural disasters while ensuring they are "adapted to the specific character of the properties concerned." Scholar Ronald Knapp, cited in a May 3 National report, said that in the case of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province, problems came about “more from very poor ‘modern’ construction rather than the shortcomings of traditional practices.”
XUAR Residents, NGO, Overseas Observers Object to Project
Reports from overseas media have indicated opposition to the project from local residents and some local officials, as well as concerns from local residents and outside observers about housing resettlement and historic preservation. A report from a Beijing-based NGO also has expressed concern about historic preservation and raised questions about procedural aspects of the project. (See the May 27 New York Times article, May 3 National report, March 25 and April 2 reports from Radio Free Asia (RFA), a March 24 Washington Post article, March 24 Uyghur American Association (UAA) press release, March 26 South China Morning Post article (subscription required), April 3 article from openDemocracy, and undated report from the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center.) An official from the Kashgar cultural relics management office, cited in the April 2 RFA report, said that the project was being implemented without adequate attention to historic preservation, and another official expressed concern about resettled residents' ability to sustain their livelihoods, many of which were tied to workshops within the Old City. The UAA press release raised concerns that the population resettlement would increase government capacity to "control and monitor Uyghur activity" and pressure Uyghurs to assimilate. The openDemocracy article questioned the nature of future reconstruction in the city given a track record of co-opting cultural practices and redeveloping ethnic minority areas elsewhere in China to boost tourism. Kashgar was designated one of "China's superior tourist cities" in 2004, according to a report that year from Tianshan Net. Authorities plan to rebuild part of the Old City as an "international heritage scenery" site to attract tourism, according to the National article.
Information from overseas reports also raise questions about the process of consulting with residents on the project and on adequate compensation. Two men cited in the National report said they had received no information about compensation and did not know where they would be relocated to, while other sources said that the government had not consulted with them about the demolition. Some Kashgar residents cited in the New York Times article said that compensation amounts were inadequate. Sources cited in both the Washington Post article and March 25 RFA report indicated dissatisfaction with the project but said they lacked the means to challenge the government. A source cited in the RFA article noted that people felt scared to voice their opinions. China's Historic Cities Regulation specifies that authorities must solicit opinions from the public for restructuring projects (article 29). International standards also carve out a role for public input in preservation projects. Article 17(c) of UNESCO's Recommendation Concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas calls for authorities to include the opinions and participation of the public. Article 3 of the ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas states, "The participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged. The conservation of historic towns and urban areas concerns their residents first of all." Article 5 states, "The conservation plan should be supported by the residents of the historic area."
The report from the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, a Beijing-based Chinese NGO, emphasized the preservation value of the Old City and expressed concern about procedural aspects of the project. The report noted the lack of detailed information on preservation efforts, including the full text of the city's preservation plan. Chapter 3 of the Historic Cities Regulation stipulates that the governments of areas designated as historic cities must prepare and implement a preservation plan. The regulation also details other procedural steps necessary to alter designated historic areas. See, for example, articles 28 - 32 on provisions regarding infrastructure construction in designated historic areas. A December 12, 2008, article from the Kashgar government reports that officials submitted plans for the current reconstruction project to examination by scholars, which adheres to article 29 of the regulation.
Shortcomings in Property Protection
The complaints by residents affected by the project reflect continuing problems with property seizure and resettlement in China. China's 2007 Property Law, which protects private property rights, addresses expropriation of and compensation for property (article 42). As noted in a recent examination of the law by legal scholar Mo Zhang, however, "the Property Law sets no standard or requirement to guarantee a fair and just process for the taking." (Mo Zhang, "From Public to Private: The Newly Enacted Chinese Property Law and the Protection of Property Rights in China," Berkeley Business Law Journal, Vol. 5, 2008, Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-39, p. 360, available through the Social Science Research Network Web site.) The Property Law also lacks a clear standard for "what constitutes the public interest to justify a taking" (p. 361). Among existing regulations that address takings, Zhang notes that the Urban Housing Demolition and Relocation Management Regulation "has a focus on the advancement of urban development, and as such it does not make the fair process for takings a priority. On the contrary, it has a bias against owners of households." (p. 360.)
Curbs Over Uyghurs' Rights
While underscoring shortcomings in cultural heritage preservation and continuing problems with property seizure and resettlement in China, the Kashgar demolition project also draws attention to broader problems in China's policies in ethnic minority areas and in the XUAR in particular. Although the XUAR is an officially designated ethnic minority autonomous region with legally stipulated guarantees for "ethnic minorities’ right to administer their internal affairs" (Preamble, Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law) and measures to protect ethnic minority culture and cultural heritage, the Kashgar project highlights the failure of the government to protect such rights in practice. (For specific Chinese legal provisions on ethnic minorities that focus on cultural heritage protection, see, e.g., article 38 of the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law and article 25 of Provisions on Implementing the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law.) The project, noted by a source in the New York Times article to have "unusually strong backing high in the government," accompanies longstanding policies of control over the Uyghur population, including harsh security measures and steps to dilute ethnic identity and promote assimilation, as noted in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China 2008 Annual Report and recent CECC analyses (1, 2, 3). The level of repression in the region undermines residents' ability to protect their rights, even as more space for challenging government abuses has opened up in China.
Additional Resources
* For more information on responses within China to the project, see a survey posted on the Bulletin Board Service (BBS) of the Uyghur-language Web site Xabnam.com (also available in Latin script on the Uyghur American Association Web site's discussion forum). See also a discussion on the BBS of the Uyghur-language Web site Diyarim.
* For more information on China's framework for historic preservation and an examination of preservation projects in Beijing, see Daniel B. Abramson, "The Aesthetics of City-scale Preservation Policy in Beijing," Planning Perspectives, Vol. 22, No. 2 (April 2007): 129-166 and Daniel B. Abramson, "Beijing's Preservation Policy and the Fate of the Siheyuan," Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Fall 2001): 7-22.
* For more information on property rights, see the CECC Virtual Academy page on Property Rights Resources.
* For more information on China's legal framework for ethnic minority rights, see the "Special Focus" section within the CECC 2005 Annual Report and Section II--Ethnic Minority Rights in the CECC 2007 and 2008 Annual Reports.
* For information on conditions in the XUAR, see Section IV--Xinjiang, in the CECC 2008 Annual Report.
End of the Silk Road for historic trading hub of Kashgar
End of the Silk Road for historic trading hub of Kashgar
Demolition workers in Kashgar
(Jane Macartney)
Bulldozers are already knocking down centuries-old homes in Kashgar
Image :1 of 3
Jane Macartney in Kashgar
Today is the last day for residents of one of the last surviving ancient cities in China to claim a bonus for agreeing to move out to make way for the wrecking ball.
After the offer expires, the only inducement may be force.
Bulldozers are already crashing through the packed-mud walls of centuries-old homes. Yellow-helmeted workers toss bricks into wheelbarrows as they clear the rubble.
The demolition of swaths of the Old Town of Kashgar is being carried out in the name of modernisation and safety. The famed trading hub on the Silk Road, on which caravans carrying silk and jade from China crossed with merchants from Central Asia bringing furs and spices, will effectively disappear.
Walls throughout the town are stencilled with signs exhorting residents to support the makeover to prevent the damage wrought by last year’s massive earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province that killed 90,000 people.
Many residents of the old quarter, members of the Muslim Uighur minority, are unconvinced.
One old man, his beard white, taps a mud-and-straw wall. “These houses have withstood earthquakes for 2,000 years. They have wood inside to absorb the shock.” He gestures to a renovated building next door. “People are supposed to use these hard bricks. But look at the cement. There are gaps and it’s poor quality. Maybe this would fall more quickly.”
City authorities have decided that most of these one and two-storey buildings must be razed. A small area visited by tourists seeking a flavour of Kashgar’s rich history will be preserved. Uighur residents, already distrustful of a Government that many regard as an occupation force, even doubt that.
An elderly businessman, who refused to be identified for fear of retribution, said: “They don’t tell us anything. We don’t understand why they do this. Anyway, I don’t believe anything they say.” He is too frightened even to say who “they” are. He uses two letters, “GV ". He means the Government.
Residents of the old city are reluctant to talk. Their fear is palpable. One gestures down the street. “The police are here. We must be careful.” In a house destined to disappear, a young girl slams the door into her rose-filled courtyard on visitors who ask about her home.
The Government plans to spend $440 million (£270 million) to move 65,000 Uighur households – about 220,000 people – into modern housing. The aim is safer housing but other factors are at work.
With a huge government stimulus package to boost the economy, authorities now have the money to tear down a warren of narrow alleys in which they fear Muslim Uighurs could foment separatist unrest. Days before last year’s Olympics two Uighurs rammed a lorry into a group of young police officers on a morning jog and then leapt out and attacked them with knives, killing 17. This month officials said that they had wrapped up seven terrorist cells in Kashgar.
Non-governmental organisations are anxious that yet another remnant of China’s rapidly disappearing past is to vanish. The Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Centre has issued an appeal to save the Old Town, saying that the threat to Kashgar is more serious even than that to the Chinese capital’s old alleyways or to Lhasa.
It said: “Primarily due to its relatively distant location, information… is very hard to come by, hence so little monitoring and criticism on the poor preservation work of the local government.”
Wu Dianting, a Beijing professor of regional planning who has studied the city, says that such large-scale raw-earth towns are now rare anywhere in the world. He describes them as well adapted for the desert region, being warm in winter and cool in summer. He has asked city authorities to reconsider. “Demolition would be a terrible pity.”
Families are less concerned about their cultural heritage than about having a roof over their heads, and one under which they have sheltered for generations.
Those who can afford to strengthen their existing homes and add a second storey may stay. The elderly businessman said: “Most people don’t agree. But they are poor. They have to move.”
The extent of resistance is reflected in the forest of banners and wall slogans exhorting support for the improvements. One offered a bonus of 200 yuan (£20) a square metre for those who left by June 6; those staying until June 18 will be eligible for only 100 yuan. After that they will get nothing.
Not all are opposed. One elderly Muslim merchant in an embroidered skullcap chatted between stalls selling grilled mutton kebabs as flat bread baked in earthen ovens and artisans beat copper pots. He said: “The new houses are much cleaner. They have a bathroom and a kitchen. It’s good to have proper sanitation.”
He will still come down to the Old Town to gossip with friends around the main Id Kah Mosque. His son shrugs about the prospect of life in a block of flats. “What can you do? What can you do? We have no choice.”
* Have your say
This would be a terrible mistake. I have been in Kaskgar twice over the last eight years and have seen things changing. The old town is one of the main tourist attractions in Kashgar and I think quite unique in the world. I am really shocked reading this piece of news.
Ann, Nanjing, China
A substantial part of China's GDP rests on construction (having knocked something down first). That has helped to boost the economy to 7% growth this year (World Bank forecast). It's ruthless growth. Someone has to pay. Out of the ashes, the phoenix flies? Not one entirely to my liking
ed, london,
Developing countries are not museums for other peoples satisfaction. The residents will get new properties and sanitaion - would you like to live in a mud brick home?
Dan Lee , Melbourne , Australia
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