Unpacking Xinjiang's long, rich history

Two newly published general history works explore the past and present of what is now the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in northwestern China, highlighting key historical facts and clarifying topics of major significance.

Known as Xiyu (Western Regions) in ancient times, Xinjiang has long been a crucial part of the Silk Road and a key intersection of Eastern and Western civilizations, characterized by a rich blend of economic, political, cultural, ethnic, and religious influences.

Today, it is China's largest provincial-level administrative region, covering about one-sixth of the country's land area. Set at the heart of Eurasia, the landlocked region serves as a bridgehead for China's westward opening-up.

Drawing on updated archaeological findings, ancient documents, and modern and contemporary materials, Zhongguo Xinjiang Diqu Lishi (The History of China's Xinjiang Region) spans 45,000 years of regional history up to 2025. It examines Xinjiang's role in the formation and development of China as a unified, multiethnic country, as well as the evolution of the Chinese national community over thousands of years.

Tian Weijiang, the book's editor-in-chief and former deputy director of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, noted during the launch in Beijing on Sept 2 that the book clearly supports three conclusions: the Xinjiang region has always been an inseparable part of Chinese territory; the region's ethnic groups are integral members of the Chinese nation; and their ethnic cultures are essential components of Chinese culture.

He says the work transcends a narrow regional perspective by interpreting Xinjiang's history within the Chinese nation's overall development. It systematically demonstrates that Xinjiang has been an inalienable and significant part of China since ancient times, and fully presents the historical mainstream of interaction, exchange, integration, and shared prosperity among all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, it addresses significant historical subjects. "In response to long-standing external manipulation of public opinion and historical topics that can easily confuse public understanding, this book provides direct and authoritative explanations and systematically answers fundamental questions concerning Xinjiang's historical positioning, cultural origins, ethnic and religious evolution, firmly refuting separatist historical views and false Western narratives," Tian says.

Zhongguo Xinjiang Diqu Zongjiao Shi (The Religious History of China's Xinjiang Region), on the other hand, specifically traces the evolution of religion in Xinjiang from prehistoric times to the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The book emphasizes that the coexistence of multiple religions, with one or two principal faiths, has been Xinjiang's fundamental religious pattern since ancient times. Intermingling and coexistence have been the hallmark of religious relations in the region.

Its main threads are the formation of religious coexistence in Xinjiang and its local adaptation, rooted in the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization, as well as the central government's governance of religion in Xinjiang throughout history.

The practice of multiple religions by various ethnic groups in Xinjiang is an objective fact of their historical development.

Yu Shangping, the book's editor-in-chief and deputy director of the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, says the work strikes a balance between the region's ancient, modern and contemporary religious history. The section on ancient history succinctly addresses key topics. Meanwhile, it emphasizes Xinjiang's religious history since the Communist Party of China's founding in 1921.

It explains the significant changes in Xinjiang's religious landscape under the Party's leadership, particularly highlighting historic achievements in the new era, he adds.

Yu points out that upholding the principle of developing religions in the Chinese context is the historical choice of religions in Xinjiang, and that harmonious religious relations are crucial for Xinjiang's stability and prosperity.

He also stresses that basic viewpoints, including adhering to the Party's leadership, are the fundamental guarantee for historic achievements in Xinjiang's religious work in the new era and will provide key consensus for correctly understanding historical religious topics.

Ma Pinyan, a researcher at the academy and the book's consultant who has studied Xinjiang's religious history for 45 years, notes that throughout Xinjiang's past and present, ethnic and religious factors remain two major elements shaping social stability in the region, and will remain so well into the future. The Religious History of China's Xinjiang Region aims to show readers the complexity of the region's religious topics.

Yu says the book aims to identify patterns and summarize successes and failures from thousands of years of historical evolution, offering references to better understand the principles of religious work and enhance the modernization of religious affairs governance.

The compilation drew on leading experts nationwide. Scholar Guan Kai, head of the School of Ethnology and Sociology at Minzu University of China, says extensive literature on the ancient Silk Road captures the continuous exchanges among nomads, farmers, merchants, religious figures, and artisans in Xinjiang, which served as a corridor between Chinese and other civilizations of Eurasia. These interactions shaped the area's vibrant local cultures rooted in grassland nomadism, oasis agriculture and bustling commercial towns.

Cultural diversity in this region is reflected in its religious history. Over time, Shamanism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorianism, and others grew in popularity. By contrast, Islam arrived relatively late.

Zhang Zhigang, a professor at the Religious Culture Research Institute of Peking University, says Xinjiang's formation and development is particularly valuable for research because "the continuity, unity and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization has fundamentally shaped the region's openness to diverse cultures, influenced the historical trend of ethnic interaction and exchanges, and has led to the coexistence of various religious beliefs in the area."

In his speech at the book launch, Lu Cairong, vice-chairman of the Publishers Association of China, noted that the internet presents a mix of reliable and unreliable information, with misleading ideas often spreading subtly through new media. "The release of these two books is timely, providing much-needed authoritative historical resources to the general public," he said.