Minorities in China: Skirting the Western and Southwestern Border

The Far West (Xinjiang) 

Photo 1 & 3: Uyghur children (Village near Yarkand)

Photo 2: Uyghurs making samosas, Monday market (Terem)

Photo 3: Kazakh yurt, TienShan (near Urumqi)

Photo 4: Kyrghiz/Tajikh men at livestock market (Terem)

Uyghur: Turkic people of central Asia, Sunni Islam, centered in Xinjiang province. 

1949: People's Republic of China annexes East Turkestan, the territory of the Uyghur people; renames the 

area 'Xinjiang' -- "New Frontier." 'Resettlement Programs' begin bringing in thousands of Han Chinese -- over the next 50 years, the Uyghur population in Xinjiang drops from 90% to 45% and is still decreasing, along with the influence of its culture and language. 

2001: Riding the wake of America's "War on Terror," the Chinese government implements repressive religious controls against the Uygur people: government breaks up established communities by bulldozing adobes, and confiscates passports (making pilgrimage to Mecca impossible).