Ep. 251 | The History of Xinjiang (Part 8)
After inserting that 10-Year Anniversary special 7-Part program in between the last episode (Part 7) and this one, we’re back with more Xinjiang in Part 8. We start off with the great Uyghur diaspora that followed after the fall of the Uyghur Khaganate in 840.
In this episode, we’ll see what happened to them after they arrived in Gansu and Xinjiang. We’ll also skim the surface to review the Kara-Khanid and Kara-Khitai Khanates who both had such a profound influence on shaping the future development of Central Asia and the spread of Islam.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ātúshi | 阿图什 | Artux, city in western Xinjiang north of Kashgar |
| Běitíng | 北庭 | Place north of Turpan in present day Jimsar County. Site of the Beiting Protectorate and lots of history during and after the Tang |
| Dàlǐ Kingdom | 大理国 | Kingdom located in Yunnan that ran 937 to 1253 |
| Dézōng / Yēlǜ Dàshí | 德宗 / 耶律大石 | The final Liao Dynasty emperor who led his people west to eventually found the Qara-Khitai Khanate |
| Gānsù | 甘肃 | Province in Western China |
| Gānzhōu | 甘州 | Area inside Gansu that was the site of the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom |
| Gāo Xiānzhī | 高仙芝 | Tang general who lived during the first half of the 8th century. Born in KOrea and also known as Ko Sonji, he fought many battles for the Tang including in 751 at the Battle of Talas |
| Gāochāng | 高昌 | Capital of Qocho Kingdom. Also called Karakhoja, the "Chinese colony" setup where the Jushi Kingdom used to be. Later the site of a Chinese Commandery (郡） |
| Gūiyì Jūn | 归义军 | The Gūiyì Circuit, an area in Gansu that was controlled by Chinese loyal to the Tang |
| Huángtóu Huíhé / Huíhú | 黄头回纥 / 回鹘 | The Yellow Head Uyghurs who set up a small state after being chased out of the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom |
| Huīzōng | 宋徽宗 | Second to the last emperor of the Northern Song. |
| Hàn Wǔdì | 汉武帝 | Long-reigning Western Han emperor, known mostly as Emperor Wu |
| Héxī or Gānsù Corridor | h河西 / 甘肃走廊 | Also known as the Gansu Corridor, the main road from westernmost China to the easternmost Tarim Basin where the northern route of the Silk Road began |
| Jīn Dynasty | 金朝 | Jürchen dynasty that ran 1115-1234 |
| Liáo Dynasty | 辽朝 | Dynasty created in the north of China by the Khitan warrior Yelü Abaoji |
| Liáo Shǐ | 辽史 | One of the official 24 Histories, written during the Yuán Dynasty. |
| Northern Sòng | 北宋 | The part of the Song Dynasty that ran 960-1127 when the capital was located in Bianjing ( modern Kaifeng) |
| Níngxià | 宁夏 | Province next door to Shaanxi, where the Tangut Western Xia Dynasty was located |
| Qara-Khanid Khanate | 喀喇汗国 | Central Asian Turkic khaganate. Ran from 840-1212 |
| Qara-Khitai | 喀喇契丹 / 西辽 | Successor state to conquered Liao Dynasty, also called the Western Liao. Ran from 1124-1218 |
| Qìdān | 契丹 | Khitan |
| Qīnghǎi | 青海 | Massive province in western China nestled in between Tibet and Xinjiang |
| Shāzhōu | 沙州 | Shā Prefecture, present day Dūnhuáng |
| Shǎnxī | 陕西 | Ancient province in north China on the Yellow River. Chang'an was located in Shaanxi |
| Suìyè | 碎叶 | Suyab, located 50 miles east of present-day Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. |
| Sòng Tàizōng | 宋太宗 | Second Song emperor, brother to the dynasty founder. |
| Táng | 唐朝 | One of China's greatest dynasties. Lasted 618-907 |
| Táng Xuānzōng | 唐宣宗 | Tang emperor who reigned 846-859 during the late Tang |
| Wáng Yándé | 王延德 | Lived from 939 to 1006 - 984 Wáng Yándé made it to the Turpan Basin to the Qocho Kingdom |
| Xiōngnú | 匈奴 | A once powerful confederation of tribes whose empire once stretched from the eastern reaches of the Mongol homeland and into East Central Asia |
| Xī Xià | 西夏 | Western Xià Dynasty 1038-1227 |
| Xīnjiāng | 新疆 | The area that is now contained in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Also known by many names prior to 1884 |
| Yínchuān | 银川 | Capital of Ningxia Province and the former Western Xia |
| Yùgù zú | 裕固族 | The Yugur Ethnic Minority who are associated with the Yellow Head Uyghurs |
| Yùmén | 玉门 | The Jade Gate. The symbolic last stop before one left China proper (or entered depending on which direction y9ou were coming from |
| Yúnnán | 云南 | Southwest Province in China |
| Yēlǜ Ābǎojī | 耶律阿保机 | Founder of the Khitan Liao Dynasty |
| Yīníng | 伊宁 | Chagatai Khanate capital located in the Yīlí Valley 伊犁…not too far from the Xinjiang Kazakhstan border. |
| Zhào Kuāngyìn | 赵匡胤 | Founder of the Song Dynasty. Lived from 927-976 |
| Zhāng Qiān | 张骞 | Great Han Dynasty adventurer and diplomat. |
| Zhāng Yìcháo | 张轶超 | Tang loyalist who fought for the Xuanzong Emperor to push the Tibetans out of Gansu |
| Zhāngyè | 张掖 | City in Gansu within the Hexi Corridor that was the site of the former city of Ganzhou |
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Related Episodes
In this 12th and final episode, we’ll look at Xinjiang from 1885 to 1949. After all the events that happened going back to Qianlong, Xinjiang finally goes out with a whimper in 1949 with the Communist PLA takeover.