The largest population of ethnic minorities, representing 47 of the 56 nationalities in China live in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. They make more than 60% of all residents of XUAR.
In order to preserve integrity, eliminate separatism among the population, and economic and social development, China strives to resolve the national issue, first of all, by developing and preserving the traditions, customs and languages of all nationalities living on the territory of the entire state.
The quality of life for all China's minorities continues to improve. One of the main tasks of the central government is to protect and pass on to descendants the unique culture of ethnic groups, their traditions and crafts, which has been observed for 70 years.
The state provides assistance to areas inhabited by national minorities, promoting the acceleration of their economic and cultural development in accordance with the specifics and needs of various national minorities.
It is enough to look at the created conditions to assess the effectiveness of the implemented ethnic and religious policies in Xinjiang.
All the nations living in China use and develop their native languages, both written and spoken, and preserve their folk customs and traditions. In schools, the children study both in their national language and in Chinese.
One of the representatives of the national minorities in China is Sibo, the smallest population in the world, who resides in China’s Qapqal county of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
Sibo is one of the country's 56 officially recognized national minorities totaling about 200,000 people. Representatives of the Sibo people are almost non-existent in other countries.
The Chinese government has been protecting the language, written culture and traditions of this people from disappearing, and has been regularly funding the newspaper "Qapqal News". The newspaper was founded in 1946 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The government allocates 3 million RMB annually for its financing.
The newspaper is published twice a week with 4 pages and 240000 copies. The newspaper, which employs 16 people, covers all areas of public life. The editorial office of the newspaper is located in a large 4-story building together with the printing house.
The Sibo language has 121 letters and only five of them are vowels. The alphabets are not similar to Chinese hieroglyphs or those of other ethnic groups living side by side. It is surprising that the sentences were read from top to bottom, from left to right. Scientists from China and other countries interested in Sibo culture have determined that the Sibo language is close to the Tungus-Manchu group of Altaic languages.
The newspaper is the only newspaper in the world in Sibin, and in general in the Manchu language.
In addition, currently, the county broadcasts television programs in the Sibo language several times a month.
The Sibo people, men, women and children, love archery and are also often called the Archer Nation. The Qapqal is also known as the cradle of Chinese archery.
Its cultural value is very outstanding and it is a treasure in the cultural field of the Chinese nation.
The largest national minority in Xinjiang is Uyghurs, which make about 46 % of the total population of XUAR.
Uyghurs also preserved their culture, traditions, customs and language. The spoken and written Uyghur language is widely used in justice, administration, education, press and publishing, television and radio broadcasting, the Internet and public life.
The Uighurs are mainly engaged in agriculture, commerce, cattle breeding and handicraft industries.
Many years ago, there was a local businessman of Uighur nationality named Turdahun Bai. He opened leather processing enterprises, created jobs for local people, and was involved in charity. Today, his house, built 90 years ago, has been turned into a museum by the state.
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is also home to 1.5 million ethnic Kazakhs. This largest diaspora of the XUAR leads a traditional way of life for the Kazakhs, preserving the purity of their language, customs, and culture.
Kazakhs mainly live in the Ili-Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Mora-Kazakh and Barkel-Kazakh Autonomous Counties of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as well as in the Haixi-Mongol-Tibet Autonomous County in Qinghai Province and the Aksai-Kazakh Autonomous County in the Gansu Province.
According to official data from the 2000 census, the number of Kazakhs in China was 1,250,000 people, and in 2010 the number of Kazakhs reached 1,462,588 people.
Kazakhs in China speak the Kazakh language and use an alphabet based on Arabic script.
There are newspapers and magazines in Kazakh, the first newspapers and magazines in the Kazakh language appeared in Xinjiang in the 1930s.
Since the 1960s, the People's Radio Station of the XUAR began broadcasting in the languages of national minorities, which included Kazakh. There is also Kazakh-language television channel in Gulja.
Ethnic Kazakh Jumagul was born in China and now works in tourist company. Jumagul is happy that was born in China, she received a good education and now has been working in Khorgos. She told that they speak at home in their native language and use Chinese at work.
“There are primary schools in villages, where Kazakhs predominate numerically, the education is conducted in the Kazakh language,” she said.
The Kazakh people are mainly engaged in livestock farming. But each family do what it is most skilled at: some are engaged in sheep breeding, others in the production of dairy products, and others are doing business. There are also those who grow vegetables, fruits, feed, and grains on their lands.
Equality, cohesion, mutual assistance and common prosperity of all nationalities - these are the main principles of the Chinese government in resolving the national question.
All nationalities of China, without exception, have contributed to the development of Chinese culture and have equal rights.
People of different nationalities live next to each other, preserving their identity, respecting the culture and customs of their neighbors. This is probably the secret of the economic success of XUAR, which in just a quarter of a century has achieved one of the highest rates of economic growth in the country.
Xinjiang is the main point of the Belt and Road project, initiated by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This region was the center of the ancient Silk Road and was an important junction connecting East and West.
XUAR is located in the northwest of China. It borders eight countries, including Kyrgyzstan. Representatives of 56 nationalities live in harmony in a place with beautiful nature, rich in mineral resources, and prosperity.
The economic and social development of Xinjiang shows that today China is in the right direction.
Nurzhan Kasmalieva
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