Wild West China: The Taming of Xinjiang

by Christian Tyler

Closed to the world for half a century, like a black hole in the Asian landmass, the wilderness of Xinjiang in northwest China is returning to the light. The picture it presents is both fascinating and disturbing.

Despite a savage landscape and climate, Xinjiang has a rich sand-buried cities, painted cave shrines, rare creatures, and wonderfully preserved mummies of European appearance. Their descendants, the Uighurs, still farm the tranquil oases that ring the dreaded Taklamakan, the world’s second largest sand desert, and the Kazakh and Kirghiz herdsmen still roam the mountains. The region’s history, however, has been punctuated by violence, usually provoked by ambitious outsiders—nomad chieftains from the north, Muslim emirs from Central Asia, Russian generals, or warlords from inner China. The Chinese regard the far west as a barbarian land. Only in the 1760s did they subdue it, and even then their rule was repeatedly broken. Compared with the Russians’ conquest of Siberia, or the Americans’ trek west, China’s colonization of Xinjiang has been late and difficult. The Communists have done most to develop it, as a penal colony, as a buffer against invasion, and as a supplier of raw materials and living space for an overpopulated country. But what China sees as its property, the Uighurs regard as theft by an alien occupier. Tension has led to violence and savage reprisals. This portrait of Xinjiang should be essential reading for travelers and for anyone interested in today’s China and the fate of minority peoples.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Asia, Travel

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Seamus Enright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat outdated considering the policies of the Xi Administration towards Xinjiang but what a great study of the historical background of the region and it's struggle for autonomy.

So many colourful characters inhabit it's pages, events so bizarre that they couldn't have been made up, Fragrant Concubines, Bloodthirsty Warlords, intrepid European adventurers make the region endlessly fascinating.

Definitely read if you're interested in Chinese and/or Central Asian history.

[Kuu · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's too much "the exotic people of Xinjiang", too much talk about races (in the racist way - "the flat wide faces of Mongols, the square heads and thick necks of Slavic Europeans, the aqukine profiles of Iranian Turks and even a pale Japanese"), generally too much a feeling of watching Tyler look at weird but intriguing animals in the zoo. Not to mention "an indeterminate number of asylum-seekers have been sent back to China - 'illegally deported' according to the human rights people - where they have usually been executed". Like maybe it's just me but that does seem like illegal deportation of refugees to me and i would assume the "human rights people" also know what they're talking about. Just a thought.
If you ignore Tyler's personality the book gave a good overview over the situation, but I find it incredibly hard to ignore his personality, so this book definitely wasn't what I'd call a good read

[Anne Sigmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating history of China's brutal takeover of its nomadic western province, Xinjiang.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a thorough but engaging look at the difficult history of this region of the world. Tyler takes the reader through the multiple cycles of Chinese conquest-indigenous rebellion that Xinjian/East Turkestan has undergone for the past two millennia. Similarly, he outlines the culture that flourished in the mix of Buddhist, Islamic, Turkic and Chinese influences. Tyler then devotes the second half of the book to chronicling the difficult and changing strategies that the Chinese government, under the Communist Party, has undertaken to “pacify” and “develop” the region. Tyler’s frank warnings as to the unsustainability of these strategies seems all the more prescient to any modern reader who sees the current news coming out of Xinjian/East Turkestan. Definitely worth the read.

[Rachel J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a non-biological brother from Xinjiang, I felt it my duty to educate myself on the history of the Chinese northwest and the systematic discrimination and outright murder of Muslim Uyghurs. This book offers a comprehensive view of the situation as it was fifteen years ago, although to be sure, current events lie far outside the scope of Tyler's work since this was published in 2003. I would be interested to see an updated version of this work in light of the re-education camps and ramped up government crackdowns.

[John Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having long felt the pull of Silk Road oases such as Urumchi, Kashgar and Tashkurgan, I thought I'd enjoy Christian Tyler's Wild West China more than I did. Most significant chapter was Skeletons in the Sand, about China's gulag labour camps. #Xinjiang

[Elleonora Tambunan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geography was not my favorite subject at school. Understandably, the first chapter in the book bored me, with its detailed description on the nature of Central Asia's countries borderig China. As more pages are leafed through, historical facts are presented to readers in a very engaging manner it makes me feel like I'm watching a National Geography's episode. Moreover, it gives readers a picture of relations among nations in the mid centuries, the initiation of the Silk Road, which should attract International Relations scholars or anyone with a keen interest in history in general. As for me, the book prompts questions as to how the affairs in the region at that time affect the nations in South East Asia -- or Indonesia, for that matter.

[Josh Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyler presents Xinjiang in a compelling way through his book. It claims to be a history of Xinjiang but I finished feeling a little disappointed. His view is obviously biased toward human rights issues, which although noble, makes me question a few of his assertions.

The good thing about this book is that it is a quick read and simple to understand. There's another great review of Wild West China here. If you want a more in-depth look at the history of Xinjiang, I highly suggest you consider reading Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang instead. Much more thorough.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly fascinating portrayal of China's hinterlands in the far west and the Uyghur people, whose history and culture is at risk from ever-encroaching Han Chinese dominance in the region. Tyler not only tells a fascinating history of intrigue, war, and literature, but also he writes of present-day challenges that face the Uyghur people - particularly those relating to life with and alongside the Han Chinese. This region, though not as well known as Tibet, has suffered similar cultural injustices and deserves wider attention; with Tyler's book, at last Xinjiang's voice is heard.