Xinjiang has a population of 14.06million, according to a census taken in 1987. Of the forty-seven different nationalities, thirteen have lived in Xinjiang for many generations. Uygurs make up the largest number of residents, totaling more than six million and accounting for 45 percent of the entire population. The Han nationality numbers five million; the Kazak nationality, 900,000; the Hui nationality, 600,000; the Mongol nationality, 120,000; the Kirgiz nationality, 120,000; the Xibe nationality, 30,000; the Tajik nationality, 30,000; the Ozbek nationality, 10,000; the Manchu nationality, 10,000; the Daur nationality, 4,000; the Tatar nationality, 3,000; and the Russian nationality, 4,000. The thirty-four other nationalities, minorities such as the Dongxiangs, Zhuangs, Salars, Tibetans, Miaos, Yis, Bouyeis and Koreans, came from other provinces to settle in Xinjiang after the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949. They add up to about 40,000.

The Uygur Nationality. More than 80 percent of Uygurs live in homogeneous communities in southern Xinjiang. Their language belongs to the Altay Turkic language, and is written using the Arabic alphabet. This ancient Chinese nationality, whose name means ¡°unity, has its origins in the third century B.C, when the Dingling people led a nomadic life in the north and west of China. During the seventh century, some Dingling tribes formed an alliance called ¡°Huihe to resist the oppression of the Tujue people, and in 744 they established the Huihe Khanate around the Orchon River. The ruling khan accepted the titles of nobility conferred on them by the Tang Dynasty to the south, and twice sent troops to help the Tang court put down the An Lushan-Shi Siming rebellion and contributing to the unification of the Tang Dynasty. During the thirteenth century many Uygurs(Huihes) went to work with the Yuan imperial court, becoming outstanding statesmen, strategists, historians, men of letters, and translators.

Since the beginning of the nineteenth century the Uygur people have been involved in a seemingly endless struggle for independence, either against the aggression of foreign colonialists, against feudal oppression of the Qing government, or against Uygur rulers. They fought with the Qing army, smashing the Agubo puppet regime under the aegis of the British colonialists and driving out invading Russian troops from the Ili area. But all these wars contributed a great deal to the unification of the motherland, and on October 1, 1955, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was founded.

The Kazak Nationality. Their long history has been one of a gradual merging of various nomadic tribes from the Ili valley and the Central Asian grasslands. They have their own written language based on the Arabic alphabet. The spoken language belongs to the Altay-Turkic language. The origin of the Kazak nationality was a tribal alliance formed by the tribes of Wusun, Kangju and Alan. Since Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty served as an envoy to the state of Wusun in 119 B.C, Wusun had pledged allegiance to the Han, and they maintained friendly and harmonious relations for 400 years. After the sixth century, the state of Turks rose in power and what had been Wusun State became the center of Western Turks. Then in the tenth and eleventh centuries the entire area was ruled by the Karakhanid Dynasty. In the thirteenth century it was conquered by the Mongol Empire. In the mid-1400s the Kazak people moved east from the Chuhe River to avoid the oppression of the Ozbek Khan and founded the Kazak Khanate along the Taras River. The name ¡°Kazak, which means ¡°refugees, was arrived at around this time.

The Kazak people extended their pastureland, but in the early eighteenth century the Jungars came and seized all the land, and the Kazaks were forced to wander about. After the Qing Dynasty had conquered the feudal Jungar leaders, Kazak Khan Abulai was grateful and in the 1760s pledged allegiance to the Qing Dynasty and accepted its titles of nobility. The Kazaks who had been driven away began to return home and resettled in Ili, Altay and Tacheng. Since then they have fought with other nationalities in Xinjiang for Chinas unification and for national liberation. After Xinjiang was liberated in 1949, homogeneous Kazak areas enjoyed national autonomy. The Mori Kazak Autonomous County was established on June 17, 1954, followed shortly afterwards by the Barkol Kazak Autonomous County on September 30 and the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture on November 29 of the same year.

The Hui Nationality. Its origins date back to the middle of the seventh century when many Arabian and Persian Moslems came to China for trade. Some came by sea to Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou, while others took the Silk Road, traveling through Central Asia and Xinjiang to Changan, then capital of China. A large number of these Moslems settled in China.

In the early thirteenth century the Mongol aristocrats forced a number of Arabian, Persian, Turkish and central Asian Moslems to immigrate into China, and also compelled large numbers of Uygur officials, officers and men to move to inland China. All these people maintained close economic and cultural ties with the Han and Mongol residents and merged with them, forming a new people ¨C the Hui nationality ¨C at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

In the 300 years between the mid-1300s and the mid-1600s, the Hui population grew rapidly. The majority of the Hui people in Xinjiang came from homogeneous Hui areas in inland China, where the Qing aristocrats pursued a policy of oppressing and discriminating against them. The Hui people in Xinjiang have made outstanding contributions towards opposing the persecution of domestic feudal rulers and to resisting the aggression of foreign imperialism. On the eve of liberation in 1949, they actively took part in publicity and organizational work for welcoming the Peoples Liberation Army. In 1954 the Yanqi Hui Autonomous County and Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture were established in Xinjiang.

The Hui people use the same language as the Han people.

The Mongol Nationality. The Mongols live in pastoral areas north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. They speak the Altay-Mongolian language. Those living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region use the Hudum script of Mongolian while those in Xinjiang speak the Oirat dialect and use the Taode script. The Mongols are one of the oldest nationalities in China. One of their leaders, Kublai Khan, grandson of the famous Genghis Khan, founded the Yuan Dynasty in China. During the sixteenth century four Mongol tribes led a nomadic life in xinjiang. They were the Durbat Tribe, moving about in the upper and middle reaches of the Ertix River; the Turgut Tribe, roving around in the area near todays Tacheng; the Hoshot Tribe, roaming the pastures near Urumqi; and the Jungar Tribe, grazing their sheep and cattle around Lake Balchas and in the valley of the Ili River. The Mongol word ¡°Jungar means ¡°left wing.

In the middle of the seventeenth century the Jungars annexed the three other tribes and made Ili the center of their activities. When the Qing Dynasty sent armies to put down the Jungar rebellion between 1755 and 1757, many local people fled, and after peace was restored in Ili, only a small number of Jungars remained. The Mongols now living in Bayangol, Hoboksar and Jinghe are descendants of the Turgut Tribe that moved back from the Volga River valley in Russia in 1770. Those inhabiting Bortala Mongol ¡°Eight Banners, who moved to this area in 1764 and 1831 from Zhangjiakou in North China. The Mongols have made many contributions to the development of Chinas economy and culture and to the promotion of its unification. Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture was established on July 1, 1954 and Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, on July 14 of the same year.

The Kirgiz Nationality. The Kirgiz people live in closely-knit communities in Kizilsu, Wushi, Wensu, Pishan, Tekes, and Emin. They speak the Altay-Turkic language and have their own written language based on the Arabic alphabet. Their ancestors led a nomadic life in the upper reaches of the Jenisej River in northern China more than 2,000 years ago. In the sixth century these people were called ¡°Xiagasi. Later they were ruled by the Tang Dynasty. In 840 they defeated the Huihe people and founded the Xiagasi Khanate, and at one time their influence extended far and wide. Between the seventh and the tenth centuries, they made frequent exchanges with the Han nationality. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties the Kirgiz people moved from the upper reaches of the Jenisej River to the Tianshan Mountains, where they have lived ever since. On July 14, 1954 Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture was established.

The Xibe Nationality. The Xibe people live in homogeneous communities in the counties of Qapqal, Huocheng and Gongliu in the valley of the Ile River. Their language belongs to the Altay Manchu-Tungusic language family, and their own written language is based on the Manchu language. Their ancestors were the Xianbei people, who led a hunting and nomadic life in northeastern China. At the end of the seventeenth century, the Qing government put these people in its army of ¡°Eight Banners, and in 1764 sent 3,000 Xibe officers and men with their families to Xinjiang to reinforce Chinas western frontier. They settled down on the banks of the Ili River, building their homes and reclaiming land. The word ¡°qapqal in Xibe means ¡°granary. On March 17, 1953 Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County was founded.

The Tajik Nationality. Since ancient times the Tajik people have lived in the Taxkorgan area in the Pamirs, which was both a gateway to Chinas western frontier and a key communications center between the West and inland China. They speak the Persian branch of the Indo European language family as well as the Uygur language. The written Uygur language is most commonly used. ¡°Tajik means ¡°royal crown. The origin of the Tajiks can be traced back to an ancient Persian speaking tribe in the eastern Pamirs.

The Tajik nationality has maintained a long-standing friendship with the Han people. In 643 when Monk Xuan Zang of the Tang Dynasty brought home Buddhist scriptures from India, he stopped over in what is todays Taxlorgan and listened to local Tajik fairy tales. Later he recorded these tales in his Note on the Western Region of the Great Tang Dynasty. In modern Chinese history the Tajik people often bore the brunt of imperialist and colonialist invasions of chinas western borders, and fought courageously to defend the frontier. On September 17, 1954 Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County was established.

The Manchu Nationality. The Manchus are scattered in various parts of Xinjiang. Generally speaking Chinese, most of the Manchu people in Xinjiang are descendants of the ¡°Eight Banners troops moved by the Qing government to Xinjiang garrisons. In the past 300 years they have worked and lived together with other nationalities in Xinjiang, contributing to the development of Chinas border areas.

The Tatar Nationality. Most of the Tatar people live in Yining, Altay, Tacheng, Qitai, Jimsar, and Urumqi in northern Xinjiang. The Tatars speak the Altay-Turkic language, and have their own written language based on Arabic. Their ancestors were a nomadic tribe ruled by the Turkish Khanate in northern China. During the fifteenth century a Kashan Khanate appeared in the Volga River valley, leading to the formation of the Tatar people. After the nineteenth century, a number of the Tatar people in the Kashan area came and settled down in Xinjiang. They were on good terms with other peoples and built their homes here.

The Ozbek Nationality. The Ozbek people are found mainly in Yining, Kashi, Kuqa, Changji, Qitai, Mori and Urumqi. Their language is close to that of the Uygurs, as are both dialects of the Altay-Turkic language. Their written language is based on the Arabic alphabet.

Long long ago, the forefathers of the Ozbek people moved to Xinjiang from Central Asia, and by the late 1750s the Ozbek people had settled in most cities in southern Xinjiang and in some places in northern Xinjiang. The Ozbeks are merchants, farmers, craftsmen, and intellectuals, and have greatly helped to develop Xinjiang.

The Daur Nationality. Most of the Daur people live in closely-knit communities in Tacheng Prefecture. A small number of them reside in Huocheng County and Urumqi City. The Daurs speak the Altay-Mongol language. During the Qing Dynasty, they used the Manchu written language, but ever since the Revolution of 1911, written Mandarin has been in common use. The name ¡°Daur appeared for the first time at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Before the seventeenth century, the forefathers of the Daurs made a living in what is todays Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. To strengthen Chinas Xinjiang frontier, the Qing government in 1763 called up more than 1,000 Daur officers and men and sent them together with their families to Xinjiang. Since then the hard ¨Cworking and daring Daur people have played an important part in defending Chinas western frontier and in developing Xinjiang. In 1954, Guarbender Daur Autonomous Prefecture was founded on Tacheng County. It later changed into Axir Daur Township in Tacheng City in 1984.