The house with windows is bright, and the cultivated people are stable.

- Mongolian proverb

At this time, the train attendant came over with a dining cart made of foreign iron sheets, and shouted, "Lunch is now served." Noodles, fried noodles, lo noodles, 5 cents a piece. ”

The man stopped talking and said apologetically, "Let's eat first." I'll continue to talk to you after eating. Hey, by the way, I always see you nibbling on pot helmets and eating pickles along the way, why don't you buy hot rice on the train to eat? ”

Ma Yumin replied shyly: "We are afraid that the food in the car will not be clean. ”

The man said, "Why is it not clean?" Several of us have eaten, and there is nothing wrong with our stomachs. Oh, by the way, you are Muslims, and you are afraid that other people's cooking is not halal. ”

Ma Yumin nodded lightly.

Niu Wanshan took out a golden pot helmet and a small crockpot with pickles from his bag, and pricked up his ears, still thinking about the history told by that person.

He took advantage of the gap when the man swallowed the noodles, and hurriedly asked: "You know astronomy and geography, and you know politics and history, how do you know so much?" ”

The man smiled and replied, "Because I'm a teacher." I was an intellectual youth from Jiangsu Province who supported Xinjiang in 1958. My name is Yu Dachuan, and I work as a teacher at a school in Urumqi. ”

Niu Wanshan suddenly realized when he heard this. He remembered what Ma Yuliang had said to himself in Lanzhou, and secretly made up his mind in his heart: In the future, he must let his children go to school and know all kinds of things in the world.

After lunch, Ma Yumin begged Teacher Yu, "Teacher Yu, go on." We'd like to hear it. ”

Teacher Yu glanced at the passengers who were napping around, lowered his voice and said, "Okay." Everyone else took a nap. I'll just say it quietly. ”

Ma Yumin and Niu Wanshan nodded seriously.

Teacher Yu continued:

"This summer, tens of thousands of border residents crossed the border to defect to the Soviet Union in the Ili and Tacheng areas. The XPCC dispatched tens of thousands of cadres and workers to the border agricultural and pastoral areas to maintain public order, to plough, herd, and manage the fleeing border people, and to quickly establish border regimental belts along the border areas of more than 2,000 kilometers, including Ili, Tacheng, Altay, Hami, and Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefectures.

Now the Corps is in dire need of personnel. You went just in time to come in handy. ”

Hearing this, Ma Yumin and Niu Wanshan looked at each other and smiled with satisfaction. After listening to Mr. Yu's story, they had a general understanding of the XPCC in their hearts, and they were also full of expectations and hopes for their future. They naively thought that Xinjiang was full of steamed buns that could be eaten to their heart's content, and silver dollars with white flowers everywhere.

As the train continued to travel west, the scenery outside the window changed dramatically. The farmland turned into meadow, and the meadow gradually turned into wilderness, and the wilderness turned into a rocky beach with no grass.

The train walked on the stone stall for half a day, but there was not a single village in sight, and there was not a single figure in sight.

They became more and more worried, looking at each other in astonishment, not knowing what to say.

Teacher Yu saw their panic and said with a smile: "Young man, don't worry. The geographical conditions in Xinjiang are different from those in our mainland. Xinjiang has many Gobi deserts and many deserts. However, where there are mountains and rivers, oases are formed, and the land is particularly fertile. The people there live and farm on the oasis. ”

Niu Wanshan asked tentatively: "Is there really a land of fish and rice in Xinjiang?" ”

Teacher Yu replied affirmatively, "Of course there is." ”

Niu Wanshan looked out the window at the continuous Gobi Desert, and really couldn't imagine that there would be a land of fish and rice in a large area of desolate land, and he couldn't help but regret his reckless trip to Xinjiang.

Teacher Yu seemed to see his thoughts from Niu Wanshan's face, and said with a smile: "This is the first time you have been to Xinjiang, of course you don't know the situation in Xinjiang. Let me tell you a little bit about the situation in Xinjiang. ”

He took out a map of China from his canvas bag, turned to the page of Xinjiang, pointed to the map of Xinjiang and began to introduce Xinjiang:

"Let's start with an overview.

The full name of Xinjiang is Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in the northwest border of our country, the capital is Urumqi, which is one of the five ethnic minority autonomous regions in the country and the largest provincial-level administrative region in our country, covering an area of 1.66 million square kilometers, accounting for one-sixth of the total land area of the country.

The geography of Xinjiang can remember the phrase 'three mountains and two basins'. In the far north is the Altai Mountains, where you are heading. To the south is the Kunlun Mountains. The Tianshan Mountains lie across the central part of Xinjiang, dividing Xinjiang into southern and northern Xinjiang. There is the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang. There is the Junggar Basin in northern Xinjiang. The Hami and Turpan basins are eastern Xinjiang. The lowest point on land in our country is Ayding Lake in Turpan, which is 155 meters below sea level. The Gurbantunggut Desert in northern Xinjiang is the farthest place on land from the ocean. The Taklamakan Desert in southern Xinjiang is the largest desert in our country.

Xinjiang has a border of more than 5,600 kilometers, and the surrounding countries are Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India from north to south, and it is an important passage of the ancient Silk Road in history.

Now that I'm talking about geography, I'm going to talk about the population.

The main inhabitants of Xinjiang are Uygur, Han, Kazakh, Hui, Mongolian, Kyrgyz, Xibe, Tajik, Uzbek, Manchu, Daur, Tatar, Russian and other ethnic groups, with more than 6 million people.

Next, I will tell you about the history of Xinjiang.

Xinjiang was known as the Western Regions in ancient times. In 60 BC, the central government of the Western Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Protectorate, and Xinjiang officially became part of Chinese territory.

The conquest of the Western Regions by the Western Han Dynasty began with the crusade against the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu were a powerful nomadic people who operated in the northern steppe region of our country during the Qin and Han dynasties.

In order to defeat the Xiongnu and consolidate his rule, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che decided to 'pass through the Western Regions, cut off the right arm of the Xiongnu, and isolate the Nanqiang and Yueshi'. He sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions twice to strengthen ties with the Western Regions and jointly deal with the Xiongnu. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered Li Guangli to crusade against Dawan twice, which is the Ferghana Basin of today's Soviet Union, so that many city-states in the Western Regions submitted to the Han Dynasty one after another.

In 102 BC, the Han army broke through the city of Dawan, which is now Ferghana in the Soviet Union. The prestige of the Han Dynasty among the countries of the Western Regions increased greatly. In the second year, the Han Dynasty began to garrison Tuntian in Luntai, Yuli and other places in the Western Regions, just like the current corps.

Due to the economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, crops from the Western Regions such as flax, broad beans, pomegranates, garlic, grapes, alfalfa, etc. have been introduced to the mainland, and Dawan horses, Wusun horses and various furs, known as 'heavenly horses', have also entered the Central Plains through the Silk Road.

At the same time, silk and silk fabrics from the Central Plains were also introduced to the Western Regions and to Europe. In addition, along with the introduction of the Tuntian soldiers to the Western Regions, there were also advanced production tools and agricultural experience, such as iron ploughshares, iron hoes and other iron farming tools, and the method of replacing fields, as well as well as well digging technology and iron smelting technology.

When the Eastern Han Dynasty was first established, it did not have the energy to manage the Western Regions. began to want to control the Western Regions through Shache to achieve the goal of fighting against the Xiongnu. However, the countries of the Western Regions were dissatisfied with the enslavement and aggression of Shache, and all took refuge in the Xiongnu.

In 73 AD, Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty sent troops out of Saibei to fight against the Xiongnu, and sent Ban Chao to Shanshan and Khotan to kill the Xiongnu envoys with tricks, set up the Western Regions Protector, and restored the rule of the Western Regions.

In 76 A.D., Yanqi and Qiuzi captured the Western Regions of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Eastern Han Emperor had no choice but to abandon the Western Regions.

In 91 AD, the Eastern Han army defeated the Northern Xiongnu in the Altai Mountains, re-established the Western Regions Protector, and appointed Ban Chao as the Protector.

In 94 A.D., Ban Chao defeated Yanqi. More than 50 countries in the Western Regions all belonged to the Han Dynasty.

In the autumn of 106, the Western Regions betrayed the Han Dynasty. The emperor of the Han Dynasty canceled the protection of the Western Regions on the grounds that 'the Western Regions blocked the distance, there were several betrayals, and the officials were in the field, and their expenses were exhausted'. The Northern Xiongnu took the opportunity to recover the Western Regions.

In 127, the Han Dynasty recaptured the Western Regions.

Later, the Sui Dynasty seized the eastern part of the Western Regions from the Turks, eliminated Tuyuhun, and expanded the administrative region to the area of today's Ruoqiang, Jimo, Qinghai Lake, and east of Xinghai County, and established Shanshan (that is, today's Ruoqiang County), Jimo, and Yiwu counties.

In 640, the Tang Dynasty army occupied Gaochang (today's Turpan), set up Xizhou, and set up Tingzhou in today's Jimsar County, and set up the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate in Gaochang, which was later changed to the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, and governed Qiuzi - today's Kucha, Shule - today's Kashgar, Khotan - today's Hotan, Xiaye - today's Soviet Union's Tokmak is a total of 4 towns in Anxi, and its jurisdiction is equivalent to today's Xinjiang and the Soviet Union's eastern Kazakhstan, and the northern Kyrgyz Chu River Basin.

During the period from 656 to 664, Wu Zetian assisted Tang Gaozong to listen to the government and launched a series of expeditions against the Western Turks, which eliminated the Western Turks in one fell swoop, occupied all the territory of the Western Turks, and expanded his jurisdiction to the west of the present-day Altai Mountains to the eastern and western parts of the Aral Sea and the Pamir Plateau, and to the city-states on both sides of the Amu Darya River.

In 670, the ancestors of the Tibetans, who are now Tibetans, captured the four towns of Anxi.

In 693, Wu Zetian once again occupied the Western Regions.

In the middle of the 8th century, during the Anshi Rebellion, the Tibetans gradually controlled the southern Tianshan Mountains and vast areas of the Hexi Corridor over a period of 30 years, and even sacked the Tang capital Chang'an in 763.

At the same time, the Uighurs controlled vast areas of Mobei, Monan, and even Central Asia, including the northern part of Xinjiang.

After the 9th century, the Central Plains Dynasty had no time to take care of the Western Regions. In the Western Regions, several states coexisted side by side, mainly local regimes such as Gaochang, the Qarakhanid dynasty, and Khotan.

In the 10th and 11th centuries, the Qarakhanid dynasty controlled present-day western Xinjiang. During the same period, a Uighur tribe settled in central Xinjiang.

On the eve of the fall of the Liao State, Yelu Dashi led the tribe to move westward, and after occupying the old lands of the Uighurs and the Karakhanate in Western Prefecture, he expanded westward to the Amu Darya River and established the Western Liao regime, which included the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, the west of the Pamir Plateau to the west bank of the Amu Darya River south of the Aral Sea, and the northeast of Lake Balkhash to the west of Mongolia.

During the Mongol and Yuan dynasties, most of the Western Regions was the Chagatai Khanate, the fief of Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai. In addition, the Yuan Dynasty set up Alimali Province in the present-day Ili River Valley, and set up a province on the south bank of the Amu Darya River, and also set up the Beshbali Province in the area of today's Urumqi.

During the Ming Dynasty, the management of the Western Regions retreated to the Hami area, and the Hami Guard was established, and the local clan leaders were appointed as officials at all levels to govern local military and political affairs, maintain the security of trade routes, and implement entrusted management of the Western Regions.

In the middle of the 15th century, Turpan became stronger, breaking through the Ming Dynasty's Hami and other guards. The Ming Dynasty retreated again and again, and finally retreated to Jiayuguan ......"

Teacher Yu picked up the enamel teacup, took a big sip of water, looked at the scenery outside the car window, and continued:

"When the Qing Dynasty was established, the Western Regions were still under the rule of the Mongol Dzungar Ministry.

In 1697, the Qing army finally defeated the powerful Dzungar tribe and took control of the eastern part of the Western Regions.

By the time of the Yongzheng Emperor, the Western Regions and the regions newly included in the Qing Dynasty, such as Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, were collectively known as the Xinjiang Six Halls.

In 1757, the Qing Dynasty put down the Dzungar rebellion once and for all. Emperor Qianlong named this land Xinjiang, which means the new return of the homeland.

The Uyghurs in southern Xinjiang took advantage of the demise of Dzungaria and began to become stronger. The leaders of the Baishan faction, Da, Xiao and Zhuo, rose up to rebel against the Qing Dynasty.

In 1759, the Qing Dynasty put down the rebellion and completely consolidated its rule over Xinjiang.

In 1771, the Mongol Turghut tribe, led by their leader Wu Baxi, broke through the blockade of Tsarist Russia and returned to Xinjiang from the steppe thousands of miles away.

The three Yuzi of Kazakhstan, large, medium and small, successively expressed their submission to the Qing Dynasty, and some herdsmen migrated to the Altay, Tacheng and Ili regions for grazing. Kokand, Badak, Pamir, Bukhar, Shanke, Tashkent, Aiwuhan and other countries have joined the Qing Dynasty.

After the First Sino-British War, the Qing Dynasty weakened day by day, and China's territorial sovereignty was trampled on by imperialism. Tsarist Russia, which was adjacent to Xinjiang, began to encroach on and occupy the territory of Xinjiang.

In the middle of the 19th century, Russia threatened the entire northern border of the Qing Dynasty, forcing the imperial court to sign the humiliating Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing, the Sino-Russian Treaty on the Survey and Demarcation of the Northwest Boundary, and the Sino-Russian Ili Tarbahatai Trade Charter.

In particular, the Treaty of Tacheng, signed in 1864, ceded to Russia about 440,000 square kilometers of territory south of Lake Balkhash in northwestern Xinjiang.

In the spring of 1865, due to the decline of the Qing Dynasty, Agu Bai, a member of the Kokand State of Central Asia adjacent to Xinjiang, entered China from Kashgar and ruled Xinjiang for six years. Aguba's deeds of all kinds of evil have brought great disasters to the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

In 1871, Russia invaded the Ili River Valley. The Qing Dynasty only had a few strongholds in Xinjiang, including Tacheng.

In 1875, Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu in the Qing Dynasty, was appointed as the minister of the Qin Mission to supervise the affairs of Xinjiang. In just two years, the Qing army successively recovered the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains occupied by Agubai.

In 1881, the Qing Dynasty regained the Ili region, which had been occupied by Tsarist Russia for 11 years.

In 1884, the Qing Dynasty formally established Xinjiang Province, which implemented the same administrative system as the 18 provinces in the interior. Liu Jintang was appointed as the first governor of Xinjiang. Xinjiang's political center shifted from Ili to Dihua, which is now Urumqi.

In 1912, the revolutionaries revolted in Ili, announcing the end of the reactionary rule of the Qing Dynasty in Ili. Yuan Shikai appointed Yang Zengxin as the governor of Xinjiang. He used both hard and soft means to force the revolutionaries to compromise, which led to the failure of the bourgeoisie-led Ili uprising.

After Yang Zengxin stole the fruits of the Ili Uprising and became the governor of Xinjiang, he implemented an autocratic dictatorship, implemented a policy of ignoring the people, suppressed dissenting opinions, and was opposed by all sectors of society, and died in the internal strife of the ruling group after ruling Xinjiang for 17 years.

In 1928, the ignorant Jin Shuren succeeded him as governor of Xinjiang, which further deepened social unrest.

At the end of 1933, Jin Shuren was forced to flee. The sinister and cunning feudal warlord Sheng Shicai took over as governor and began a reactionary rule that lasted for 10 years.

Sheng Shicai is a typical reactionary politician.

He put on a hypocritical face of governing Xinjiang, actively developed ties with the Soviet Union, and tried in vain to use the support of the Soviet Union to maintain his dictatorial status.

In 1937, after the Lugou Bridge Incident, the Communist Party of China formed an anti-Japanese national united front with Sheng Shicai in order to unite all forces to resist Japan together. In October, Sheng Shicai agreed to the establishment of the Eighth Route Army office in Dihua by the Chinese Communist Party, and subsequently accepted more than 100 Communist Party members.

The achievements of the Communist Party members in Xinjiang made Sheng Shicai's heart very uneasy. In 1941, when the German fascists launched a war of aggression against the Soviet Union, Sheng Shicai miscalculated the situation, openly turned against the Soviet Union and the CCP, created the April 12 conspiracy and riot case, arrested and killed CCP members, brutally killed Chen Tanqiu, Lin Jilu and others, and threw himself into the arms of the Kuomintang Chiang Kai-shek reactionaries.

In 1944, the Ili, Tacheng and Ahsan regions carried out a three-district revolution against Sheng Shicai. Chiang Kai-shek transferred Sheng Shicai to Nanjing, appointed Wu Zhongxin as governor of Xinjiang, and ordered Ma Bufang, a warlord in the northwest and chairman of Qinghai Province, to send an army of cavalry to be stationed throughout Xinjiang to carry out armed counterinsurgency.

On September 25, 1949, Tao Zhiyue and Bao Erhan, the military and political chiefs of the National Revolutionary Army in Xinjiang, announced their independence from the provisional national power in Guangzhou and staged an uprising.

Xinjiang was peacefully liberated.

On October 1, 1955, Xinjiang Province was renamed Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. ”

When Teacher Yu said this, he picked up the enamel cup again, took a sip of boiling water, and then said with a smile: "I can only tell the story of Xinjiang here." Xinjiang's future prosperity depends on all of us working together to create it. When you are old, tell your sons and daughters today's Xinjiang story. ”

Ma Yumin and Niu Wanshan looked at the knowledgeable teacher Yu with extremely reverent eyes.

At this time, the voice of a female announcer came over the radio: "Passengers, please note that the end of this train, Salt Lake Station, is about to arrive. Due to the shortage of steel, the construction of the Lanxin railway was interrupted for a period of time. With the strong support of the people of the whole country, the 70-kilometer railway from Yanhu to Urumqi West Railway Station is under construction. We would like to pay our highest respect to the railway construction army that braved the wind and snow and worked hard! ”