Online access to Chinese resources related to Xinjiang

Seeing as I attend a small liberal arts college in Ohio without a Chinese book collection in its library, it is constantly a struggle to find Chinese memoirs and published document collections. Although I have nearly unrestrained access to the glorious state book-exchange program OhioLINK, it is still problematic locating and tracking down Chinese sources, let alone those relevant to my research on Xinjiang. In Ohio, only Ohio State, Ohio University, and Oberlin College have Chinese book collections, and the collections at those libraries are no match for, say, Harvard’s Yenching Library. Thankfully, Chinese netizens seem to be all for the free flow of free information, and have already scanned many of the books I’ve been eager to get my hands on. Here is a sample, with hopefully more to come. I also plan to add annotations and general information about the authors soon enough.

All of the files are in PDF format, and may require updated font packs to view them. If Adobe Reader is troublesome, try Foxit Reader.

Burhan Shahidi / 包尔汉

Burhan Shahidi. Bao Er Han xuanji [Selected Works of Burhan Shahidi]. Beijing: Minzu chubanshe, 1989.

———. Xinjiang wu shi nian [Xinjiang: Fifty Years]. Beijing: Wenshi ziliao chubanshe, 1984.

Burhan Shahidi, a long time provincial leader in Xinjiang, was a self-described Chinese nationalist and, in the 1940s, a pro-Soviet. Although of the Tartar ethnicity, Burhan still adopts the questionable Han Chinese stance that Xinjiang has been part of China for thousands of years, revealing his great admiration for the Chinese nation. In his memoirs he explains his role in the “peaceful liberation” of Xinjiang and his frequent contacts with Deng Liqun, Peng Dehuai, and Mao Zedong. The Soviets, however, do not figure prominently into his narrative. Burhan’s memoir are useful because it offers an “on the ground” perspective of Xinjiang, as opposed to views from Beijing or Moscow. As with other memoirs from the PRC (particularly older memoirs), Burhan’s recollections do serve a political purpose and thus are not always true to the historical record.

Deng Liqun / 邓力群

Deng Liqun. “Xinjiang heping jiefang qianhou—zhongsu guanxi zhi yi ye” [“Before and After the Peaceful Liberation of Xinjiang—A Page in Sino-Soviet Relations”]. Jindaishi yanjiu 5 (1989): 143-150. Jump to page 143 in the PDF File

Deng Liqun (Han Chinese), the personal liaison of the CCP dispatched to Xinjiang in late summer 1949, recounts his experiences there. Deng describes the Soviet Union’s extensive involvement in Xinjiang throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. He contends that the Soviet Union’s support in getting PLA troops into Xinjiang was extremely important, and that overall the early 1950s was the “honeymoon period” of Sino-Soviet relations in Xinjiang. While Deng’s account has been widely used by both Chinese and western historians, there are a few aspects of his account that are questionable and contradict other primary sources. For instance, he claims that Stalin convinced Mao to arrive in Xinjiang more quickly because the United States wanted to establish an independent Islamic republic in Northwest China. In Russian sources, Stalin warns Mao only of the possibility of British meddling in Xinjiang and the negative impact this could have on the Chinese economy.

———. “Selection of Cables Sent and Recieved by the ‘Liqun Station.’”  Zhonggong dangshi ziliao 36 (1990): 1-38. Given that this one is impossible to find online, I scanned it personally after  painfully waiting for Pittsburgh University to send a photocopy of it. Apologize for the marginalia and for the orientation of some of the pages

Deng Liqun’s secret mission to Ili and Urumqi in the late summer and fall of 1949 has been widely noted by scholars for its successes. Without Deng’s presence on the ground in Xinjiang to coordinate with local leaders in the Ili regime as well as in the GMD controlled areas, the PLA could have arrived in Xinjiang nearly as swiftly or as safely. But Deng’s mission has heretofore remained all too shrouded in mystery. This selection of telegrams offers a preliminary step towards a better understand of Deng Liqun’s mission in Xinjiang.

———. Yan’an zhengfeng yihou [After the Yan’an Rectification Movement]. Beijing: Dangdai Zhongguo chubanshe, 1998.

Saypidin Azizi / 赛福鼎

Saypidin Azizi. Sai Fu Ding Huiyilu [Saypidin’s Memoirs]. Beijing: Huaxia chubanshe, 1993.

Saypidin joined the CCP after Mao Zedong personally vouched for his credentials. He traveled to Moscow in 1950 on the team from Xinjiang to hammer out the details for several Sino-Soviet commercial agreements in Xinjiang. He was Vice-Chairman of the Provincial Government after “liberation” and served as Chairman from 1955 until 1978.

Wang Enmao. Wang Enmao Wenji [Collected Works of Wang Enmao]. Vol. 1. Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe, 1997.

Wang Enmao / 王恩茂

———. Wang Enmao Wenji [Collected Works of Wang Enmao]. Vol. 2. Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe, 1997.

Wang Enmao was the top Chinese official in Southern Xinjiang immediately following liberation. In 1952, he was promoted and made the Secretary of the CCP Xinjiang Sub-Bureau, making him the top ranking official in the province. Volume 1 follows his career from 1949 – 1981, while Volume 2 runs from 1981 – 1996.

Zhang Zhizhong / 张治中

Zhang Zhizhong. Zhang Zhizhong huilu [Memoirs of Zhang Zhizhong]. Beijing: Wenshi ziliao chubanshe, 1985.

Jiang Jieshi’s man on the ground in Xinjiang from 1945-1947, Zhang oversaw negotiations to reintegrate Ili (the East Turkestan Republic) into Provincial Government. In 1949, after he abandoned the GMD, Zhang came to counsel Mao Zedong and the CCP on the situation in Xinjiang.

For broader range of works, go here and here. Unfortunately for me, the thirteen volumes of Jianguo yilai Mao Zedong wengao do not load properly on my computer.

Tags: Burhan Shahidi, Deng Liqun, e-books, Saypidin Azizi, Turkestan, Wang Enmao, Xinjiang, Zhang Zhizhong