Wang Zhen and Xinjiang [王震与新疆]

Wang Zhen’s [王震] role in governing Xinjiang, and in particular implementing certain social and economic reforms in the early 1950s, is in need of reexamination.  Too much focus on the bingtuan, not enough focus on reform of the Kazakh herders, for instance.

From 1950 to 1952, Wang Zhen was the Commander and Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District (XJMD). He was also the Secretary of the Xinjiang CCP Sub-Bureau, making him the highest ranking official in Xinjiang. Afterwards, he was “promoted” to the Vice-Chairmanship of the Northwest Military Region. Wang Enmao, who would rule Xinjiang for many years after, then became the Political Commissar of the XJMD.

Why was Wang Zhen promoted? It wasn’t necessarily what he did right– rather it’s what he did wrong: reform of the Kazakh herders, who largely lived in northern Xinjiang, the area most closely associated with Russian/Soviet influence. Oops.

[Minutes of Conversation between I.V. Stalin and Zhou Enlai, September 19, 1952]

ZHOU ENLAI shifts to the situation in Xinjiang. He says that the work in Xinjiang is generally going well and that agricultural reforms are being instituted there. But, there are also some leftist excesses, which manifest themselves in unlawful confiscation of domestic animals, in the domain of religion, and the reduction of interest rates and land lease. To eliminate these excesses the CC Plenum was assembled, which released [PLA commander] Wang Zhen from the office of Secretary of Xinjiang CC CPC sub-bureau, and a group of CC members was directed to take care of the excesses. In general discontent was eliminated, and cases of defection, including those to USSR territory, have been halted.

STALIN says, that the excesses resulted from the desire to obtain land and domestic animals faster, confiscating both from the rich.

ZHOU ENLAI notes that as soon as the rumors about reforms had spread, the hostile elements began to slaughter domestic animals.

STALIN notes that similar incidents took place at a certain time in our experience as well. It is necessary to hurry up with the reform. If the agricultural reform is not instituted, such looting will continue to occur.

ZHOU ENLAI explains that the agricultural reform is being instituted in crop farming regions, and redistribution and excesses connected with it [are occurring] in the animal farming regions. Since animal herders participated in the redistribution, the Chinese government has decided to improve their condition, which should improve the general condition as well.

STALIN says: of course, it is up to you.

These photographs, although they do not bring us closer to such a reexamination, are nonetheless pretty fascinating. All of them are scanned from Wang Zhen, ed. Deng Liqun (Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe, 1993). The number in parentheses following the brief descriptions is the page number, in case you are interested in citing these:

Wang Zhen in his older years (1)

Summer 1949, speaking to troops prior to the PLA's arrival in Xinjiang (64)

PLA camps in Xinjiang beside snow-covered mountains (67)

September 1949, on the way to liberating Xinjiang from Jiuquan, speaking with the troops, telling them to respect local customs (69)

Writing a work report in Xinjiang (70)

October 1949 – Just arrived at the Urumqi airport. Notice the two Russians in the photo, probably from the Soviet consulates (72)

With Burhan Shahidi, Xu Liqing, and Wang Enmao in October 1949 (72)

December 1949. Peng Dehuai and Zhang Zhizhong are also in the photo. A celebration among soldiers (73)

December 1949. Speaking in Kashgar (74)

Making a speech in December 1949 on turning the army into a workforce (76)

The army becoming a workforce (76)

August, 1950. With Tao Zhiyue and a few others overseeing the construction of Shihezi (78)

Celebrating another successful construction project in May 1951 (82)

With the water department chair at a hydro electric plant (83)

With Burhan, Saypidin in 1951 (84)

With some Kazakh herders around Tianshan (84)

Giving a speech in October 1951 at the CPPCC (87)

With a Soviet expert signing an agreement in Manas on cotton in 1952. (88)

Discussing a construction project (88)

At the opening ceremony, with Saypidin, for a car repair facility. Notice the Russians. I think the Russians built this. (89)

The outside of the car factory (89)

At the opening of a textile mill in 1952 (91)

At an iron works facility in 1952 (92)

Sources:

• Minutes of Conversation between I.V. Stalin and Zhou Enlai, September 19, 1952.
• Wang Zhen