Southern Xinjiang: not home of terrorists

When Chen Xuanbo, 40, an ethnic Han official, was sent to work in Uygur-dominated southern Xinjiang, he thought he was going to a place "too dangerous to fall asleep."

Chen left the Xinjiang capital city Urumqi for southern Xinjiang on March 5, several days after the Kunming terrorist attack that killed 29 people and injured more than 140.

The attack was proved to be organized and committed by the separatists from Xinjiang.

"It would be a lie if I said I had no fear," Chen says.

Before his departure, friends and relatives warned him repeatedly to stay safe, while his ten-year-old daughter bought him a pair of sneakers because "he would walk a lot there."

Several months after Chen came to Azkhan village, in Atux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, everyone in the village knows him.

"Many worries were unfounded. My daughter gave me the most useful thing," Chen says. "The mulberries are ripe. I can pick them and eat them under the trees and feel very safe."

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) decided in February to send 200,000 officials to work in grassroots units, mostly in southern Xinjiang, over three years.

The project aims to ease ethnic tensions and counter the infiltration by "Eastern Turkistan" terrorist forces.

"Personally, I support this project," says Chen, who works in the regional industry and commerce bureau.

"Southern Xinjiang has been isolated from the outside world for a long time. The Uygur and Han ethnic groups don't communicate with each other, and 'Eastern Turkistan' terrorists have become rampant. If the situation continues, misunderstandings between Uygurs and Hans will be exaggerated."

He began to write his online diary as soon as he arrived. He has posted more than 80,000 characters and over 10,000 photos to show the region through his eyes.

Most entries are about his daily work such as his visits to families, farms and schools, and they have fascinated readers on Tianya and Tiexue, two popular online forums in China.

"Many people call southern Xinjiang the 'home of terrorists.' I refute this. I didn't really know much about southern Xinjiang before I came here. Now I want to tell the world about it," Chen says.

Azkhan, a mainly agricultural village, has a population of 3,563 in 638 families, with 1,470 mu (98 hectares) of farmland. The average annual income in 2013 was 5,252 yuan (about $846), according to Chen.The village is on the outskirts of Atux City, which is famous for its shrewd business people. Locals buy silk products from east China to sell in the region and do business in central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan.

More than 500 residents have passports, and traveling abroad is common. "Some are very rich and some are very poor. They all like to have the exteriors of their houses sumptuously decorated," he says.

Chen was invited to a celebration in the village primary school, which has more than 300 students and 31 teachers. It was built in 1980 and the roof leaks. Teachers hit a steel ring made from an old wheel as the bell.

The students performed on humble stage accompanied by simple sound equipment. Chen couldn't understand the Uygur songs, but he was moved the dances and music, and took a lot of photos.

"It's such a beautiful culture. Through the photos, I want to tell people not to link terrorism with the Uygur ethnic group," Chen says. "When I walk in the village, if I smile at passersby, they smile back. And the local Uygurs are always happy to give me directions."

In his official capacity, Chen gave detailed guidance to a villager, Zaire, on how to open an auto repair shop. Within three months, Zaire had earned more than 150,000 yuan and was employing about 30 workers.

In his diary, Chen ponders why some villagers are so poor, as the government has many preferential policies for farmers in Xinjiang. He attributes the poverty of some families to a low per capita area of cultivated land and lack of labor.

When Chen visits homes, some families are friendly and some are indifferent. The Uygur villagers face the same problems as people in other places. They quarrel with their neighbors, but if a dispute is between Uygur and Han, it can be seen as an ethnic conflict.

He visited a villager who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in the year 2000 for the crime of endangering state security. The man, who had returned home and fathered two children, had learned to speak fluent Mandarin in prison.

"He was reluctant to talk about his past. He said he only wanted to focus on improving the life of his family," Chen says.

In order to better understand the villagers, Chen studied a Chinese version of the Quran. "The Quran is mysterious. After reading two chapters, I can only understand 70 percent."

Chen made friends with Mullah Abdul Sammy, a respected senior cleric, who told him that all real Muslims hated terrorism.

Chen asked if he could take a Uygur name. The Mullah said yes, but he should have four witnesses and the mullah must chant from the Quran, which made Chen hesitate. X "There was no precedent. I'm always puzzled about issues related to religion and ethnic groups," Chen says, adding the nation lacks expertise in ethnic issues and how to bridge the gap between Han and Uygur. "Sending officials to southern Xinjiang is a trial. We need to cautiously look for solutions to the problems."

After a terrorist attack on a market in Urumqi left 31 dead and 94 injured on May 22, Chen and his colleagues posted anti-terrorism notices on the door of every house in the village. A day later, some had been torn down.

"My heart sank. I thought they had rejected us. But after talking with those families, I learned naughty kids had done it - not the adults," Chen says.

"I heard some officials in southern Xinjiang are so afraid that they stay in their houses every day and count the days left to go home. I want to tell them it's not safe to lock themselves inside or to keep a knife under the pillow. Real security comes from going out and meeting the locals."

Chen's diary has many followers on Chinese forums, and many readers have left comments.

"Laowen" wrote, "I was sent to Khotan in southern Xinjiang in March. I think what you write is true. Many Uygurs there still live in poverty."

"Duxingke" said, "I'm moved by your diary, which made me believe there are officials doing real good."