The
50th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region was celebrated at a grand gathering in
the regional capital, featured by a 50-gun solute, dove flying, the
issue of commemorative stamps and other activities.
The celebration began at 11:00?AM with China's national
anthem played and national flag hoisted amid the sounding of a
50-gun salute and the flying of 5,000 doves.
The founding of the autonomous region on Oct. 1, 1955 marked a
"new historical phase of Xinjiang's development," Luo Gan, head of
the central government delegation, told an audience of 12,000
people at the Hongshan Sports Stadium.
"Earth-shaking changes have taken place in Xinjiang in the past
50 years" under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, he
said. According local statistics, the value of gross domestic
production in the region hit 220 billion yuan in 2004, 42 times
more than 50 years ago.
He pledged that the central government, as well as developed
regions in east China, will continue to support Xinjiang in
economic development "so as to jointly promote prosperity and
development in Xinjiang and ensure lasting political and social
stability in the northwestern frontier of the country."
In a separate speech delivered on Friday, Luo also called for
efforts to strengthen national unity and resolutely fight
separatists, extremists and terrorists.
At the heartland of the Euro-Asian continent, this northwestern
most region of China covers an area of more than 1.66 million
square kilometers, or one sixth of China's total land area. This
makes it the largest provincial level administrative region in
China.
Xinjiang is expected to become China's largest crude oil and
natural gas producing area in five years. The Tarim Basin, Junggar
Basin and another basin have a combined reserve of 20.9 billion
tons of oil and 10 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, making up
more than one fourth of China's oil and gas reserves on land.
A Chinese oil official once said jokingly that "if oilfields of
Xinjiang sneeze, the office building of the Ministry of Oil
Industry will shake."
In addition, Xinjiang accounts for 40 percent of China's coal
reserves.
Xinjiang is also known for its high output of palatable fruits
and varied terrains, ranging from high mountains, Gobi deserts to
vast grasslands and glaciers, which attracts a growing number of
tourists.
There are 47 ethnic groups in Xinjiang. The population of
minority ethnic groups number 11.83 million, or around 60 percent
of the total population in Xinjiang.
Establishment of the autonomous region turned over a new leaf in
the history of Xinjiang. Today, officials from minority ethnic
groups account for 51.8 percent of the total in the region. More
than 60 percent of students here enjoy free compulsory education.
More than 97 percent of school-age children here go to school.
Over the 50 years, the central government provided 47 percent of
the investment in fixed assets in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang was liberated peacefully in 1949. On Oct. 1, 1955, the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was officially founded.
A grand art performance featuring dances and songs full of Uygur
flavors was staged at the celebration.
Also on Saturday, 9.5 million sets of stamps were issued to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region. Stamp companies in Beijing, Shandong
and other places of the country also issued first day covers of the
same theme.
(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2005)