Kashgar Prefecture,[3][4][5][6] also known asKashi Prefecture,[7][8] is a prefecture located in southwesternXinjiang, China, located in theTarim Basin region (roughly the southern half of Xinjiang). It has an area of 112,057 km2 (43,265 sq mi) and 4,496,377 inhabitants at the 2020 census[9] with apopulation density of 35.5 inhabitants/km2. The capital of the prefecture is the city ofKashgar which has a population 506,640.[10]
Kashgar, formerly referred to as Shule, served as the capital of theShule Kingdom in the 2nd century B.C.,[11] inhabited by Indo-European tribes speaking AncientTocharian languages in theTarim Basin.[12] The earliest references to Shule emerged in the literature of the Han Dynasty. Shule served as the pivotal junction of theSilk Road in the northernTarim Basin, facilitating access to theDayuezhi [zh],Dayuan, andKangju in Central Asia, and acting as the nexus of east–west communication.[13] Circa 177 B.C., Shule faced oppression by the advancing Dayuezhi and was compelled to ally with the formidableXiongnu, becoming one of its 36 vassal states.[14]
After the Communist takeover of Kuomintang, Kashgar Prefecture (喀什專區) and Yarkant Prefecture (莎車專區) were established.
In 1902, amagnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the prefecture.[15] It caused extreme devastation, destroying 30,000 homes and killing as many as 10,000 people.[16]
In 1942, Xinjiang restructuredShache, Zephyr, andMaigaiti counties, amalgamating them withYecheng County in the Hotan district to establish the 10th administrative district of Xinjiang (Shache district), which encompasses Shache, Zephyr, Makgaiti, and Yecheng counties. In 1949, the Kashi subdistrict was established in Xinjiang, which was part of Xinjiang province.[17]
In 1955,Barin,Jamaterek andUjme, which were part ofYengisar County, became part ofAkto County andBulungkol was transferred to Akto County inKizilsu fromTashkurgan County in today's Kashgar Prefecture.[18] In June 1956, Yarkant Prefecture was dissolved and made part of Kashgar Prefecture.[19][20] On January 11, 1971, Kashgar Prefecture was designated as Kashgar Region.[21]
In January 1979, Kashgarzhuānqū Prefecture (喀什专区) became Kashgardìqū Prefecture (喀什地区).[19]
In August 1982, Kashgar Prefecture opened a frontier post to exchange goods with Pakistan.[5]: 223 Kashgar was recognized as a National Famous Historical and Cultural City of China in 1986.[22] In May 2010, the Central Xinjiang Work Conference formally sanctioned the creation of aSpecial Economic Zone (SEZ) in Kashgar, designating it as China's sixth SEZ,[23] which benefits from preferential policies in industry, taxation, finance, land, and foreign commerce.[24][25]
As of the end of 2017, 4,295,200 of the 4,649,700 residents of the prefecture wereUyghur, 288,000 wereHan Chinese and 66,500 were from other ethnic groups.[30]
The population of Kashgar Prefecture was 4,499,158 according to the 2015 census. It has a population density of 35.5 inhabitants per km2.[31]
As of 2015, 4,140,255 of the 4,499,158 residents of the prefecture were Uyghur, 292,972 wereHan Chinese and 65,931 were from other ethnic groups.[32]
As of 1999, 89.37% of the population of Kashgar (Kasi) Prefecture was Uyghur and 9.1% of the population was Han Chinese.[33]
In 1997, the population of Kashgar Prefecture was 3,145,000 with Uyghurs making up 89.4% of the total.[19]
As of 1983–4, Kashgar Prefecture had 6,180mosques. In the mid-1980's, there were two million Uyghurs in Kashgar Prefecture and 360,000 Han Chinese.[5]: 224
In early 2010, theNational Development and Reform Commission released a Circular regarding the Progress of Western Development in 2009 and Work Arrangements for 2010, announcing the promotion ofDongxing in Guangxi,Ruili in Yunnan, the Kashgar region in Xinjiang, andManzhouli inInner Mongolia as Special Economic Zones (SEZs) along the borders in 2010.[36] A conference regarding Xinjiang's developments was held in Beijing in May 2010, coinciding with the establishment of the Kashgar Special Economic Zone, which pioneered reforms in resource taxation and fees in Xinjiang. The region's per capita GDP attained the national average within five years.[37][38]
^abc喀什概况 [Kashgar Overview] (in Chinese (China)). Kashgar Prefecture People's Government. 26 December 2018.Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved8 April 2020.喀什地区下辖1个市和11个县,即喀什市、疏附县、疏勒县、英吉沙县、岳普湖县、伽师县、莎车县、泽普县、叶城县、麦盖提县、巴楚县、塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县。喀什市是喀什地区行署所在地,
^abcTiziano Terzani (1985).The Forbidden Door. Asia 2000 Ltd. p. 223,224.ISBN978-962-7160-01-4 – viaInternet Archive.in August 1982, Kashgar Prefecture opened a frontier post to exchange goods with Pakistan;{...}In Kashgar Prefecture there are two million Uighurs. The Han number only 360,000, but they are the ones in command.
^3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 (in Chinese). Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Bureau of Statistics.Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved2018-04-22.
^abcd喀什地区历史沿革 [Kashgar Prefecture Historical Evolution].XZQH.org. 14 November 2014.Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved7 April 2020.2010年第六次人口普查,喀什地区常住总人口3979321人,其中:喀什市506640人,疏附县311960人,疏勒县312455人,英吉沙县262067人,泽普县206936人,莎车县762385人,叶城县454328人,麦盖提县258978人,岳普湖县147688人,伽师县381767人,巴楚县336274人,塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县37843人。
^泽普概况 (in Simplified Chinese). Poskam (Zepu) County People's Government. 17 July 2017. Archived fromthe original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved10 April 2020 – viaInternet Archive.1956年6月莎车专区撤销,泽普县划归喀什地区至今。
^山脉平原. Kashgar Prefecture People's Government. 29 December 2018.Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved8 April 2020.世界上海拔在8000米以上的14座高峰中,有4座便坐落在喀喇昆仑山脉之中,其中海拔8611米的世界第二高峰——乔戈里峰,是喀喇昆仑山的主峰。
^疏附县历史沿革.XZQH.org. 14 November 2014.Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved5 April 2020.2014年,自治区政府(新政函[2014]8号)同意撤销乌帕尔乡,设立乌帕尔镇。2014年10月21日,自治区政府(新政函[2014]194号)同意将疏附县阿克喀什乡划归喀什市管辖。
^2019年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码:喀什地区 (in Simplified Chinese).National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2019.Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved7 April 2020.统计用区划代码 名称 653101000000 喀什市 653121000000 疏附县 653122000000 疏勒县 653123000000 英吉沙县 653124000000 泽普县 653125000000 莎车县 653126000000 叶城县 653127000000 麦盖提县 653128000000 岳普湖县 653129000000 伽师县 653130000000 巴楚县 653131000000 塔什库尔干塔吉克自治县
^喀什地区2017年国民经济和社会发展统计公报 (in Simplified Chinese). Kashgar Prefecture People's Government.Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved7 April 2020.年末人口总户数119.08万户,总人口464.97万人,比上年增加13.5万人,城镇人口106.50万人,占总人口比重为22.90%。汉族人口28.8万人,占总人口比重为6.2%;维吾尔族人口429.52万人,占总人口比重为92.4%;塔吉克族人口4.35万人,占总人口比重为0.94%;其他民族人口2万人,占总人口比重为0.43%。全年出生率12.83‰,死亡率4.82‰,人口自然增长率8.01‰。
^ab3-7 各地、州、市、县(市)分民族人口数 (in Chinese (China)). Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Bureau of Statistics.Archived from the original on 2017-10-11. Retrieved2017-09-03.