2026-11-06
Radio Free Asia reported on November 6 that Uyghur woman Reyila Wumaer was sent to a re-education camp at the age of 14 in 2017, sentenced to 12 years in prison at 18 in 2021, and died in a Xinjiang prison at 23. Local police and judicial authorities confirmed her death; one officer claimed she died of a heart attack but did not specify the condition or the circumstances of her death.
2026-10-26
The official website of Xinjiang Agricultural Vocational and Technical University stated that even privately circumventing the Great Firewall to access academic materials is illegal and in violation of regulations, and demanded that people use the school's academic resources or apply for external network access permissions, adding that there are proper channels for studying and that there has never been a justified reason to jump the wall.
Location: Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture ·
Importance II ·
Verification: Reported ·
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2026-10-21
On October 21, Zhang Wenbin, a volunteer who has long been engaged in environmental supervision and runs the WeChat public account "Zero-Distance Pollution Task Force," was taken away by police from Wanzai County, Yichun, Jiangxi, in Urumqi. Online reports say he is suspected of extortion; colleagues suspect it is related to his exposure of environmental violations by Wanzai enterprises in 2023. No official announcement has been made yet.
2026-10-20
On October 20, a Douyin blogger posted a video claiming to have run into 8 elderly people on a train whose pensions exceed 10,000 yuan, setting off from Urumqi to the south to sightsee and spend the winter, and returning to Xinjiang once the weather warms up. Netizens left comments sarcastically calling them the "deemed contribution" group that has reaped all the dividends of the era.
2026-06
Since June 2026, provincial Party secretaries from multiple provinces have led delegations to Xinjiang to meet Chen Xiaojiang, Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Committee, which is seen as a signal of a shift in the political winds among local officials.
2026-10-15
According to X user QuanLujun, Uyghur children in Chinese forced internment facilities are being subjected to forced brainwashing and assimilation in full-boarding schools. The schools force children to prove they are Chinese and praise Xi Jinping, with students being compelled by teachers to chant in unison, "Taiwan and Xinjiang are Chinese territory, long live Xi Jinping."
2026-10-13
On October 13, a netizen in Xinjiang posted a video from a construction site wearing a hard hat, saying that because his boss owes him wages he has no ability to pay social insurance, that he is making a living hauling bricks, promising to pay the arrears as soon as he receives his wages, and calling on the relevant parties to stop pressing him.
2026-10-11
On October 11, staff at the Kanas scenic area in Xinjiang lured a stray little black dog with a ham sausage, looped a thin rope around its neck, dragged it violently and kicked it repeatedly, causing it to collapse from suffocation. Video from the scene has spread online.
Location: Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang ·
Importance II ·
Verification: Developing ·
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2026-10-10
On October 10, 2026, a netizen submitted a report claiming that a student at Huabing Middle School in Urumqi was given a major demerit by the school for eating instant noodles, drawing attention.
2026-10-10
In the comment section of a post about a student at Huabing Middle School being given a major demerit for eating instant noodles, netizens revealed that students at a middle school in the Altay Prefecture had also been given demerits for eating instant noodles.
2026-10-02
On October 2, at the Urhe World Devil City scenic area in Karamay, Xinjiang, a shuttle bus bypassed the queue to pick up tourists from the back rows. A large crowd of tourists surrounded the bus, shouting for the queue-jumpers to get off. Even after police arrived, the driver still drove away. The scenic area later issued an apology, saying it had added vehicles and staff. Some of the videos exposing the incident were subsequently reported and taken down.
2026-10-01
On October 1, a Japanese tourist posted that while dining at a restaurant in Turpan, Xinjiang, she was refused service and thrown out by the owner because of her Japanese nationality, even though she had eaten at the same restaurant normally the day before; after she called the police, officers who arrived said the restaurant has the right to choose its customers and cannot be forced to cook for them.
2026-09-30
A China Energy Engineering infrastructure worker in Xinjiang said he had no time off during the National Day holiday, and received neither overtime pay nor compensatory leave.
2026-09-30
On September 30, in Burqin, Altay, Xinjiang, a China Energy Engineering infrastructure worker complained that he got no day off for National Day, no triple pay and no compensatory day off, then mocked himself by saying he wished the motherland prosperity.
2026-09-29
Starbucks opened two branches in Xinjiang on September 29, located at Tianshan International Airport and the International Grand Bazaar flagship store respectively, and was subsequently publicly criticized by members of the US Congress.
2026-09-29
On September 29, two Starbucks stores opened at the Urumqi International Grand Bazaar and Tianshan International Airport, and were listed by local official media as key investment-attraction projects for 2026; the company said it will step up its store openings in Xinjiang.
2026-09-29
On September 29, according to Chinese official media reports, Starbucks simultaneously opened two specialty stores in Urumqi, drawing criticism from U.S. lawmakers.
2026-09-29
Foreign video blogger Lu Ke, who has collaborated with Chinese propaganda departments multiple times, released a video in the UK about the opening of a Starbucks in Xinjiang, praising the store's ethnic characteristics and conducting positive propaganda.
2026-07-06
Liu Ning, Party Secretary of Henan Province, led a team to Xinjiang for counterpart industrial cooperation, which was interpreted by outsiders as seeking a new political stronghold.
2026-06-05
CPPCC Chairman Wang Huning, accompanied by United Front Work Department Head Li Ganjie, conducted research in Xinjiang from June 5 to 9, accompanied and coordinated by Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Xiaojiang.
2026-09-22
At 5 PM on September 22, Shi Tingfu was officially informed of his death from "myocardial infarction" at Shahe Prison in the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. His son received a call from the prison at 10:30 PM that night. The family claims he was in good condition during a recent visit. Chinese human rights defenders' network demands medical records and an independent investigation.
2026-09-14
On September 14, netizens filmed baggage handlers at Urumqi Airport in Xinjiang violently throwing checked luggage into the aircraft cargo hold. After the video was exposed, it sparked heated discussions among netizens regarding the treatment and professional quality of outsourced labor.
2026-09-11
On September 11, the South China Morning Post cited expert judgment to confirm that the large drone that has recently received attention is the WZ-X stealth drone. This model has a wingspan of about 52 meters and a size close to the US military's B-2 stealth bomber. It is regarded as an intercontinental high-altitude long-endurance intelligence reconnaissance drone. It was previously identified by US defense websites through satellite imagery at the Malan Air Force Test Site in Xinjiang in May 2025. Chinese officials have not commented on this.
2026-09-04
On September 4, 2026, a contractor from Chenzhou, Hunan, posted a video to report state-owned enterprise Shaanxi Construction No.7 Group under his real name, claiming that the group still refuses to pay more than 2 million yuan in project payments, over a year after completion of the Ruoqiang Loulan Town project in Xinjiang, which it had contracted as general contractor.
2026-08-28
The War Zone reports, based on satellite imagery, that new runways, taxiways, hangars and related facilities have been added at the Malan flight test base in Xinjiang, and the expansion is still ongoing.
2026-08-23
On August 23, 2026, workers on the Xinjiang Provincial Road 345 highway project of China State Construction Road and Bridge Group, owed wages, collectively laid out bedding at the gate of the company's site office to protest and demand payment of their wages.
2026-08-21
On August 21, 2026, netizens photographed sections of the Lianhuo Expressway in Xinjiang between Turpan and Hami, where the original Uyghur markings on some road signs had been covered up or removed, and the newly replaced signs retained only Chinese characters and pinyin.
2026-08-21
On August 21, 2026, a netizen in Xinjiang revealed that the Second Construction Zone of the general contracting project of the China Communications First Highway Engineering Group's Bazhou project has been withholding workers' wages since 2025, and that when workers went to demand their unpaid wages, they were blocked by checkpoints set up by the project side.
Location: Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture own content archive. ·
Importance II ·
Verification: Reported ·
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2026-08-21
On August 21, 2026, several construction workers at a project site in Xinjiang reported that their wages had been withheld by the China Gezhouba Group; lacking food and accommodation support and the travel money to return home, they remained stranded at the site, gathering to defend their rights and demand payment of unpaid wages.
2026-08-10
On August 10, 2026, a user posted on Xiaohongshu to expose the large amounts of household waste left behind by tourists camping around Sayram Lake in Xinjiang and along National Highway G218, calling for environmental protection. The post was subsequently forcibly taken down by the platform on the grounds that it violated rules by being “horrifying and terrifying.”
2026-08-05
On August 5, students at Xinjiang Agricultural University organized materials to report that the school compels students to perform high-temperature, heavy manual labor during the summer vacation at tomato plants and similar facilities, working shifts of up to 12 hours, while confiscating their mobile phones and providing poor accommodation conditions.
2026-08-02
Recently, the podcast Unclear interviewed former Xinjiang police officer Zhang Yabo, who revealed in the interview how the stability maintenance system operates under Xinjiang's high-pressure rule and more details about Xinjiang's concentration camps.
2026-08
Xinhua News Agency reported that the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway officially launched in December 2024 and has now entered the crucial stage of physical construction.
Location: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang, China ·
Importance IV ·
Verification: Official claim ·
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2026-07-23
On July 23, 2026, at the Sayram Lake scenic area in Xinjiang, a local guide was verbally abused by scenic area staff over a ticketing issue, after which several scenic area employees swarmed in and beat the guide.
Location: Bortola Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang ·
Importance II ·
Verification: Reported ·
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2026-07-19
A Caixin report reveals the money-making network of the fallen former Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui: facilitated by associates Ma Xingquan and Ma Shaofu, operated by white glove Wang Zhanjiang, using the state-owned enterprise credentials of Hu Donghai and CITIC Real Estate to acquire land, and then cashing out through Evergrande and Vanke.
2026-07-16
On July 16, 2026, a medical master's graduate from a 211 university in Xinjiang posted a video lamenting repeated failures in job hunting, ultimately surviving by collecting scrap in Urumqi, sparking netizen debate over university program setups and the youth employment crisis.
2026-07-13
On the evening of July 13, 2026, a rainstorm triggered a mudslide on the Yizhao Highway in Xinjiang in the direction of Zhaosu. Mud and debris from the hillside destroyed the highway and utility poles, causing water and power outages along the route, completely severing the road in both directions, and stranding a large number of vehicles.
2026-07
The ticket for Sayram Lake is 145 yuan, and blade wire fences have been deployed around it.
2026-06-25
On June 27, 2026, foreign media reported that the latest satellite images show China has built a full-scale target model of a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer at a missile test range in the Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang, for testing anti-ship missile weapons.
2026-06-23
On June 23, 2026, rare heavy rainfall struck Hotan County and other areas in southern Xinjiang, triggering fierce flash floods. The floodwaters washed away sections of roadbeds and bridges, severely disrupting traffic, and local authorities urgently organized residents to evacuate to safety.
2026-06-20
Following the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhu Changjie, the long-retired former head of the Xinjiang Public Security Department and vice president of the China Police Association, was taken away for investigation by the CCDI on suspicion of assisting Wang Xia洪 in building a power-money alliance and underground money laundering network.
2026-06-08
A wage-arrears dispute broke out at the Chuxu Photovoltaic Power Station under Wanneng New Energy Co., Ltd. in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. Several workers demanding their unpaid wages went to the front gate of the power station and unfurled banners to protest and defend their rights.
2026-06
Chen Weijun, former member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Committee and former vice chairman of the autonomous region government, has been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and dismissed from public office, and transferred to the procuratorate for review and prosecution.
2026-03-19
Since March 19, 2026, Jeyens Reskhan, a Kazakh children's literature writer from Xinjiang and former chairman of the Hami Prefecture Writers Association, was taken away by police on suspicion of extremist thought and has since gone missing. His family has received no official notice and does not know his whereabouts.
2026-01-24
On January 24, 2026, Han Song quietly resigned from his position as a member of the Xinjiang CPPCC.
2025-07-01
On July 1st, Peng Liyuan's loyalist Ma Xingrui was stripped of his position as Xinjiang Party Secretary.
2025-07-01
In the second half of 2025, Ma Xingrui was removed from his post as Xinjiang Party Secretary.
2025-04
In April 2025, Shi Tingfu told his son during a phone call that he felt weak all over every day. His health problems were previously on record.
2025-03-19
On Wednesday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham led a delegation to visit Xinjiang, confirming that the repatriated Uyghurs are safe and responding to concerns from Western countries regarding the repatriation incident.
2024-12-05
A representative from Kazakhstan met with Ma Xingrui in Xinjiang, proposing the use of the Irtysh River to build a waterway corridor connecting China, Kazakhstan, and Russia, and suggesting the construction of inland ports and other facilities.
2024
In 2024, Nanjing rights defender Shi Tingfu was arrested across provinces for helping Xinjiang fruit farmers defend their rights, and was subsequently sentenced to three years for the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. Radio Free Asia reported that his health deteriorated during detention.
2023-08-26
After concluding his trip to South Africa, Xi Jinping made a temporary stop in Urumqi to hear work reports from the Xinjiang Party Committee and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, with Ma Xingrui present.
2023
In 2023, UN human rights experts expressed serious concern over boarding schools in Xinjiang restricting Uyghur-language education and separating children from their families and communities, warning that this could lead to forced assimilation.
2021-12-25
Ma Xingrui has replaced Chen Quanguo as the Party Secretary of Xinjiang. He previously served as the Party Secretary of Shenzhen and Governor of Guangdong Province.
2021-12
Before December 2021, Chen Quanguo served as the Xinjiang Party Secretary; he was succeeded by Ma Xingrui.
2021
Ma Xingrui replaced Chen Quanguo around the end of 2021 and went to Xinjiang to serve as Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
2019
Ma Xingrui transferred to serve as Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
2018-09-11
Uyghur retired doctor Abbas was forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government in Xinjiang and subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison after a secret trial.
2009
Following the July 5 Xinjiang riots in 2009, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were permanently blocked in China.
1967
Not long after the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1967, Han Xiu arrived at the Xinjiang Corps, and thanks to his proficiency in Russian was able to communicate and interact with local Uyghur residents who spoke Russian.
1952-05-05
Zhao Hanqi, a former Kuomintang military general who resisted Soviet invasions in the defense battles of Yining and Aksu in Xinjiang and later participated in the Xinjiang Peaceful Liberation, was publicly executed by the Chinese Communist Party during the Suppression of Counterrevolutionaries campaign at the age of 39.