In recent times, Chinese language newspapers and media have launched a time period referred to as “Kunlun Tradition”, and all content material associated to Uyghur tradition is interpreted inside this framework.
The so-called “Kunlun tradition” is emphasised as an essential image of Chinese language tradition within the Chinese language authorities’s propaganda. Because the Xi Jinping authorities attaches particular significance to the event and improvement of Uyghur and Tibetan cultural tourism, the brand new time period “Kunlun Tradition” is presently attracting a lot consideration.
So why did Chinese language official media provide you with the time period “Kunlun Tradition” and its Chinese language translation? What’s the political intent and objective behind this time period?
Generally known as “Kunlun” in Chinese language, the unique title of those magnificent mountains in Central Asia was the “Kulum” mountains. It’s understood that the traditional Uyghur ancestors referred to as it “Kulum” due to its darkish shade. One other department of the “Kulum Mountains” known as “Karakoram”, which known as “Karakoram” in Chinese language. The Kulum Mountains begin from the Pamir Plateau within the west and lengthen east-west alongside the southern fringe of the Tarim Basin to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Common. It stretches for 3,000 kilometers. Geographically, the Kurumu Mountains span Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uyghurs, Pakistan, India, Tibet and different nations and areas. The Kurumu Mountains are a well-known mountain in Asia, and their strategic location has been essential since historical past. It’s a pure geographical barrier that separates Central Asia and the Tarim Basin from the second continent of South Asia (the Indian Peninsula).
The Chinese language authorities’s use of the brand new time period “Kunlun tradition” and its clarification of the so-called “Chinese language tradition” at this time is, on the one hand, attributable to China’s geopolitical pursuits in Eurasia; then again, it targets the Uyghurs and Tibetans. Border safety and expansionism are pushed by necessity.
Halford John Mackinder, one of many pioneers of Western geopolitics within the twentieth century, proposed the idea of the “World Heart Belt” in 1904. He believed that any nation with a strategic geographical location and pure useful resource benefits might turn out to be a middle simply. management different nations.
The rationale why the Chinese language authorities presently makes use of the time period “Kunlun Tradition” is, to a sure extent, due to the “Kunlun Legendary Fan” remaining in Chinese language historical past; then again, it may be stated that Mount Kulum performs an essential function in China’s “One Belt, One Street” plan. Strategic place is the rationale. From this standpoint, the Chinese language authorities regards the Kurumu Mountains because the central zone of Eurasia and considers itself the proprietor of the “central zone of the world”.
In response to the Beijing Information on October 26, 2023, “The development of the Kunlun Cultural Monument is just not solely a reputable transfer to culturally nourish and revitalize Xinjiang, but additionally a window to showcase the Chinese language nationwide custom and Chinese language tradition” to the world.
It’s understood that the Chinese language authorities attributes the so-called “Kunlun Tradition” to the Uyghurs, primarily focusing on the Hotan space. The Hotan part of the Kurumu Mountains is the primary producing space of Hotan stone. Hotan stone has at all times been revered, symbolic and mysterious in Chinese language tradition. Since then, from China’s rulers to strange folks, the customized of praising forehead stones and making them a logo of wealth and energy has continued to this present day. From the Meng Qing Dynasty to the Kuomintang and the Communist Get together, there was a convention of utilizing Hotan stone to carve nationwide seals. Additionally in Chinese language mythology, legends handed down from technology to technology deify the Kurum Mountains the place the Guru Stone grows and describe it because the abode of Shiva (the mom of destruction within the West) in Chinese language mythology. At present, the Chinese language authorities organically combines the parable of the traditional ruins with at this time’s geopolitical pursuits to advertise the so-called “Kunlun tradition” of the brand new period.
As well as, in line with Chinese language media, in October 2023, Hotan Regular College established 4 analysis facilities: “Kunlun Cultural Analysis Heart”, “Wudun Analysis Institute”, “Chinese language Nationwide Tradition Analysis Heart”, and “Hotian Buddhist Tradition Analysis Heart” heart. Within the Chinese language propaganda media, the mission of those facilities is to conduct scientific analysis, archaeological excavations, and cultural interpretation, supplementation, and systematic analysis on the non secular significance and worth of “Kunlun Tradition” and Chinese language cultural symbols.
There is no such thing as a doubt that the Chinese language authorities is making an attempt to interpret the so-called “Kunlun tradition” by linking it to the Uighurs. Its objective is to position the Chinese language cultural framework on Hotan’s Buddhist cultural heritage and Hotan silks, carpets and different native merchandise. Folks’s rights are remoted. Not solely that, the Chinese language authorities additionally wish to present that the tradition and native expertise created by the Hotan folks, akin to structure, medication, carpet weaving, embroidery, embroidery, and so forth., all belong to Chinese language tradition; native Uyghur craftsmen have been kidnapped and tried to create for Chinese language operators Likelihood.
On the similar time, the Chinese language authorities additionally needs to attach the historical past and tradition of Hotan’s historical villages with Chinese language historical past and show its political intention that the Chinese language have at all times dominated these locations.
So, what’s the predominant content material and function of the idea of “Kunlun Tradition” promoted by the Chinese language media?
In response to Chinese language historians, the so-called “Kunlun tradition” is principally “some of the essential sources of Chinese language tradition”, that’s, the Chinese language legends associated to the Kunlun Mountains, a tradition developed on the idea of the Chinese language wrestling custom. Confucianism.
Nonetheless, at this time, the Chinese language authorities has put ahead the slogan of “inheriting and rebuilding Kunlun tradition within the new period”, which is intently associated to the coverage of “constructing a standard Chinese language nation”. Particularly in China’s coverage in direction of the Uyghurs, that is highlighted within the following points:
1. Join the archaeological stays found within the Uyghur space with the so-called “Kunlun Tradition”.
Chinese language historians try to attach some cultural relics and historical texts found by the Uyghurs with the content material of historical Chinese language legends akin to “The E-book of Mountains and Rivers” and “Historical past”, making an attempt to point out the ethnic composition of the Uyghurs as having the identical origin because the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor , thought of to be the ancestor of the Chinese language nation. For instance, the Chinese language embroidered silk sleeves discovered within the Niya ruins have been vigorously promoted by the Chinese language authorities as “representatives of the migration of ethnic teams within the Western Areas” and “a logo of the Japanese Han Dynasty’s management of the Hotan area.”
2. The misuse of myths and legends in at this time’s political propaganda.
The Uyghur folks have built-in Chinese language tradition into all points of the Uyghurs by connecting historical Chinese language legends akin to “Journey to the West” and “The Stone Queen Mom” with the historical past of the Uyghurs’ historical homeland, and by establishing vacationer spots that mirror Chinese language tradition. . each day life. The promotion of the legend of the Stone Queen Mom, which is called a fable stuffed with nonsense within the worldwide scientific neighborhood, exhibits that China’s motion to distort historical past has “moved in direction of” legend.
3. Hyperlinks to historic works.
Chinese language historians peddle a foolish fable that Han Dynasty envoys visited historical Hotan greater than two thousand years in the past and confirmed that the supply of the Yellow River originated on the foot of the Black Mountains. An knowledgeable workforce organized by the Chinese language authorities erected monuments and engraved new Chinese language names on the traditional “Kashtesh Street” and “Anshan” ruins close to Hotan. On this means, he tried to advertise the Karakoram Mountains as the place to begin of Chinese language civilization and create a false historical past that the Chinese language have at all times lived in these locations.
To sum up, the Chinese language authorities first promoted the interpretation of “Kunlun tradition” in Tibet and Tibetan holy locations, and constructed Chinese language-style buildings in Tibetan areas, thereby plundering Tibet’s pure assets and accelerating the tempo of colonization. At present, the Chinese language authorities is selling the so-called “Kunlun tradition” and making an attempt to attach the native tradition of Hotan, one of many historical homelands of the Uyghurs, with the so-called “Chinese language tradition.” There is no such thing as a doubt that China’s evil habits of making an attempt to cowl up its colonial nature and deceiving the worldwide neighborhood with stunning decorations akin to “Cohen Lun Tradition” is undoubtedly needed by the world’s scientific neighborhood.
