Niya County ( transliterated from the Uyghur ; ), also from

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

as Minfeng County (), is a county within the

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

and is under the administration of the

Hotan Prefecture Hotan PrefectureThe official spelling is "Hotan" according to (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is located in the Tarim Basin region of southwestern Xinjiang, China, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region ...

. It contains an area of . According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 30,000. The county is bordered to the north by

Xayar County Xayar County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shayar County or, from Mandarin Chinese, Shaya, is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Aqsu Prefecture. It contains an ...

, to the east by Qiemo/Qarqan County, to the west by Yutian / Keriya County and to the south by Ngari Prefecture in Tibet. The county seat is in the town of Niya, which is often referred to by the county name (Minfeng) as well. The

Niya ruins The Niya ruins (), is an archaeological site located about north of modern Niya Town on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin in modern-day Xinjiang, China. The ancient site was known in its native language as Caḍ́ota, and in Chinese during th ...

are located 115 km north of Niya.

History

In the early 20th century,

Aurel Stein Sir Marc Aurel Stein, ( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...

carried out several expeditions in the area including exploration of the ancient

. In 1945, Minfeng '' Shezhiju'' () was established. In 1947, the area became Minfeng County. In 2012, the township of Yawatongguz (Yawatongguzi) was established. In early 2015, a joint report issued by the Water Conservancy Office of Hotan prefecture and the regional Water Conservancy Department reported that up to 80 percent of the population of the county did not have access to clean drinking water. In June 2015 in the lead-up to

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

, a beer festival was held in the county leading to condemnation from Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the

World Uyghur Congress The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups that claims to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's R ...

. In September 2015, residents of the county were reported to be subject to new rules concerning unacceptable given names for Uyghur children. On December 8, 2019, County Communist Party Committee Vice Secretary () and County Magistrate () Aizezi Aili () penned a criticism of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.

Geography

The northern part of the county is located in the

Taklamakan Desert The Taklimakan or Taklamakan Desert (; zh, s=塔克拉玛干沙漠, p=Tǎkèlāmǎgān Shāmò, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Такәламаган Шамә; ug, تەكلىماكان قۇملۇقى, Täklimakan qumluqi; also spelled Taklimakan and Te ...

and consists of large areas of sand

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s. The population centers on oases around rivers flowing down from the mountains in the southern part of the county.

Climate

, on average, Minfeng experienced blowing dust or sand on 189 days in a year and visibility below 4,800 meters for more than half of winter and summer as well as for thirty to forty percent of spring. The lowest spring time temperature recorded in Minfeng was -22 Celsius.

Administrative divisions

The county includes one

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and six townships: Town: *

Niya Town Niya ( ug, Нийә; ), is a town in Minfeng County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. It is the county seat of Minfeng County, and therefore is commonly referred to as Minfeng, and is labeled so on less detailed maps ...

(Niye; / ) Townships: *Niya (Niye; / ), Rokiya (Ruokeya, Rukiya; / ), Salgozak (Salewuzeke, Salghozek; , United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency / ),

Yeyik , other_name = , official_name = , nickname = , settlement_type =Township , motto = , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , f ...

(Yeyike, Yëyiq, Ya-li-ka, Yeh-i-k'o; / ), Andir (Andi'er, Endir; / , area of Andirlangar), Yawatongguz (Yawatongguzi, Yawa Tongguz; / , area of Yawatongguzlangar)

Economy

The economy is primarily based on agriculture and livestock farming. Products of the county include corn, wheat, cotton and sheep wool. Industries in the county include electronics, agriculture technology, food processing, carpets and construction.

Demographics

As of 2015, Out of the 38,492 residents, 34,900 of the county were Uyghur, 3,509 were

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

and 83 were from other ethnic groups. As of 1999, 90.94% of the population of Niya (Minfeng) County was Uyghur and 8.91% of the population was Han Chinese.

Transportation

China National Highway 315 Constructed in 1954, the Qinghai-Xinjiang Highway, also known as the China National Highway 315 (G315) runs west from Xining, Qinghai towards Kashgar, Xinjiang. It is in length. In 1994 the departments of communication and transportation in Qingh ...

Tarim Desert Highway 200px, Vegetation on either side of the highway to prevent shifting sand dunes from covering it, as well as a blue pump house in the distance. 200px, PetroChina gas station on the highway route The Tarim Desert Highway (), also known as the Cross- ...

Gallery

File:New Mosque - Minfeng.jpg, New Mosque -

Minfeng Niya County ( transliterated from the Uyghur ; ), also from Mandarin Chinese as Minfeng County (), is a county within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Hotan Prefecture. It contains an area of . Accordi ...

. File:Ruins of desert Cathay - personal narrative of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China (1912) (14596524608).jpg, Niya men (1912) File:Txu-oclc-6654394-nj-44-3rd-ed.jpg, Map including Minfeng (labeled as MIN-FENG (NIYA BAZAR)) and surrounding region in the International Map of the World ( ATC, 1971) File:NJ-44-12 Takla Makan Desert.jpg, Map including Niya (labeled as MIN-FENG (NI-YA)) ( ATC, 1971) File:Txu-oclc-6654394-ni-45-4th-ed.jpg, Map including the southern part of Minfeng/Niya County and the county's border with Tibet ( DMA, 1975) File:NJ-44-16 Kola China.jpg, Map including part of Niya (Minfeng) County ( DMA, 1979) File:Operational Navigation Chart G-7, 6th edition.jpg, Map including Minfeng (labeled as Minfeng (Min-feng)) and surrounding region ( DMA, 1980) File:Txu-pclmaps-oclc-22834566 g-7b.jpg, Map including Niya (labeled as Minfeng) (DMA, 1990)

Notes

References

External links

《农广天地》昆仑山下鸡羊鲜 20190218 , CCTV农业
{{Authority control County-level divisions of Xinjiang Hotan Prefecture