Jigin Township (جىغىن يېزىسى / جىعىن ايىلى / Jigen zh, s=吉根乡, p=Jígēn Xiāng) is considered to be the westernmost

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

located in Ulugqat County (Wuqia),

Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in western Xinjiang, China, bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its Capital (political), capital is Artush. The prefecture is home to 622,222 people () and covers an area of . Mo ...

, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The township covers an area of 1,452 square kilometers. It has four

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

under its jurisdiction and its seat is at Saz Village ().

History

The word Jigin comes from the

Kyrgyz language Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia. Kyrgyz is the official language of Kyrgyzstan and a significant minority language in the Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China and in the Gorno-Badak ...

, which means "get-together". It was part of the 4th Township of the 2nd district of Wuqia County in 1950 and part of Ulugqat Commune () in 1958. Jigin Commune () was formed from Ulugqat Commune in 1962. In 1968 during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, the commune was renamed Fanxiu Commune (). The original name was restored in 1980. In 1984, the commune was reorganized as a township.

Geography

Jigin Township is located 120 kilometers west of the county seat Wuqia Town and 25 kilometers away east of Arkaxtam Port on the China–Kyrgyzstan border. It is adjacent to

Ulugqat Township Ulugqat Township (ئۇلۇغچات يېزىسى zh, s=, p=Wūlǔkèqiàtí Xiāng) is a Townships of China, township of Ulugqat County (Wuqia) in Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Located in ...

in the east and Oksalur Township in the south, and borders with the Kyrgyz Republic in the northwest with a boundary line of 108 kilometers. Jigen is located between 2,700 and 5,700 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, with an average annual temperature of 6.2 degrees and an annual precipitation of 2.2 ml. The township has 253 hectares of cultivated grassland, 870 square kilometers of natural grassland, 2,667 hectares of natural forest. There are 18

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

es in the township. Simhana Village is the westernmost settlement in China, marked by the "Western Pole of China" monument.

Politics and Government

Settlements

The township has 4 administration villages and 4 unincorporated villages under its jurisdiction. * Saqal Village (Sahalecun) (, , ) * Saz Village (Sazicun) (, , ) ** * Simhana Village (Simuhanacun), United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (, , ) ** ** Simhana is Kyrgyz for 'phone room' (). Simhana is west of the Ulugqat (Wuqia) county seat on the southern bank of the Kezi River. Simhama is considered to be the westernmost village of China, located near Erkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan. * Qaraterek (Halatieliekecun) (, , )

CCP Party Secretaries

* Zhong Zi'ou (), 2017

Demographics

, the population of Jigin was 99.6% Kyrgyz.

Notable people

*Burmakhan Moldo (, ), wife in a herding family; an on-foot border guard of fifty years for which received an award from president

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

References

{{Administrative divisions of Wuqia County Township-level divisions of Wuqia County