Kurban Tulum (; zh, s=库尔班·吐鲁木; 1883 – 26 May 1975), also known as Uncle Kurban (), was a

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

farmer and electrician who lived in the oasis town of Keriya, in

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

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 ...

. The government of the

People's Republic of 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 ...

promotes him as a symbol of unity between the Uyghurs and

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

Biography

According to a local cadre, prior to the arrival of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

, Kurban was a peasant who worked as a seasonal labourer for Uyghur landlords. During the land reforms of 1952, Kurban received land and various other properties. He is said to have visited

Ürümqi Ürümqi, , is the capital of the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, also the ...

, the capital of Xinjiang, by riding a

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

, to show his appreciation for the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

's role in liberating his area. He tried to hitchhike to

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, the Chinese capital, but was unsuccessful. In May 1958, he was chosen as a member of an agricultural delegation from Xinjiang to Beijing. The delegation reached Beijing on 18 June and met with Chinese leader

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

on 28 June 1958. He was elected as a delegate to the

2nd National People's Congress The 2nd National People's Congress (NPC) was in session from 1959 to 1964. It held four sessions in this period. Background Since the succeeding Congress was to be the first to be elected under the 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of ...

in 1959 and the

4th National People's Congress The 4th National People's Congress (NPC) was in session from 1975 to 1978. It held only one session, in January 1975, despite the Constitution mandating a session be held each year. There were 2864 deputies to this Congress. Seat distribution ...

in 1975.

Legacy

Monuments of Kurban's handshake with Mao stand in the town centres of Keriya and Hotan (

Tuanjie Square Tuanjie Square or Unity Square (; ) is the main public square of Hotan, a major town in southwestern Xinjiang, China near the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region. The square is long from north to south, and wide from east to west. A night ...

), the birth and death places of Kurban, respectively. A song named "Where Are You Going, Uncle Kurban?" () and a film titled ''Uncle Kurban Visits Beijing'' () were produced in 2002. He is a well-known figure in China as his name appears in state-produced

school textbooks A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

. A 2019 TV series titled ''Uncle Kurban and His Descendants'' () dramatised the overthrow of his landlord and his descendant's career in becoming an officer in the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

References

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tulum, Kurban Uyghur politicians Hotan Prefecture Propaganda in China Delegates to the 2nd National People's Congress Delegates to the 4th National People's Congress 1883 births 1975 deaths Qing dynasty Muslims

Biography

Legacy

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