Suidun
Encyclopedia
The town of Shuiding formerly Suiding is the county seat of Huocheng County
in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China
. It is located some 40 km to the northwest of Yining, the main city of the prefecture, and some 10 km north of the Ili River
.
Shuiding had the population of 29,277 according to the census of 2000.
The origins of Shuiding are tied to a site on the northern bank of the Ili River
, some 8 km to the south of the towns today's location.
It was there that during the reign of emperor Qianlong, in 1762, during one of the rebellions of the local Muslim population, the fortress of Huiyuan (or Huiyuancheng, 惠远城) was built, as the center of the Chinese military power and civilian administration in Xinjiang
. It was the seat of the Governor General of the region, the Ili Jiangjun (总统伊犁等处将军).
Huiyuan suffered severe damage during the Muslim Rebellion of the 1860s, the besieged Jiangjun Mingxu
blowing himself up in his palace rather than surrendering to the rebels. The fort fell into disuse during the Russian occupation that followed in 1871-81. The Russians left pursuant to Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
, and two years later, in 1883 the fortress and the military-administrative town that accompanied it were rebuilt at Shuiding's present location, several miles north of the river. The town's then name, Suiding (or Suidingchen
绥定城)}, was commonly transcribed in the West as Suidun. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
described "Suidun" as "a military town, with provision stores, an arsenal and an arms workshop. Its walls are armed with steel guns."
Until 1898, Suiding remained the residence of the Governor General of the province; during the later days of the Qing Empire
, the Ili Jiangjun resident in Suiding only remained in charge of the local banner
troops and the nomadic tribes in the area. After the Xinhai Revolution
, the post was altogether abolished.
Unlike the city of Yining (originally known as Ningyuan(cheng), 宁远城), which has always remained the commercial center of the region, the 19th century Huiyuan/Suiding was mostly a fortress and an administrative town. It was known to the Russians as the New Kuldja, Chinese Kuldja, or Manchu Kuldja, to distinguish it from Yining (the Old Kuldja or the Taranchi
Kuldja). This usage is no longer current.
the neighboring Huocheng County
; in 1955, the Ili Special Area became Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
. In 1965, the name Suiding (绥定) was replaced with more politically correct Shuiding (水定), 水 'water' replacing 绥 'to pacify'. The next year (1966), Shuiding County was merged into Huocheng County, and the Huocheng County county seat was transferred to Shuiding town.
as Shuiding. Huiyuan's population was reported as 20,564 by the Year 2000 Census.
Some of the Qing period buildings, including a bell tower and a "Governor General's Pavilion", have been rebuilt at the Huiyuan site as a tourist attraction, often referred to as the "Huiyuan Old Town" (惠远古城)
Huocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It is located some 40 km to the northwest of Yining, the main city of the prefecture, and some 10 km north of the Ili River
Ili River
thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributariesThe Ili River is a river in northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan .It is long, of which is in Kazakhstan...
.
Shuiding had the population of 29,277 according to the census of 2000.
Qing Dynasty
Ili River
thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributariesThe Ili River is a river in northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan .It is long, of which is in Kazakhstan...
, some 8 km to the south of the towns today's location.
It was there that during the reign of emperor Qianlong, in 1762, during one of the rebellions of the local Muslim population, the fortress of Huiyuan (or Huiyuancheng, 惠远城) was built, as the center of the Chinese military power and civilian administration in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. It was the seat of the Governor General of the region, the Ili Jiangjun (总统伊犁等处将军).
Huiyuan suffered severe damage during the Muslim Rebellion of the 1860s, the besieged Jiangjun Mingxu
Mingsioi
Mingsioi or Mingxu was a Qing Governor General of Ili in 1864-66, charged with the overall command of the Chinese troops in Xinjiang....
blowing himself up in his palace rather than surrendering to the rebels. The fort fell into disuse during the Russian occupation that followed in 1871-81. The Russians left pursuant to Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
The Treaty of Saint Petersburg , also known as Treaty of Ili, was the treaty between the Russian Empire and the Chinese Empire, signed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 12 February 1881...
, and two years later, in 1883 the fortress and the military-administrative town that accompanied it were rebuilt at Shuiding's present location, several miles north of the river. The town's then name, Suiding (or Suidingchen
绥定城)}, was commonly transcribed in the West as Suidun. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
described "Suidun" as "a military town, with provision stores, an arsenal and an arms workshop. Its walls are armed with steel guns."
Until 1898, Suiding remained the residence of the Governor General of the province; during the later days of the Qing Empire
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, the Ili Jiangjun resident in Suiding only remained in charge of the local banner
Eight Banners
The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
troops and the nomadic tribes in the area. After the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, the post was altogether abolished.
Unlike the city of Yining (originally known as Ningyuan(cheng), 宁远城), which has always remained the commercial center of the region, the 19th century Huiyuan/Suiding was mostly a fortress and an administrative town. It was known to the Russians as the New Kuldja, Chinese Kuldja, or Manchu Kuldja, to distinguish it from Yining (the Old Kuldja or the Taranchi
Taranchi
The term Taranchi denotes the Muslim sedentary population living in oases around the Tarim Basin in today's Xinjiang, whose native language is Turkic Karluk, and whose ancestral heritages include Iranic and Tocharian populations of Tarim and the later Turco-Mongol immigrants of the Qarluq, Uyghur,...
Kuldja). This usage is no longer current.
People's Republic
With the creation of the Ili Special Area (伊犁专区) in 1950, the then existing Suiding County was included into the Area, as wasthe neighboring Huocheng County
Huocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
; in 1955, the Ili Special Area became Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
. In 1965, the name Suiding (绥定) was replaced with more politically correct Shuiding (水定), 水 'water' replacing 绥 'to pacify'. The next year (1966), Shuiding County was merged into Huocheng County, and the Huocheng County county seat was transferred to Shuiding town.
Present
The original Huiyuan site is now a separate town of Huiyuan (惠远镇, Huiyuan Zhen) within the same Huocheng CountyHuocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
as Shuiding. Huiyuan's population was reported as 20,564 by the Year 2000 Census.
Some of the Qing period buildings, including a bell tower and a "Governor General's Pavilion", have been rebuilt at the Huiyuan site as a tourist attraction, often referred to as the "Huiyuan Old Town" (惠远古城)