Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps
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| Headquarters | Urumqi |
| First Political Commissar | Wang Lequan |
| Political Commissar | Nie Weiguo |
| Commander-in-chief | Hua Shifei |
| Area of jurisdiction | 74,300 km² |
| Population (2003) - Density |
2,542,000 34/km² |
| GDP (2002) - per capita |
RMB 26.9 billion RMB 10582 |
| Major nationalities (2002) | Han - 88.1% Uyghur - 6.6% Hui - 2.6% Kazakh - 1.7% Mongol - 0.3% |
| Divisions | 14 |
The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (Simplified Chinese: 新疆生产建设兵团; Traditional Chinese: 新疆生產建設兵團; pinyin: Xīnjiāng Shēngchǎn Jiànshè Bīngtuán), also known as XPCC or Bingtuan for short, is a unique economic and semi-military governmental organization existing in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. The XPCC has de facto administrative authority over several medium-sized cities as well as settlements and farms all across Xinjiang. It has its own administrative structure, fulfilling governmental functions such as healthcare and education for areas under its jurisdiction. The government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region does not usually interfere in the administration of these areas.
The stated goals of the XPCC are to develop frontier regions, promote economic development, ensure social stability and ethnic harmony, and counter the East Turkistan independence movement. In its 50-year history, the XPCC has built farms, towns, and cities, and settled millions of migrants, mainly Han Chinese, into Xinjiang. As such, the XPCC is lauded in China as a cornerstone of stability and prosperity in an otherwise troubled region, and characterized as a vehicle of colonization and sinicization among supporters of East Turkistan independence.
The XPCC also participates in economic activities, and is known as the China Xinjian Group (Simplified Chinese: 中国新建集团; Traditional Chinese: 中國新建集團; pinyin: Zhōngguó Xīnjiàn Jítuán). It has a number of publicly traded subsidiaries.
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[edit] History
The XPCC draws from the traditional Chinese tuntian system, a policy of settling military units in frontier areas so that they become self-sufficient in food. Construction corps were set up for several sparsely-populated frontier regions, including Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. The newly founded People's Republic of China also had the problem of what to do with many former non-Communist soldiers who had been removed from economic production for many years. Ideas about settling such soldiers on the land had been common in China for many years. The Chinese government formed the XPCC from soldiers from the (Communist) First Field Army, former Guomindang soldiers and the Ili National Army (the military forces of the East Turkestan Republic). The XPCC itself was founded in October 1954, comprising 175,000 military personnel based in Xinjiang, led by Tao Zhiyue as its first commander-in-chief.
The XPCC was initially focused on settling, cultivating, and developing sparsely-populated areas, such as the fringes of the Taklimakan Desert and Gurbantunggut Desert. The ranks of the XPCC were also joined by many youth, both male and female, from other parts of China, to balance out its sex ratio and include members with better education backgrounds. The crises of 1962, in which rioting occurred in Yining and thousands of refugees fled to the Soviet Union, also prompted the government to divert more people and resources to the XPCC. By 1966 the XPCC had a population of 1.48 million.
The XPCC, together with many other governmental and party organizations, was severely damaged by the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. In 1975 it was abolished completely, with all of its powers transferred to the government of Xinjiang and regional authorities.
By the 1980s Xinjiang was once again feeling the pressures of ethnic and religious strife, Uyghur independence movements, and Soviet encirclement (Afghanistan had been invaded in 1979). In 1981 the XPCC was restored, with explicit objectives of countering Soviet encirclement, the East Turkistan independence movement, Islamic fundamentalism, as well as the cultivation of frontier lands and economic development.
[edit] Organization
The XPCC is administered by both the central government of the People's Republic of China as well as the government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It has sub-provincial powers on par with sub-provincial cities, and its economic and social development are administered separately from that of Xinjiang. The area and population of the XPCC are generally given as part of Xinjiang's total figures, but the GDP of the XPCC is generally listed separately.
The XPCC is subdivided into divisions, then regiments. It is headquartered at Urumqi. Each XPCC division corresponds to a prefecture-level administrative division of Xinjiang, and are in themselves sub-prefectural in rank.
The XPCC itself, as well as each individual division, is headed by three leaders: a first political commissar, a political commissar, and a commander. The role of first political commissar of the XPCC is filled by the CPC Xinjiang committee secretary, and the first political commissars of each XPCC division is likewise the committee secretary in each of the corresponding prefecture-level divisions.
In addition to regiments, the XPCC also administers regiment-level farms and ranches.
At the end of the 20th century, the military role of the XPCC has been diluted, being given instead to the Xinjiang Military Region, a part of the Lanzhou Military Region that includes all of northwestern China. At present, the military personnel of the XPCC are mostly reservists or militia.
[edit] Administrative structure
The XPCC consists of 14 divisions which are then subdivided into 185 regiment-level entities (including regiments, farms, and ranches), scattered throughout Xinjiang, mostly in previously unpopulated or sparsely-populated areas.
The divisions are:
| Name | Founded | Location (approximate) | Headquarters | Cities administered (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XPCC First Agricultural Division | 1953 | Aksu Prefecture | Aksu | Aral |
| XPCC Second Agricultural Division | 1953 | Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture | Korla | |
| XPCC Third Agricultural Division | 1966 | Kashgar Prefecture | Kashgar | Tumushuke |
| XPCC Fourth Agricultural Division | 1953 | Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (southern, directly administered portion) |
Yining | |
| XPCC Fifth Agricultural Division | 1953 | Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture | Bortala | |
| XPCC Sixth Agricultural Division | 1953 | Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture | Wujiaqu | Wujiaqu |
| XPCC Seventh Agricultural Division | 1953 | area west of Karamay | Kuitun | Tianbei New District of Kuitun |
| XPCC Eighth Agricultural Division | 1953 | area east of Karamay | Shihezi | Shihezi |
| XPCC Ninth Agricultural Division | 1962 | Qoqek Prefecture of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture | Dorbiljin County | |
| XPCC Tenth Agricultural Division | 1959 | Altay Prefecture of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture | Beitun | town of Beitun |
| XPCC Construction Engineering Division | 1953 | N/A | Urumqi | |
| XPCC Twelfth Agricultural Division | 1982 | Urumqi prefecture-level city | Urumqi | |
| XPCC Thirteenth Agricultural Division | 1982 | Kumul Prefecture | Kumul | |
| XPCC Fourteenth Agricultural Division | 1982 | Hotan Prefecture | Hotan |
[edit] Cities
The XPCC has built six medium-sized cities during its history, and now controls five of them. The governments of these cities are combined entirely with the division that controls them. For example, the division headquarters is the same entity as the city government, the division political commissar the same person as the city committee secretary, the division commander the same person as the city's mayor, and so forth. Four of the five XPCC-administered cities are nominally listed as "county-level cities" of Xinjiang Uyghur Administrative Region, but the government of Xinjiang is usually not involved in the administration of these cities.
The cities are, with dates of official designation as "cities" in parentheses: Kuitun (1975), Shihezi (1976), Aral (2002), Tumushuke (2002), Wujiaqu (2002), and Beitun. (See above table for the divisions that control them.) Beitun is officially designated as a "town", and has not been officially designated as a "city". Kuitun is no longer controlled by the XPCC, though it once was (by the 7th division) before 1975. Today, the 7th division administers Tianbei New District, a part of Kuitun.
[edit] Demographics
Most of the population of the XPCC is Han Chinese, while Uyghurs, Hui, and Kazakhs are the largest minority groups. The XPCC constitutes about 13% (2002) of the population of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
| Ethnic groups in XPCC, 2002 estimate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Population | Percentage |
| Han | 2,204,500 | 88.1 |
| Uyghur | 165,000 | 6.6 |
| Hui | 64,700 | 2.6 |
| Kazakh | 42,700 | 1.7 |
| Mongol | 6,200 | 0.3 |
| others | 18,100 | 0.7 |
Source: [1]
The Eighth Division is the most populous division, with a population of 579,300 (2002).
[edit] Economy
The XPCC is currently focused on economic development as its stated primary goal. With the continued opening up of the economy, the XPCC has created many publicly traded subsidiary companies involved in the production and sale of a variety of products. When involved in such economic activities, the XPCC uses the name "China Xinjian Group".
The primary economic activity of the XPCC remains agriculture, including cotton, fruit, vegetables, food crops, vegetable oils, sugar beets, and so forth. Important products are cotton, tomatoes, ketchup, Korla pears, Turpan grapes, wine, and so forth. The XPCC has a mix of factory farming and smaller farms.
During its history, XPCC established a large amount of mining and mining-related industries, most of which have subsequently been handed over to the Xinjiang government. Currently the XPCC is primarily engaged in food- and agriculture-related industries.
The XPCC is also involved in a variety of tertiary industries, including trade, distribution, real estate, tourism, construction, even insurance.
Currently the XPCC has eleven publicly traded subsidiaries. They are:
- Xinjiang Baihuacun Co., Ltd. (新疆百花村股份有限公司) (百花村, 600721.SS) - primarily information technology
- Xinjiang Tianye Co., Ltd. (新疆天业股份有限公司) (新疆天业, 600075.SS) - primarily plastics
- Suntime International Economic-Trading Co., Ltd. (新天国际经贸股份有限公司) (新天国际, 600084.SS) - primarily international trade
- Xinjiang Talimu Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. (新疆塔里木农业综合开发股份有限公司) (新农开发, 600359.SS) - primarily cotton
- Xinjiang Yilite Industry Co., Ltd. (新疆伊力特实业股份有限公司) (伊力特, 600197.SS) - primarily alcohol
- Xinjiang Chalkis Co., Ltd. (新疆中基实业股份有限公司) (新中基, 000972.SZ) - primarily tomatoes and related industries
- Xinjiang Tianhong Papermaking Co., Ltd. (新疆天宏纸业股份有限公司) (新疆天宏, 600419.SS) - paper manufacturing
- Xinjiang Tianfu Thermoelectric Co., Ltd. (新疆天富热电股份有限公司) (天富热电, 600509.SS) - electricity
- Xinjiang Guannong Fruit & Antler Co., Ltd. (新疆冠农果茸股份有限公司) (冠农股份, 600251.SS) - fruits; animal husbandry
- Xinjiang Qingsong Cement Co., Ltd. (新疆青松建材化工股份有限公司) (青松建化, 600425.SS) - cement
- Xinjiang Sayram Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd. (新疆赛里木现代农业股份有限公司) (新赛股份, 600540.SS) - primarily cotton
[edit] Culture
The XPCC has its own separate education system covering primary, secondary, and tertiary education. It currently has two universities:
- Shihezi University (石河子大学)
- Tarim University (塔里木大学)
The XPCC has its own official daily newspaper, the Bingtuan Daily, as well as TV stations at both the XPCC and division levels.
[edit] References
- Originally translated from Chinese Wikipedia article
- Study of the Infrastructure of Xinjiang[2]
