Tatars in China


Tatars are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Chinese government. They are a Turkic people who mostly live in Northern Xinjiang., there are 3,544 Tatars living in Xinjiang, mostly in the cities of Yining, Tacheng, and Ürümqi. The Daquan Tatar Ethnic Township of Qitai County in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, which sits on the edge of the Gurbantünggüt Desert, is the only subdivision designated for Tatars.

History

The Tatars in China are descendants of Volga Tatars who migrated to Xinjiang from their native Idel-Ural region in modern-day Russia. The Tatars have traditionally acted as mediators between the Russians and the native Muslim peoples of Xinjiang. The first wave of permanent Tatar settlement in Xinjiang began in 1851, primarily in cities such as Ghulja. Tatars brought progressive ideas and new institutions into Xinjiang, where they cemented themselves in the cultural and political fabric of the region. Jadid schools, mosques, and libraries catering to the Tatar community were opened in the second half of the 19th century and in the first decades of the 20th century. During this period, many intellectuals were brought from Tatarstan to staff the schools and colleges.
Following the incorporation of Xinjiang into the People's Republic of China, the Chinese central government consulted the Tatar community on what they wished to be called in Standard Chinese. The previous pinyin transcription of Tatar in Mandarin Chinese was, with several variant transcriptions into Chinese characters, including 鞑靼, 达靼, 达怛, 达旦, and 达达. The majority of Tatars ultimately agreed on a new transcription: .

Language

The Tatars in China speak an archaic variant of the Tatar language, free from 20th-century loanwords, and use a revised version of the Tatar Arabic alphabet, which was phased out in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Being surrounded by speakers of other Turkic languages, the Tatar spoken in China partially reverses the Tatar high vowel inversion. Most Tatars are multilingual and can speak Kazakh, Uyghur or Standard Chinese in addition to Tatar. Some Tatars also use the Uyghur Arabic script to write their native language.

Culture

, a traditional summer festival of the Tatars, is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in China.

Religion

The Tatars in China are Muslims.

Notable people