A decade of progress
In 1986, Kurban graduated from Xinjiang University majoring in Chinese language and literature and became a teacher.
In the 1990s, Kurban began traveling to other parts of China. He gradually discovered that in the southeast coastal areas, people’s ideas and concepts were far more open, and the economy and culture developed rapidly. He started to ask himself, “What is the reason for such a big gap between my hometown and those developed areas?”
Even in the early 2010s, when Kurban’s school had seen succuss in fostering children, Xinjiang was still suffering from the instability brought about by the “three forces” of separatist, terrorist, and extremist.
Even his school was impacted – some extremists tried to deter Kurban from running the school and
would damage the property from time to time. For instance, they took away the school’s plaque or set fire to the kitchen.
Statistics show that from 1990 to the end of 2016 alone, separatist, terrorist, and extremist forces launched thousands of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, killing innocent people and police officers, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Thanks to the law enforcement efforts in recent years, the region has reported no terrorist incidents in more than five years – a remarkable achievement that has, to a great extent, ensured the primary and basic rights to life and development of people of all ethnic groups in the region.
“To be honest, since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) in 2012, ethnic unity has been highlighted in Xinjiang. Through the Party’s wisdom, new thoughts and theories on ethnic unity are now being practiced,
cultivated, and grown here,” Kurban said.
Therefore, the popularity and promotion of Putonghua and Chinese culture is necessary. “In order to strengthen the unity of the Chinese nation, we need to strengthen communication through using the same language, so that thoughts and hearts could be interconnected.”
“Now if you check douyin or other social media platforms, you see an open and modern Xinjiang,” Kurban said. “People in Xinjiang can simultaneously enjoy their ethnic heritages, but also appreciate good cultural elements from other parts of
China.”