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Seypidin Azizi (12 March 1915 – 24 November 2003) was a Uyghur politician who occupied top positions in 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 ...
(PRC), including
Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress The vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress are deputies to the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, respon ...
and
Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) are deputies to the chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The official responsibility of the vice ...
. He is best known for serving as the first chairman of the
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' ...
Uyghur Autonomous Regional Government. Before the proclamation of the PRC in 1949, Azizi was a leader of the
Ili Rebellion The Ili Rebellion () was a Separatism, separatist uprising by the Turkic peoples of northern Xinjiang (East Turkestan) against the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China, from 1944 to 1946. The Ili Rebel ...
, which sought to establish an independent
East Turkestan East Turkestan or East Turkistan (, : , : ), is a loosely-defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russi ...
. He served as the Second East Turkestan Republic's education minister from 1945 to 1946.


Biography


Early activities

Seypidin Azizi was born in Tacheng to an influential Uyghur trader family originally from Artush. He attended school in Xinjiang and then moved to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in 1935, joining the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...
(CPSU) and studying at the Central Asia Political Institute in
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
. He returned to Xinjiang as a Soviet agent, instigating the Soviet-backed
Ili Rebellion The Ili Rebellion () was a Separatism, separatist uprising by the Turkic peoples of northern Xinjiang (East Turkestan) against the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China, from 1944 to 1946. The Ili Rebel ...
against the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
government in northwest Xinjiang in 1937. He was deemed a “radical young man” by Sheng Shicai, resulting in his exile to the border city of Tacheng. Following the onset of the Anti-Japanese War, he vigorously advocated for anti-Japanese patriotic ideology and was appointed as the secretary-general and vice-president of the Tacheng Uyghur Culture Promotion Association ( zh, 塔城维吾尔文化促进会). He was apprehended by the
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
in Tacheng during the celebration of
International Labor Day International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of Wage labour, labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every yea ...
on 1 May. He continued his resistance while incarcerated, prompting the Kuomintang regime to free him during a large-scale protest march.


Three Districts Revolution

In 1944, Azizi participated in the Three Districts Revolution that broke out in the Ili, Tacheng and Altay regions of Xinjiang, resolutely opposing the Kuomintang's rule. After the establishment of the Three-Region Revolutionary Provisional Government in 1945, he served as a member of the government and the director of the Department of Education, among other positions. Subsequent to the integration of insurgents from the three districts into the national army, he orchestrated the establishment of the
Kashgar Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...
contingent and assumed command, commanding the regiment in numerous engagements. He was involved in the establishment of the Revolutionary Youth Organization in the three regions and held the positions of central committee member and head of the publicity department. Following the establishment of the Xinjiang People's Revolutionary Party, he emerged as a principal leader and the head of the Publicity Department, and participated as a member of the delegation in the peace negotiations between the Kuomintang government and the Revolutionary Provisional Government of the Three Regions in October 1945, during which the peace terms were ratified. Subsequent to the ratification of the Articles of Peace, he founded the Xinjiang Provincial Democratic Coalition Government ( zh, 新疆省民主联合政府), where he assumed the roles of member and director of the Education Department, as well as chairman of the Democratic Election Supervisory Group. In November 1946, delegates from the three districts approached the representatives 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 ...
and formally sought acceptance of CCP leadership. In August 1947, the ( zh, 新疆保卫和平民主同盟) was founded, and he was appointed vice-chairman of the League, head of the Publicity Department, and editor-in-chief of the ''Forward Newspaper''. He subsequently held the positions of Acting Chairman and Chairman of the Xinjiang Democratic League for the Defense of Peace.


People's Republic of China

In September 1949, Azizi attended the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...
endorsed by 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 ...
(CCP), becoming a member of the new Communist government. On 15 October 1949, Azizi filed his application for membership to the Chinese Communist Party, in accordance with recommendation of
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 ...
himself He joined the CCP on 27 December. Simultaneously, he was designated Vice Chairman of the People's Government of Xinjiang Province ( zh, 新疆省人民政府), Director of the Xinjiang Ethnic Affairs Committee, and Deputy Commander of the Xinjiang Military Region. From December 1949 through January 1950, Azizi accompanied
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 ...
and
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...
in their trip to Moscow to negotiate the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, where he participated in the negotiation, preparation, and signing ceremony. In December 1950, he accompanied Wang Zhen to the
Junggar Basin The Junggar Basin (), also known as the Dzungarian Basin or Zungarian Basin, is one of the largest sedimentary basins in Northwest China. It is located in Dzungaria in northern Xinjiang, and enclosed by the Tarbagatai Mountains of Kazakhstan in t ...
and other desolate areas to identify locations for military reclamation units, thereby establishing the groundwork for the deployment of troops in Xinjiang and the formation and advancement of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In 1951, Azizi was designated as a member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Branch of the CCP Central Committee, Minister of the Nationalities Department, Minister of the United Front Work Department, and Principal of the Xinjiang Provincial Cadre School. In July 1952, he was designated as the Fourth Secretary of the CCP Central Committee Xinjiang Branch. In September 1952, he was appointed deputy director of the Xinjiang Preparatory Committee for the Implementation of Regional Ethnic Autonomy, and in January 1953, he assumed the role of vice chairman of the . In August 1953, he was appointed as the third secretary of the CCP Committee and deputy commander of the Xinjiang Military Region; in December 1954, he ascended to the position of the second secretary of the CCP Committee and deputy commander of the Xinjiang Military Region. In February 1955, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference was founded, and he assumed the role of chairman. In this year, he was given the rank of Lieutenant General of the PLA. On 1 October, he registered with Mao his strong objection to proposals to name Xinjiang the "Xinjiang Autonomous Region", arguing that "autonomy is not given to mountains and rivers. It is given to particular nationalities". The CCP Central Committee endorsed Azizi's proposal, leading to the establishment of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. He served as a member of the Northwest Bureau of the CCP Central Committee and held the position of Third Secretary of the CCP Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He advanced land reform in Xinjiang and implemented trial projects in the Kashgar region of southern Xinjiang, with successful outcomes. He participated in directing Xinjiang's three-year national economic recovery efforts and the execution of the nation's inaugural Five-Year Plan, contributing significantly through diligent and meticulous work towards the fulfillment of socialist transformation in Xinjiang and its swift progression to extensive socialist economic development. In 1958, he assumed the position of second secretary of the CCP Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee. He fervently championed and endorsed the operation of educational institutions, formed Xinjiang classes at the Central Party School, and dispatched foreign students to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, therefore educating a substantial number of cadres for the development of Xinjiang. He founded a flight school that trained the inaugural group of ethnic minority pilots for Xinjiang, and in 1962, during the Yi–Ta incident in the border regions of Xinjiang, he participated in efforts to restore calm and stability as directed by Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Following 1968, he held the positions of deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), deputy head of the core leading group of the Xinjiang Revolutionary Committee. Subsequent to February 1978, Azizi commenced employment in Beijing and held the position of Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh
National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...
es. He died in Beijing on 24 November 2003, and was interred at the in accordance with Uyghur customs.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azizi, Saifuddin 1915 births 2003 deaths Uyghur politicians People from Kizilsu People's Republic of China politicians from Xinjiang Chinese Communist Party politicians from Xinjiang Political office-holders in Xinjiang Chinese Muslims Vice chairpersons of the National People's Congress Vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Secretary of the CCP Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee Members of the 1st Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference