Kurban Tulum (Uyghur: قۇربان تۇلۇم; Chinese: 库尔班·吐鲁木; 1883 – 26 May 1975), also known as Uncle Kurban (库尔班大叔), was a Uyghur farmer and electrician who lived in the oasis town of Keriya, in Xinjiang, China.[1][2] The government of the People's Republic of China promotes him as a symbol of unity between the Uyghurs and Han Chinese.[3]
Kurban Tulum | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Born | 1883 | ||||||
| Died | 26 May 1975 (aged 91–92) | ||||||
| Occupation(s) | Farmer and electrician | ||||||
| Uyghur name | |||||||
| Uyghur | قۇربان تۇلۇم | ||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 库尔班·吐鲁木 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 庫爾班·吐魯木 | ||||||
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| Chinese nickname | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 库尔班大叔 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 庫爾班大叔 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Uncle Kurban | ||||||
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Biography
According to a local cadre, prior to the arrival of the Chinese Communist Party, Kurban was a peasant who worked as a seasonal labourer for Uyghur landlords. During the land reforms of 1952, Kurban received land and various other properties.[1] He is said to have visited Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang, by riding a donkey, to show his appreciation for the People's Liberation Army's role in liberating his area.[3] He tried to hitchhike to Beijing, the Chinese capital, but was unsuccessful.[1]
In May 1958, he was chosen as a member of an agricultural delegation from Xinjiang to Beijing. The delegation reached Beijing on 18 June and met with Chinese leader Mao Zedong on 28 June 1958.[1]
He was elected as a delegate to the 2nd National People's Congress in 1959 and the 4th National People's Congress in 1975.[4]
Legacy
Monuments of Kurban's handshake with Mao stand in the town centres of Keriya and Hotan (Tuanjie Square), the birth and death places of Kurban, respectively.[3]
A song named "Where Are You Going, Uncle Kurban?" (库尔班大叔您去哪儿?) and a film titled Uncle Kurban Visits Beijing (库尔班大叔上北京) were produced in 2002. He is a well-known figure in China as his name appears in state-produced school textbooks.[3]
A 2019 TV series titled Uncle Kurban and His Descendants (库尔班大叔和他的子孙们) dramatised the overthrow of his landlord and his descendant's career in becoming an officer in the People's Liberation Army Navy.[5]
See also
References
Citations
Sources
- Hayes, Anna; Clarke, Michael (14 December 2015). Inside Xinjiang: Space, Place and Power in China's Muslim Far Northwest. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-67250-0.
- Tang, Didi; Wong, Gillian (28 June 2013). "China's west erupts in violence 2nd time in 3 days". Associated Press – via San Diego Union-Tribune.
