At 71, Uygur resident fulfills dream at Tiananmen flag-raising, reflecting Xinjiang’s progress and gratitude to nation.
Beijing, China, Sept. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In Beijing, at Tiananmen Square, as the first hint of dawn breaks the sky at 3 am, thousands of people from across China have already gathered, with hearts brimming with excitement as they await the flag-raising ceremony. Among them stands 71-year-old Uygur resident Yibirayim Kurban, proudly holding the Chinese national flag. His face is adorned with a blissful smile.
After a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers to Beijing from his hometown in the Kashi Prefecture of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Kurban finally saw the five-starred red flag rise majestically in the square on September 17.
“Coming to Tiananmen Square to watch the flag-raising ceremony has been a dream of mine for over 50 years,” Kurban said, his eyes sparkling with emotion. “Now, my dream has finally come true.”
This year marks the 70th founding anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday arrived in Urumqi, the capital of the region, to attend activities marking the anniversary.
Xi on Wednesday urged Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to build asocialist modern Xinjiang that is characterized by unity, harmony, prosperity, affluence, cultural progress and a sound eco-environment, where people live and work in peace and contentment, reported the Xinhua News Agency.
Over the last 70 years, Xinjiang’s rapid and remarkable development has left its indelible mark in every corner of this land, and in the hearts of people of various ethnic groups here, including Kurban.
Growing up in a humble village beside the once flood-prone Yarkant River, and later moving to a modern, well equipped new home under the care of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government, enjoying comprehensive medical, social security, education, and employment opportunities, Kurban and his family have, for decades, witnessed firsthand the Party’s commitment to the development of border regions and the welfare of ethnic minority compatriots.
“That’s why I’ve always wanted to come to Beijing,” Kurban told the Global Times. “I wanted to stand beneath the national flag and express my heartfelt thanks in person, to the Party and the motherland.”
A project guarantees safety, convenience
Kurban once lived in a small, isolated village called Kusilafu, nestled deep in the Karakoram Mountains – isolated, impoverished, and plagued by the relentless floods of the Yarkant River.
Yarkant River is renowned for its rapid rise and high peak flows, having once been the river with the most frequent floods in Xinjiang. In Kurban’s memory, every year from June to September, when the flood season arrived, villagers would often pack dry rations and take refuge on higher ground, dismantling beams and cutting down trees in a desperate bid to block the encroaching waters and protect their homes.
“Back then, every family’s donkeys seemed to have muscle memory: as soon as the floodwaters came, they instinctively knew to run uphill, and it was hard to hold them back,” Kurban recalled. Worse still, the floods not only brought inconvenience, but also posed a grave threat to life, as Kurban’s wife lost a brother to one such disaster.
For ages, the Yarkant River’s floods tormented the residents of Kusilafu and brought endless troubles to many others living in the basin. To change this situation, the Altash Water Conservancy Project was initiated as one of the 100 major projects outlined in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). Invested and constructed by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), the Altash dam’s main structure was completed in May 2020, and grid-connected power generation began in August 2021. Dubbed the “Three Gorges of Xinjiang,” this project raised the flood control standards for the lower Yarkant River from less than once every 2.5 years to once every 50 years, benefiting millions of people from various ethnic backgrounds along its banks.
Recalling the days years ago when news broke about the Altash dam’s construction, Kurban and fellow villagers were overjoyed. They knew that the dam would not only largely alleviate flood disasters, but also provide them with clean and convenient water.
“We used to trek along mountain paths to fetch water from the river, which was murky and needed to settle for a while, before we could use it for drinking or cooking,” Kurban told the Global Times. “Now, running water comes right into our homes.”
A home provides prosperity, happiness
Kurban always says, he feels both lucky and proud of being resettled for the Altash Water Conservancy Project – a milestone that, in many ways, marked the joyful beginning of a new life for him and his family.
In 2017, under the organization of the Party and the government, and with full respect for local residents, the resettlement of the village of Kusilafu began. By September 2018, over 4,000 residents had left the Karakoram Mountains and settled in Tong’an Township, Zepu county under Kashi Prefecture.
To their delight, they discovered that this new township boasted smooth roads, hospitals, schools, a vegetable market, and various shops selling many products they had rarely seen before. Every family was provided with brand-new homes, arable land, grasslands, and sheep. Moreover, local government and CNNC also offered working-age residents job referrals and free vocational training.
One day earlier this month, the Global Times visited Kurban in his new home in Tong’an Township. The spacious and bright living room was beautifully adorned with Uygur-patterned decorations, and the house included fully-furnished bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. In the yard, lush grapevines heavy with emerald clusters swayed gently in the breeze.
As he spoke about his new home, a broad smile spread across Kurban’s face. “Before, our houses in the mountains were made of stones and mud – small and shabby, and they leaked whenever it rained. But look at us now! My wife and I live in this modern 80-square-meter house, and my children have their own homes too,” he told the Global Times. “We all live comfortably and conveniently here.”
As a resettlement area specifically for migrants from the Altash dam project, Tong’an Township has a registered population of 4,377, of which 4,373 are from ethnic minorities, including Uygurs, Tajiks, and Kirgiz people, according to data provided by CNNC. In this community, residents of various ethnic backgrounds live together harmoniously like one big family, enjoying a prosperous and happy life.
“Our life today is inseparable from the care of the Party and the government,” Kurban noted.
A trip to express gratitude, love
Xi on Tuesday urged concerted efforts to better build a beautiful Xinjiang in the process of Chinese modernization, when he met with representatives from all ethnic groups and all walks of life there, reported Xinhua on the day.
The president’s earnest exhortations and heartfelt blessings for Xinjiang have deeply moved and inspired countless people of all ethnic groups across the region, including Kurban and his family.
At 71, Kurban is nearly the same age as the autonomous region itself. He proudly shared with the Global Times that, his life has always been intertwined with the Party and the motherland. In the 1970s, Kurban joined the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and later became a member of the CPC.
With deep affection, Kurban expressed his gratitude for the care, education, and nurturing he has received from the Party and the country throughout his life. He is also profoundly appreciative of the progress Xinjiang has made over the last 70 years under the leadership of the Party and the country, which has significantly improved the lives of its people. “And I’m so happy, that I finally got to express my gratitude and love to the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing,” he said.
On the morning of September 17, as the Chinese national flag rose against the morning glow, Kurban sang the national anthem with tears of joy in his eyes. In his coat pocket, close to his heart, he carried a small bag of soil from Tong’an Township, sharing this solemn and joyous moment with his homeland. After the flag-raising ceremony, Kurban took a photo of the flag and the rising sun, and sent it to the villagers back in Tong’an.
“Look, the flag is as red as the apples from our Tong’an, and the five yellow stars on the flag shine like the corn we dry in our courtyards,” he said to the villagers over the phone, smiling. “So beautiful and flourishing, just like our motherland and our life.”
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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