Chinese authorities opened the first underground ancient cemetery museum in Kucha on July 15, declaring that Uighur Eli was under the control of the central government during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties. Historians and Uyghur scholars argue that this is a myth that does not correspond to historical facts, and that this museum is a new place to falsify history and promote false history.
According to "Xinjiang Daily" special report on July 15th, on July 15th, the "Kusen Wei, Jin Dynasty Ancient Cemetery Museum" in Kucha City was officially opened to the public.
The report said: "The Kucha Weijin Ancient Cemetery in Kucha City, the Friendship Road Cemetery in Kucha, is the first Han Dynasty-style brick tomb found in Xinjiang, which is completely consistent with the shape of the Central Plains." This is proof that the central government has effectively managed Xinjiang. It is also a valuable and powerful evidence of the unification of various ethnic groups during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties. It was selected as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in the country in 2007 because of its prominent role in supporting and supplementing history.
Could the "Ruins of Kucha Ancient Cemetery" mentioned here be evidence that the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties in Chinese history, that is, the central government effectively managed the Uyghur people? How can there be a central government when there are several dynasties in China in ancient times, and they are at war with each other?
A researcher of ancient Uyghur language and culture, Dr. Qahar Barat, who lives in the United States, interviewed by our radio station and said that he does not agree with the above opinion that Uyghur was ruled by the Chinese central government during the Wei and Jin dynasties. "During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties, there was no central government," he said. China is divided, Chinese culture is on the verge of extinction. "Most of China's land was taken over by the northern nations."
The news report also said: "The tomb is carved with a white tiger, a red-headed bird, a turtle and a snake, which are traditional Chinese mythological animals." Some graves have coins in their mouths or hands. These are completely consistent with the tombs in the Middle Plains, and the many pottery, bone vessels, and coins buried in the brick tombs are important evidences for the study of the close contact between the Middle Plains and the western regions during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties."
Saadettin Yağmur Gömeç, professor of history at Ankara University, who is known for his works on Uyghur history and culture, gave an interview to our radio station and commented on the opinions expressed about the museum, as well as the white tiger, red-headed bird, turtle and snake carved on the tomb.
"Snakes, tigers, birds and other mythical creatures are not only Chinese cultural elements. All this can be seen in all the peoples of Central Asia. Mud brick towers, castles, and tombs of the same style can also be seen in the fourth and fifth century Han Dynasty. These brick-built underground tombs, shown in this museum, can be found in the Altai region and the Gobi desert, and the Uyghur regions of present-day northern Mongolia. Therefore, in our opinion, these ideas put forward by the Chinese are just delusions that lack scientific evidence.
Dr. Free Ekram, an associate professor of history at Turkey's Hajetepe University, said: "The brick construction of the tombs and the carvings of the creatures on the tombs are the same as those in the Middle Plains tombs. This does not reflect the influence and close contact of Chinese culture during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties of Turkistan. The Chinese did not analyze the history of East Turkistan as a whole and made a wrong conclusion by selecting and interpreting historical items.
"Xinjiang Newspaper" on July 15th in this special news also said: "This is the first underground ancient cemetery museum in Xinjiang. "The museum has a full display of the original appearance of the ancient tomb complex, and through digitized means such as digital cloud exhibition and VR experience, it vividly recreates the culture, customs and lifestyle of the ancient Kusen region, and makes the tourists feel the charm of cultural relics."
So can this museum depicted through digital means vividly reflect the cultural customs and lifestyles of an ancient Kusen region like China?
Dr. Rune Stenberg, a Uyghur researcher from Germany, answered our question and said: "The purpose of establishing the museum of the Kusen Ancient Cemetery is not to reflect the true history through facts and evidence. On the contrary, by deliberately distorting history, Eastern Turkistan has been a Chinese territory since ancient times, and it still is. It makes the baseless idea that it will always be like this. This is not science. Propaganda."
The Chinese government recently organized an international conference called "Xinjiang's History and Future" in Kashgar and promoted the political viewpoint that "Xinjiang has always been a part of China" and "Chinese culture is the factor that unites and unites the entire region into the Chinese body."
In December last year, the Chinese Archaeological Association, the Institute of Archeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other institutions jointly held a special "Border Area Archeology Symposium" in Beijing. The conference emphasized that the history and culture of the borderlands is an important part of Chinese culture, and provided specific guidance on how archeology can be integrated into policy to build the historical and cultural awareness advocated by the Chinese government.