Brief Introduction of Uzbek Ethnic Group

Central Asian resident Uzbek Nationality

The Uzbek nationality is scattered over wide areas of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with a population of 14,502 according to the 4^thpopulation census in 1990. Most of them are city dwellers and live in compact communities in Yining, Tacheng, Urumqi and Kashi. Others distribute in towns, country and pasturing area around Xinjiang. In Dongjiang Mulei County, where Uzbek people are concentrated relatively, Uzbek autonomous countries are set up.

The self-called “Uzbek” is coordinated with origin of Uzbek nationality. Uzbek Khan(“Yuejibie” or “Yuezhubie”in Yuan history), one of the local rulers under the Mongol Empire in the 14th century, had strengthen a branch state called Jingzhanghan under his rule so that state was called Uzbekhan and his civilian was called “Uzbek people”. In the 15th century, a number of Uzbek people led by Xibanni Khan moved to the southern agriculture area, where they merged with native Turki engaging in agriculture. Hence, Central Asian Uzbek nationality came into being. In 1850s when Qing Dynasty unified Xinjiang, Central Asian Uzbek people moved to Xinjiang as merchants, some of them settled down, and they were ancestor of Uzbek nationality in China 

The language of Uzbek nationality belongs to the Tuskic branch of the Altaic language family. The written form is an alphabetic writing based on the Arabic letters. They believe in Islam, and many Islam taboo are kept strictly. Uzbek people are good at singing and dancing, and their pattern art creations are ultra- superior traditional culture.