TIANSHANNET

Among the pottery in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwest China, moulding earthenware is the most famous with a history of two thousands years. It sprung up along with the opening of the Silk Road, and the production methods have been passed down orally from generation to generation.

The cradle of the Mongolian heroic epic Janggar is in present-day Xinjiang, northwestern China, home to the Oirat Mongols, who speak and write their own language.

The epic of Gharip and Sanam has several different versions among peoples of Uzbek, Turkmen, Azerbaijan and Turkey, etc, but they all evolved from the original tale popular in Central Asia.

Ethnic Mongolians number around 140000 in Xinjiang. Most of them live in the Mongolian Autonomous Prefectures of Bayingoleng and Bortala, and the Autonomous County of Hoboksar.

Xinjiang is home to 47 of China's ethnic groups, and each of them has their own unique culture. Particularly, Xinjiang song and dance have become the most beautiful and melodious card to bring Xinjiang to the world. These years, the cultural protection and promotion for all ethnic groups has made impressive achievement.

The Museum of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is a provincial level comprehensive historical museum in China. Located at the Xibei Road in Urumqi, the museum was constructed in 1953 and opened to the public on October 1, 1963.

Hotan carpet, famous for its beautiful design and exquisite craftwork, is attracting tourists at home and abroad for years. In recent years, however, some traditional weaving craft and design lost. Fortunately XJ Carpet Research and Development Center was set up for better protecting the national treasure.

According to Hegel's statement that "an epic is a people's bible," the heroic epic "Manas" must be the bible of the Kirgiz people living in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Blessings and Wisdom (Kutadgu Bilig) is a classic Uygur literary masterpiece on the philosophy of life and how to administer a country written by the famous poet Yusuf Khass Hajib (1018-1080) in the 11th century, or more precisely from 1069 to 1070. It contains 85 chapters in 13,290 lines. The epic is also known as the Wisdom of Royal Glory. Today there are three known copies.

Manas of the Kirghiz people is famous as one of the three greatest Chinese epics, together with Tibetan Gesar and Mongolian Jianggar . Manas also is the name of the epic's eponymous hero.