Tajiks, the guardians of China's western frontiers

[beijingwalker]

In the late 18th century, Tsarist Russia took advantage of the turmoil in southern Xinjiang to occupy Ili and intensified its scheme to take control the Pamirs of China by repeatedly sending in "expeditions" to pave the way for armed expansion there. In 1895, Britain and Russia made a private deal to dismember the Pamirs and attempted to capture Puli. Together with the garrison troops, the Tajik people defended the border and fought for the territorial integrity of the country. At the same time, Tajik herdsmen volunteered to move to areas south of Puli, where they settled for land reclamation and animal husbandry while guarding the frontiers.
Ethnic Groups - china.org.cn

A ethnic Tajik friend told me that in the 1970's all Tajik herdsmen, men and women alike ,were given rifles while they were herding sheep in the border region. An old Tajik woman shot dead a Soviet soldier trespassing into the Chinese side but later on was killed by Soviet reinforcements, a tragic story. Back then China didn't have enough military personnel to guard those far remote regions and the government let Tajiks do that job. I believe now China has those regions well guarded by regular troops and local Tajik no longer possess rifles.

 

[beijingwalker]

Today many Tajiks still serve in the Chinese army and police force safe guarding the Chinese border, protecting our people living along the border regions.

 

[beijingwalker]

 

[jkroo]

Salute to the honored brothers and sisters.
Hope their living conditions could be better in near future. Be healthy and prosperous.

 

[beijingwalker]

 

[beijingwalker]

Do those two guys look alike?

 

[beijingwalker]

they are white ?

They are Caucasians ,but some of them look white, some of them look mixed.

 

[Beast]

they are white ?

 

[Zhang Fan]

yawwwwwn............,don't the OP think this type of propaganda pics are too outdated for today?

 

[beijingwalker]

Extremely loyal to China over the history, so called the most patriotic people in China.

She is a Tatar ,not a Tajik. Tatars are basically Europeans moved to China, they are not native to Xinjiang.Tajiks Chinese are Sarikolis (majority) and Wakhis (minority) , they've lived in Pamir region for thousands of years and are the oldest native inhabitants there.

 

[beijingwalker]

Chinese Tatars are Europeans migrated to China. Their ancestors are Volga Tatars tradesmen who settled mostly in Xinjiang. They are Europeans, Not Asians.

Chinese Tatars

 

[asia2000]

Tajik policewoman.

 

[yantong1980]

Very interesting, but how many ethnic minority in China that Caucasian?

 

[beijingwalker]

Very interesting, but how many ethnic minority in China that Caucasian?

No one knows cause they look very different within themselves, the majority people in Xinjiang, Ughurs, are mostly mixed,almost like half and half. but some of them look very Mongoloid and some very Caucasian. So some famous Uyghur movie stars look just like Han Chinese ,very foreign looking Uyghurs feel marginalized in China. Tajiks are much more Caucasians, but some of them may look like neighboring Uyghurs.

Tajiks

Uyghurs

 

[Nan Yang]

No one knows cause they look very different within themselves, the majority people in Xinjiang, Ughurs, are mostly mixed,almost like half and half. but some of them look very Mongoloid and some very Caucasian. So some famous Uyghur movie stars look just like Han Chinese ,very foreign looking Uyghurs feel marginalized in China. Tajiks are much more Caucasians, but some of them may look like neighboring Uyghurs.

Tajiks

Uyghurs

Tajiks are Persian. Uighurs are Turks.
They don't like each other.

Quote
In the case of the Tajiks, as the descendants of the original Iranic-speaking population of Central Asia before the arrival of Turkic-speaking peoples, it is reasonable that they might need to reassert their Persian (Tajik) pride, after ten centuries of Turkic and Russian domination.