Beautiful April Spring in Ili Kazakh prefecture in northern Xinjiang, sea of flowers

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Beautiful Ili, China recovered from Russia 150 years ago

 

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Breathtaking Ili Altay Summer

World Nature Heritage Site: China Altay


China Altay possesses a diversity of landscape features, such as sublime glaciers and snow-covered peaks, colorful alpine meadows, grand granitic natural sculptures, dynamic atmospheric conditions, picturesque landscapes of rivers and lakes, and charming nomadic life and folk customs.

These features combine to form unique aesthetic values that are second-to-none. The area is a remarkable exemplification for the aesthetic values of integrated natural and human mountainous landscape. These landscapes are of multiple types and are characterized by high qualities, great heterogeneity stunning vistas and rich folk cultures.

The Altay Mountains are the key accumulation zone of glaciers in the world and the glaciers are extensive and suffer no human interference. Kanas region, one of the nominated sites, is where the south slope of Youyi peak is located.

The glacial area in this region is larger than that within Russia or Mongolia. The glaciers in this region are the most prominent representatives of the Altay Mountain glaciers and are the key to research on the Quaternary glacial movements of the Altay Mountains. Both modern and well-preserved ancient glaciers remnants exist. The area can be regarded as an encyclopaedia and natural museum of mountainous glacial geography.

The post-Quaternary glacial evolution has been completely recorded in the nominated sites and is invaluable information for understanding the impact that the global warming has on the mountainous ecological system. Thus, this region has high scientific value for research on glacial geography and climate change.

 

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Breathtaking Ili Altay Summer

 

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Breathtaking Ili Altay Summer

 

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Breathtaking Ili Altay Summer

 

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Ili crisis​

Ili crisis, (1879–81), dispute between Russia and China over the Chinese region centred on the Ili (Yili) River, an area in the northern part of Chinese Xinjiang, near Russian Turkistan.

Ili was the scene of increasing Russian penetration throughout the 19th century; after the signing of the Treaty of Kuldja (1851), the Russians were granted permission to establish two consulates in the area. In 1864, while the Chinese government was absorbed with the great Taiping Rebellion in South China, several independent revolts broke out among the Muslims of southern Chinese Xinjiang and the northwestern Chinese provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. Taking advantage of this confusion, an invader from Kokand, Yakub Beg, established his own kingdom in northern Xinjiang. The Russians used these disorders as an excuse to occupy the territory in July 1871, claiming that they were attempting to protect their citizens from Muslim raids and would withdraw as soon as the Chinese reestablished order.

In 1866 the Chinese, having quelled the Taipings, dispatched Zuo Zongtang to be the governor-general of northwestern China in order to end the Muslim uprisings. By 1873 Zuo had crushed the rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu and began to move against Yakub Beg. Four years later the area was secured, and Yakub Beg committed suicide.

In 1879 China sent a delegation to St. Petersburg to ask the Russians to evacuate the territory. The mission head, Chonghou, had no knowledge of the geography of the region, and he was duped into signing the Treaty of Livadia (October 1879), which returned Ili in name but actually allowed almost three-quarters of it to remain in Russian hands. In addition, the Russians were given the right to establish consulates in seven key places and were promised an indemnity of 5,000,000 rubles.

Upon learning of the treaty, the astonished Chinese government immediately imprisoned Chonghou and sentenced him to decapitation. Zuo poised his troops for attack while the Russian fleet demonstrated off the Chinese coast, and the situation became very tense. Neither country really wanted war. Chonghou’s life was spared after the intervention of a group of Western diplomats, and a second mission was sent to St. Petersburg to negotiate. Under the Treaty of St. Petersburg (February 1881), almost all of Ili was returned to China, and the Russian consulates in the area were reduced to two, but China was made to pay an indemnity of 9,000,000 rubles.

Rare case of diplomatic success for the corrupt and defunct late Qing Dynasty, after losing Ili for decades China still miraculously managed to recover this lost land.

China got lucky that Russia was fighting a bloody full scale war with Turkey in Europe during the Ili Crisis and Russia didn't want to stretch itself too thin and fight a two front war against both Turkey in Crimea and China in Ili. so in a sense, Turkey helped China recover Ili.

 

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Spirng arrives in Ili Kazakh automonous region 2023

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Ili Altay Summer

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Land of "GENOCIDE", everyone here dreams about fleeing to neighboring Indian occupied Kashmir or Afganistan to embrace "Freedom".

 

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Yining | Remote Border Town In Ili Valley​

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Russia occupied Ili region for a decade, and Zuo zhongtang led his army eventually expelled Russian invaders and recovered this region in 1881. A extremely rare victory against western powers for China in late Qing Dynasty.

General Zuo zhongtang, The famous westernized Chinese dish General Tao's chicken was also named after him.

 

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Yining, capital town of Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture

 

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