URUMQI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- A set of books covering the general and religious histories of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been praised as a landmark cultural achievement and an academic bulwark against hostile propaganda and misconceptions about the region.
Since a September launch in Beijing, libraries across Xinjiang have listed the two books as authoritative sources, while the works also drew significant attention at a major book fair in the region's Hotan Prefecture.
Compiled over more than two years by the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, the books present an authentic history of Xinjiang, spanning from the Paleolithic Age to the present. Experts and scholars have praised the set of books as a comprehensive work of historical research on Xinjiang and a significant cultural project.
Wu Yiqun, dean of the School of History at Xinjiang University, said the monographs draw on solid historical materials to correct misconceptions, presenting robust academic theories based on rigorous research to build academic agreement on the subject.
The books, as primary source material, will play a key role in clarifying matters and building consensus in college and university teaching and research, Wu added.
To guarantee the books' authoritativeness, the compilation group convened more than 100 seminars, gathering experts from across the country in disciplines such as history, ethnic studies, religion, archaeology and border governance.
The books have emerged at an appropriate time as hostile forces at home and abroad constantly concoct false narratives about Xinjiang, said Li Tao, Party chief and vice president of the academy.
One of the books, focusing on the history of Xinjiang, is considered the country's first general history work on the region, covering a wide range of fields within a complete and standardized academic format.
With support from a wealth of historical records, archaeological artifacts and statistical data, the book traces central governments' administration of Xinjiang throughout history, affirming that Xinjiang has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times.
The book also vividly outlines the tremendous changes Xinjiang has undergone over more than 70 years, as it has developed from poverty into a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
The second book deals with the history of religions in Xinjiang, delineating the region's religious landscape and how it took shape.
The book presents core themes of how multiple religions, including Shamanism and other primitive religions, Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam, have developed and coexisted, as well as their adaptation to the Chinese context, said Yu Shangping, the chief editor of the book and vice president of the academy.
According to the book, the coexistence of multiple religions, with one or two predominating, has been a basic feature of Xinjiang's religious landscape. It concludes that, in the region's history, no single religion has ever existed alone.
The set of works is underpinned by abundant archaeological artifacts, historical documents and academic achievements, all aimed at presenting history as it truly happened, said Ren Hong, director of the academy's institute of religious studies.
Tian Kang, Party chief of the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said the books' solid historical conclusions should be woven into exhibition hall interpretations to tell the true stories about Xinjiang. ■
