Zunun Kadir's Ambiguity: The dilemma of a Uyghur writer under Chinese rule

The minority nationalities that have been incorporated into historical Chinese empires, and into the modern Chinese state, have always struggled to maintain their distinct cultures under Chinese dominance. Over the last two centuries, the Uyghur people found themselves forcibly incorporated as Xinjiang (“New Territories”) Province into the Ching Empire, Nationalist China, and Communist China, despite many attempts to assert the independence, or at least genuine autonomy, of the land they know as East Turkistan. Zunun Kadir (1912-1989), one of the best known writers in 20th Century Uyghur literature, chose to stay in Xinjiang and try to work within the Chinese system to protect and promote his people’s culture and identity. Dilber Thwaites’ deep study of his writings, with extensive translations, shows how Zunun Kadir’s use of ambiguity and cultural symbolism enabled him to create vital and inspiring works for his people, in a climate of censorship, cultural oppression and political danger.