Hotan

alternative Khotan · alternative Khotän

1. A prefecture of the Xinjiang autonomous region, China.

   Hotan is located in southern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is an oasis town in the Tarim Basin, north of the Kunlun Mountains and south of the Taklamakan Desert. Hotan Prefecture is a multinational area: 96 percent Uyghur and 3 percent Han.

   2011 November 4, Dongya Zhang, “A discovery of folk gems in Hotan”, in Beijing Today, number 543, →ISSN, →OCLC, Travel China, page 21, column 3

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   Today in Hotan Prefecture, including Pishan, Moyu, Lop, Qira, Yutian and Minfeng counties–places under the jurisdiction of ancient Khotan State which once dominated the southern route of the Silk Road–818 cobbled canals with a combined length of 1,500 kilometres have been built. Thus, melted snow from the Kunlun Mountains irrigates the prefecture's 200,000 hectacres of farmland.

   The Silk Road, Past and Present

   1989, Che Muqi (车慕奇), 丝绸之路今昔 [The Silk Road, Past and Present], Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 286

   It is not uncommon to find Uyghurs, particularly from Hotan and Kashgar in southern Xinjiang, – perceived by the authorities as anti-government hotspots – reporting that half or more of their immediate family members are in a mix of political education camps, pre-trial detention, and prison. For example, an interviewee said her husband, his 4 brothers, and their 12 nephews – that is, all the men in the family – have been detained in political education camps since 2017.

   2018, Maya Wang, ““Eradicating Ideological Viruses” China’s Campaign of Repression Against Xinjiang’s Muslims”, in Human Rights Watch, →OCLC

   ByteDance has also been working with Xinjiang authorities under a program called “Xinjiang Aid,” whereby Chinese companies open subsidiaries or factories in Xinjiang and employ locals who have been detained in the camps. Its operations are centered on Hotan, an area of Xinjiang considered backward by the Communist Party and where the repression has been among the most severe.

   2019 November 28, Anna Fifield, “TikTok’s owner is helping China’s campaign of repression in Xinjiang, report finds”, in Washington Post, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2019

2. A county-level city of Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang autonomous region, China.

   Two Chinese men view an exhibit on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Hotan, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, 2003.

   2006, Shu Shin Luh, The People of China, Mason Crest Publishers, →ISBN, page 114

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   Abla Ahat, police chief of Purchaqchi township, told RFA that five of the suspects came from Nawagh township in Hotan city and were met by the other two men from Manglay township at the Sherbet restaurant.

   2015 March 13, Shohret Hoshur, Joshua Lipes, “Chinese Authorities Shoot ‘Suspicious’ Uyghurs Dead in Xinjiang Restaurant”, in Mamatjan Juma, transl., Radio Free Asia, archived from the original on 15 Mar 2015

   Analysis of satellite imagery in the public domain indicates that many religious sites appear to have been removed or changed in their characteristic identifying features, such as the removal of minarets. An illustrative example is the transformation of the Imam Asim Shrine, located in southern Xinjiang, north of the city of Hotan (see images below). This was formerly a pilgrimage site for Uyghurs and other Muslim communities that included the tomb of the Imam, a mosque, and several related tombs.

   2022 August 31, “OHCHR Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China”, in Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, archived from the original on 05 Sep 2022, page 27

   Synonyms: Hetian

3. A county of Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang autonomous region, China.

   The authorities’ attempt to enforce absolute secrecy is confirmed by another document dated November 2018, this one from a local government file in Hotan County.

   2019, Adrian Zenz, “China Didn’t Want Us to Know. Now Its Own Files Are Doing the Talking.”, in New York Times

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   Recent excavations at the Mälikä Awat site in Hotan County revealed a forty-five-kilogram cache of Western Han "five-zhu" coins buried in the sand in a large ochre-red pottery crock, standing over half a meter tall and measuring fifty-six centimeters in circumference.

   Xinjiang : the Land and the People

   1989, 郑平 [Zheng Ping], 洛安吉 [Luo Anji], transl., 新疆风物志 [Xinjiang : the Land and the People], Beijing: New World Press, →ISBN, page 145