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LOCATION
AND AREA
The Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, located on the northern
fringe of the Junggar Basin at the northern foot of the Tianshan
Mountains and bordering on the People’s Republic of Mongolia
in the northeast, covers an area of 77,500 square kilometers. The
city of Changji, 35 kilometers from Urumqi and between latitude
43°'and 45°20'north and longitude 86°24'and 87°37
east, with an average elevation of 579.2 meters, occupies an area
of 7,725.6 square kilometers, and has an urban area of 12.9 square
kilometers.
HISTORY
The prefecture has a long history. As early as the New Stone Age
people  lived
here hunting and leading a nomadic life. During the Han Dynasty,
an office of Wuji subordinate officer was established in the area,
towns sprung up and farming began. During the Tang Dynasty, the
Beiting Grand Military Viceroys Office was set up here with the
area north of the Tianshan Mountains and east and south of Balchas
Lake under its jurisdiction, and it was the political, military,
economic and cultural center of the Western Region. During the Yuan
Dynasty, the Executive Chancery of Bieshibali was established to
administer the area north of the Tianshan Mountains. The Qing Dynasty,
after putting down the Jungar Rebellion, set up Changji,, Fuyan,
Suilai, Qitai and Jinghua counties here, under the jurisdiction
of Zhendi Prefecture. It was during this period that a great number
of immigrants from Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai came here to do large-scale
land reclamation, benefiting the development of agriculture, handicraft
industry and commerce in the area tremendously. Under the Republic
of China, two more counties (Qiande and Muleihe) were set up and
added to the area and all the counties were under the jurisdiction
if Dihua Prefectural Commissioner’s Office. On July 15, 1954,
the Changji Hui Autonomous Region was founded, with Urumqi, Changji
and Miquan counties under its jurisdiction. In 1955, it was changed
to an autonomous prefecture. In May 1958, the counties of Manas,
Hutubi, Fukang, Jimsar and Qitai and and the Mulei Kazak Autonomous
County were incorporated into the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture.
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