①What is the concept of western China? Western China usually refers to the west of the line connecting the Yellow River and the Qinling Mountains, including the 12 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in northwest and southwest my country. This vast land area is 5.46 million square kilometers, accounting for 57% of the total land area; its population is 280 million, accounting for 23% of the country's total population. ②Western China is the source of Chinese civilization. The footsteps of Chinese ancestors walked along the water's edge. Teeth fossils of Yuanmou Man were unearthed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, dating back about 1.7 million years ago; skulls of Lantian Man were unearthed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, dating back about 700,000 years ago. Hominins from both sites are older than Peking Man (about 500,000 years ago). ③The western region of China not only has a vast territory and long history, but also has rich and colorful cultural resources. ④The western region of China is the important birthplace of Chinese civilization. After Emperor Qin and Han Dynasty, Eastern and Western cultures met and merged here, resulting in the sound of camel bells of the Silk Road and the evening drums and morning bells of Longshen Temple. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is a miracle in the history of world culture. On the basis of inheriting the artistic tradition of the Han and Jin Dynasties, it has formed its own grandeur and displayed artistic form and cultural connotation. Historical and cultural heritage sites such as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the Western Xia Tombs, the Ancient Loulan Kingdom, the Potala Palace, Sanxingdui, and the Dazu Rock Carvings have also attracted the attention of the world and have become important symbols of Chinese culture. ⑤The western region of China is an important birthplace of the Chinese revolution. Revolutionary holy places such as Zunyi, Yan'an and Hongyan Village have given birth to profound revolutionary cultural traditions. Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" became a banner for the development of revolutionary literature and art. The "Lu Xun Art Academy" in Yan'an has produced a large number of famous writers, artists and literary theorists in just a few years... These valuable assets have laid a solid foundation for western culture to follow the direction of advanced culture. ⑤The western region of China is also a gathering place for my country’s ethnic minorities and their culture. There are more than 50 ethnic minorities living here, including almost all ethnic minorities in our country. In some remote ethnic minority areas, economic backwardness and traffic congestion have brought poverty to people's lives, but they have also allowed these places to retain some artistic varieties from ancient times and become precious "living fossils", such as Naxi ancient music. , opera, paper-cutting, embroidery, rock paintings and other folk arts and religious arts. They are distinctive and colorful, like a huge treasure house of national folk culture and art. ⑦The historical and cultural resources and ethnic cultural resources possessed by the western region of China are an important part of the development of the western region. We should pay full attention to these unique resource advantages, strengthen their rescue, protection, conservation and rational utilization, establish a good ecological environment for ethnic and folk culture, and contribute to the promotion of the development of the western region.

Development of Western China

1. The four development of western China in Chinese history opened up the historical picture. The governments of the Han, Tang, Yuan and Qing dynasties in China all focused on the western part of the country, especially in the western part of the country. Large-scale development activities have been carried out in Xinjiang and Tibet today. Tracing the footsteps of our ancestors on a historical tour will bring us some inspiration for today's western development. During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian made two missions to the Western Regions. It was a symbol of the development of transportation between China and the West. It established direct contact between the Han Dynasty and the countries in the Western Regions, and also opened the prelude to the Chinese government's development and governance of the Xinjiang region. In 60 BC, the Western Han Dynasty established a "duhu" in the Western Regions and completed the unification of the Western Regions. Before and after, the Western Han Dynasty implemented a series of measures to develop and govern Xinjiang, mainly including: garrisoning the border. Organizing Han soldiers and civilians to enter the Western Regions to colonize and guard the borders was a basic policy of the Han Dynasty in managing the Western Regions. According to historical records, during the more than 100 years since the Western Han Dynasty developed the Western Regions, the army and civilians established more than 500,000 acres of land, which not only solved the problem of military food, but also introduced advanced agricultural technology and production methods, promoting the development of the local economy. Station troops and build defense and transportation facilities. In order to ensure the security of the western border and the smooth flow of the "Silk Road", the Western Han government built many castles and continuous beacon tunnels and pavilions on various trade routes in the Western Regions, and deployed troops to guard and manage the traffic in the Western Regions. Governed according to customs and implemented loose ethnic policies. Compared with the Xiongnu slave owners who imposed excessive levies on various countries in the Western Regions, the Western Han Dynasty implemented a lenient policy and basically did not levy taxes on the local people of all ethnic groups. The development and governance of the Western Regions by the Western Han Dynasty laid a solid foundation for the unification of the motherland, the unity of the ethnic groups, and the economic development of Xinjiang. The development of western China in the Tang Dynasty entered a new stage.

In terms of scope, development in the past was mainly concentrated in southern Xinjiang, but in the Tang Dynasty, 11 large reclamation areas were established in the Western Regions, covering almost all regions of Xinjiang today. From a time perspective, the Tang Dynasty's development in Xinjiang lasted for 161 years, which was unmatched by any previous dynasty. In terms of numbers, there were about 20,000 troops stationed in Xinjiang during the Western Han Dynasty. Since then, there have been only a few thousand troops in all dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, the number of troops stationed in Xinjiang reached more than 50,000. There are several noteworthy features in the Tang Dynasty's development of Xinjiang: First, it established a very complete military and political management organization. This not only ensures the implementation of central government decrees, but also facilitates the smooth progress of development work; second, it focuses on comprehensive development so that all aspects of construction complement each other. In order to adapt to local conditions, since the farming system was implemented, the tenancy system and sharecropping system were implemented for the recruited villagers. In the military, the government-military system of integrating soldiers and farmers has been implemented, so that the garrison can well shoulder the dual responsibility of cultivating and guarding the border; thirdly, it respects the rights and interests of all ethnic groups and does not engage in ethnic discrimination. It was these measures and policies that caused the development of Xinjiang to reach its second climax in the Tang Dynasty. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty adopted a series of effective measures to develop and govern the western region and implement all-round economic development in the western region. In terms of agriculture, military settlements and civilian settlements were implemented, and 1.5 million acres of wasteland were reclaimed; in terms of handicraft industry, industry management agencies were established to promote the development of the smelting and weaving and dyeing industries; in terms of transportation, more than 60 post stations were set up to ensure The unimpeded central government's orders and the rapid transmission of military information in the Western Regions; in terms of finance, the currency of the Western Regions was unified and promoted the development of the local commodity economy; in terms of taxation, the policy of thin taxation was implemented to limit the exploitation of officials and reduce the burden on the people; the talents of ethnic minorities were reused . Western talents were valued and reused by the central government of the Yuan Dynasty. During this period, a large number of politicians, military strategists, scientists, writers and artists emerged among the Uighurs (today's Uighurs). The rulers of the Qing Dynasty, especially the emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, all attached great importance to maintaining and developing the western region as a matter of national security, thus ushering in another climax of western development in history. In terms of national defense construction, the Qing Dynasty established castles in important strategic directions and regions, set up Karen (outposts) along border passes and mountain passes, established post stations and military platforms on major transportation routes, and formed a relatively complete defense and communication system in the west. In terms of economy, the Qing government focused its development on the Xinjiang region, developing wasteland on a large scale in the form of military, civilian, and prison camps to develop the agricultural economy. According to statistics, from 1716 to 1911, the Qing Dynasty officially established 24 reclamation areas in Xinjiang, investing 126,700 laborers and reclaiming 3.019 million acres of wasteland. In terms of time, scale, and efficiency, it was the highest among all dynasties in the past. The Qing Dynasty also attached great importance to the development of commerce in Xinjiang, focusing on the development of official commerce. At the same time, it actively developed private commerce. It used low tariff policies to attract foreign businessmen to engage in trade in Xinjiang, and removed traditional checkpoints to encourage Xinjiang merchants to do business in the interior. 2. Contemporary China’s Western Development ●Mobilization Order for Western Development In June 1999, General Secretary Jiang delivered an important speech in Xi’an on accelerating the development of the central and western regions. He emphasized that accelerating the development of the western region and the twelve provinces in western China not only have great economic significance for promoting the reform and construction of the country and maintaining the long-term peace and order of the party and the country, but also have great political and social significance. significance. From now on, this must be placed in a more prominent position as a major strategic task for the party and the country. The wheel of history of western development is rolling forward, and the spring breeze of reform is blowing. At the turn of the century, the great Chinese nation was faced with another major decision: In order to change the backwardness of the western region, coordinate the balanced economic development of the east and west, and give full play to the natural advantages of our ancient civilization with a vast land and abundant resources, the Party Central Committee lost no time in making the plan to develop the western region. great strategic plan. The prosperity of the motherland is the greatest wish of every descendant of Yan and Huang, and a better life is the common wish of the hard-working Chinese people. The west, as a broader space for survival and development, is waiting for us to explore and develop. One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the central government's strategy became the focus of people's attention. All strata of society were excited and excited about it. Media people never put themselves outside the hot spots.

In the face of such historical opportunities, how to introduce the customs, rich resources, unlimited business opportunities and splendid culture of the West to the world; how to show Shanghai’s warmth and friendliness, image of the times, prosperous economy and Shanghai-style culture to the people of the West; how to promote the political integration of the East and the West The issue of extensive exchanges in , economy, culture, science, education and other aspects has become an urgent need for Shangshi people to think about.