Huiyuan, Xinjiang

Coordinates: 44°03′N 80°52′E / 44.050°N 80.867°E / 44.050; 80.867

The town of Huiyuan (simplified Chinese: 惠远镇; traditional Chinese: 惠遠鎮; pinyin: Huìyuǎn Zhèn) is located within Huocheng County, in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It is situated close to the Ili River, some 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west of Yining, the main city of the prefecture, and some 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Shuiding, the county seat. As of the 2000 census, Huiyuan's population was reported as 20,564.

Between 1762 and 1866 the Huiyuan Fortress, or Huiyuan City (惠远城, Huìyuǎn Chéng), the center of the Chinese authority in Xinjiang was located within the area of the modern Huiyuan town.

History

Qing dynasty

Once the homeland of Dzungar Mongols, this area was annexed by the Manchus after 1761. Huiyuan fort was built in 1762 during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor at the time of one of the rebellions of the local Muslim population. It acted as the center of Manchu military power and civilian administration in Xinjiang. The main fortress of the "Nine Forts" of Ili (see Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture#Qing dynasty for the history of the region), Huiyuan was the seat of the Governor-general of the region, the General of Ili