Xinjiang Netizens React to Kunming Knife Attack Public Backlash

From Sina Weibo:

#I am Xinjiangnese#

I am Xinjiangnese, as well as amongst the innocent people. The people here are both hardworking and kind, so please don’t blindly make us out to be dissidents/outsiders [enemies]. We have also experienced pain and sorrow, so at this moment are also deeply heartbroken. I pray for Kunming. May the deceased rest in peace, and the living stay strong.

Comments from Sina Weibo:

南山初雪:

Please don’t label our Xinjiang so recklessly. Those evildoers [attackers] have no right to represent our Xinjiang! Those evildoers also do not have the right to represent ethnic Uyghurs! Whatever you do, don’t unload your anger towards other ethnic Uyghurs or Xinjiangnese. Because that’s what the separatists want. The 56 ethnic groups are all family. No matter what ethnicity, good people are the majority!

蜜萝菠萝菠:

This must be said: in Xinjiang, over 260 violent incidents happen every year, but never has there been people saying “Don’t cry, Xinjiang”, or “Stay strong, Xinjiang” [referring to similar Chinese internet memes as words of encouragement and support by netizens around the country for areas that have suffered some sort of major tragedy]. The moment something like this happens to other places in the interior of China there are all sorts of prayers and blessings. Meanwhile, more than 16 million people in Xinjiang are cursed as dog shit along with several violent terrorists. With something so wrong and unfair, we can only say to the people back in our hometowns: Stay strong, Xinjiang! Our big Xinjiang is the best. I have never regretted being born in Xinjiang.

王亚琦_w:

Those who know me, those friends of mine from all around the country, what do you think of me? If you think I’m good, that I’m not a bad person, then please allow me to represent Xinjiang, because this piece of land taught me how to be a person [decent]. I ask that when you are cursing those terrorists to die 10,000 times, scratch the word Xinjiangnese [from your sentences]. Otherwise, our friendship ends here. Thank you, because I hate those murderers more than you do.

金爺想说耶耶耶：

A friend of mine drew this. Isn’t it the truth? Hope everything will be fine.

[Translation of text in images:]

I AM XINJIANGNESE

Living in the big family that is China, although many people have many misunderstandings, I still feel happy/blessed being with everybody.

Suddenly, one day

A group of horrible people came. They did a very bloody, and very horrible thing to my friends and brothers. Blood flowed like a river, as tens of thousands of people wailed.

And I, don’t know what to do.

I see people are hurt, I see that they are in tears. I know my heart aches so much that I can’t even speak.

“Are you guys okay…?” [With a Xin on his forehead indicated “Xinjiang”]
“Get away! Don’t come near us!”                                            

Turns out, they have mistaken me, mistaken me as also a terrorist.

“My goal was precisely to divide you all~ Ha ha~ They don’t want you anymore. So, come with me~”

No. Definitely not. I know I won’t compromise.

“So cruel!”
“Get lost!!”
“Stay away!!”

But… but… why do I get this feeling that… I can never go back…

Am I really… really a bad guy…? Why is no one willing to believe me… The bad guys are only the minority… only the minority.

I still want… to be with everyone…

I hope that no more people will get hurt.
That everyone will eventually smile at me, and welcome me back home.

弥野天工:

In recent years, whenever they’re asked about their native birthplace or hometown, every Xinjiangnese out there probably has hesitated a little, but of course in the end we would always say that we are Xinjiangnese. Loud and clear! In other people’s circles, you might be the only one who’s Xinjiangnese. So, in other people’s eyes, you are Xinjiang! Get rid of bad habits, always help other people, always be kind. Every Xinjiangnese is a representative for Xinjiang.

青蛇婊:

Stop cursing Xinjiang.

2009 July 5, some misfortune happened in Xinjiang and the central government immediately cut all of Xinjiang’s communications with the outside world. It really felt like we were isolated.

That year I went traveling in the interior of the country, and no one knew about the riot in Xinjiang. Just like this, we lost countless innocent lives in utter silence.

When earthquakes or riots happen in any other places, everyone cares and prays for them. But when an earthquake happened in Xinjiang, there were even people on the internet saying we deserved it. My heart was so chilled. And like this, we suffered from both natural and human disasters in silence.

How horrifying a future the country faces when the nation is not united. When a country doesn’t have domestic harmony, how can it move against all kinds of other danger?

Rebiya has plotted all of these, and now she has sort of succeeded. You all now dislike us here, and slowly you isolate Xinjiang. The people of the interior [other Chinese] are now all prejudiced against Xinjiang. This vast land, making up 1/6 of China, with so many natural resources, and now she’ll probably get what she wants.

You’ve never seen how beautiful Xinjiang is. You don’t know how splendid the lights shine in the night in our provincial capital. Ignorance is not frightening, but please don’t go around showing off your ignorance.

Shihezi, in this small city developed by the military, Uyghurs are rarely seen. [The city residents’] fathers, and their fathers’ fathers all came from the interior to develop the frontier. Our ancestral homes are also scattered all over the nation, all coming here to build up this land. Why do you think they came here? Now all the people back in our hometowns are cursing those so-called Xinjiangnese.

But they merely represent a small group of people. Back in the “7.5” incident, the number of people who died as reported by CCTV was just the tip of the iceberg. Those who were implicated were all innocent people. See clearly the truth/facts before talking about the issues, okay?

I love Xinjiang.

Mi藌藌藌藌藌藌藌藌藌藌藌藌酱iM：

When adopting a unified approach in reporting the news, wouldn’t it be appropriate to remove the word “Xinjiang”? What are Xinjiang separatist forces exactly? Really, separatist forces are a product of politics; they are not created simply from a region. Xinjiang is a geographic term, the word itself doesn’t have the meaning of separatist forces in it. When watching all the news reports everywhere, every anchorperson intentionally stresses the word Xinjiang while reading from the script.

乔见-付小狒狒:

When you go on campus, you’ll discover: schoolmates from Xinjiang don’t take knives and randomly hack people, neither do Tibetans randomly get into gang fights, schoolmates from Guangdong can also be picky eaters, Shanghainese people can also be easy to get along with, and Beijingers don’t always speak with a bureaucratic tone. We can’t conflate things acting on hearsay generalizing people. It’ll be a tragedy of the Chinese nation if we can only look at this world from what we hear [hearsay and stereotypes].

赞古mama-:

I was born in Urumqi, and raised in Urumqi too, a 100% pure Xinjiang girl. In order to develop the frontier, my grandparents moved out of the big city and sacrificed their precious youth here: Fragrant foods and fruits, rich and fertile resources, an azure blue sky, a warm and passionate people, local customs and traditions, modern cities. If you insist on saying Xinjiang is no good, then I am very sorry. Because you don’t know the virtues and beauty of this land. I am proud of being Xinjiangnese. The mountains and rivers are beautiful here, but the people here are even more beautiful. The great beauty, Xinjiang.

奥利弗晶:

I am Xinjiangnese, but I’m not a thug; just like you are Cantonese, but are not a prostitute. You know what I mean!!! [Alludes to the recent crackdowns on the prostitution industry in Guangdong.

懒猫儿_驴:

I’m currently studying in Urumchi Erdaoqiao. I have many friends who are ethnic minorities, and they are very talented. Those studying design have some very great ideas. In a multi-ethnic/multicultural place like Xinjiang, there are also very different human natures. There are also bad people in the interior [of China] too, but can we curse people of the interior as being scum? No. Because we are all [people of] China.

阿力木江:

I am Xinjiangnese. I wear my ethnic dress. I can speak my Uyghur language. But I’m not a terrorist. My name is Jiang, but I’m no terrorist.

AIJIA李润萌:

Stop using words such as Xinjiangnese, or mainlanders. It sounds like whoever are saying these words are not Chinese. Even if there is a tiny group of people doing bad things, we can’t take them for the whole! Xinjiangnese are very good, very frank and open, and very upright.

昌吉王者:

The purpose of those terrorists and separatists is to damage Xinjiang people’s image in people’s hearts nationwide. The purpose is none other than to stir up hate in people nationwide against Xinjiangnese, and then realize their goal of separating Xinjiang. Stay strong, Kunming, Xinjiang is with you. Stay strong, Kunming, together we draw swords against the terrorists! Hello– Kunming and Xinjiang!! Remember, they [the attackers, terrorists] are not Xinjiang, cannot represent Xinjiang, and do not represent any religion or ethnic group! Reshare/forward this on!

琉璃无殤也无双:

I’m not Xinjiangnese, but I know most Xinjiangnese are good people. Just like us Han people, they love this country deeply. In this great Chinese nation, the 56 ethnic groups are one family and if our Chinese nation were to lose any one ethnic group, we would not be whole… Stay strong, Xinjiang! Stay strong, Kunming!!!

我的男朋友是白羊座Wz偶吧:

I’m not Xinjiangnese, but I won’t go discriminate against Xinjiangnese. I know Xinjiang is very beautiful, and that the people there are also very kind. They were abandoned by our country for 2 years, but have they ever complained? We use their natural gas yet despise them here, are we not ashamed? We are all one nation. People’s hearts can never be the same, but we all know the difference between good and evil.

小超人丶已死:

I also don’t know why people of the interior have such huge and deep prejudice against Xinjiang. Why, my friends? Have you ever set foot onto our Xinjiang? Have your eyes ever beheld our Xinjiang? Because you have never been to Xinjiang, therefore, please don’t criticize our beloved home, don’t use vicious words against our home… Xinjiang, Xinjiang, my home!

[Translation of the words in the picture above: I’m Ding Xiaoman. I live in Xinjiang Urumqi. Xinjiang is a great beauty. I speak for Xinjiang. @Mr. Ding Man]

她的故事她的梦v:

Everyone, please stop defaming/villifying us! In doing so, you are letting that tiny group of people prevail! They are not human! We are Xinjiangnese, and we are children of China, same as you are.

Forever_君毅王:

If you are a friend! Our hearts will be as clear as the water in Kanas Lake! If you are a friend! Our bosom will be as broad as the Ili Grassland! If you are a friend! Our bodies will protect you from storms like Mount Tianshan! But if you are an enemy, sorry! Our  will be as fierce as overnight Samsa!!

巩梦宇_:

[I’m a] born and raised on mutton Xinjiangnese. That year, there was not a single lit candle [likely referring to netizens on Sina Weibo commonly posting candle emoticons to express sympathy and support after major tragedies], not a single person praying [for Xinjiang’s well-being]. Of course, there also weren’t ignorant abusive words by people either. There were only us, encouraging each other, taking care of each other, terrified, enduring that year without the internet, without communications [with the outside world], and having our blood buried and hidden deep by other people. We also hate the evildoers [thugs, attackers, terrorists], and hate them for ruining our quiet peaceful life. But please hate with rationality.