Shadian incident
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| Shadian Incident | |
|---|---|
| Part of Cultural Revolution in China | |
 Photo of bodies of ethnic minority Hui Muslims, taken in the aftermath of the killing. | |
| Native name | 沙甸事件 |
| Location | Gejiu City, Yunnan, China |
| Date | 1974–1975 (51 years ago) |
Attack type | Ethnic conflict, Civil unrest |
| Deaths | 1,600 civilians, including 300 children |
| Victims | Hui |
| Perpetrators | People's Liberation Army, Chinese Communist Party, Militia etc. |
The Shadian incident (Chinese: 沙甸事件; pinyin: Shādiàn shìjiàn) was an uprising of Muslim Hui people against the rule of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Cultural Revolution, which was eventually suppressed by the People's Liberation Army in a massacre.[1][2][3][4][5] In July and August, 1975, the uprising and the subsequent military suppression took place in several villages of Yunnan Province in southwest China, especially at the Shadian Town of Gejiu City.[1][6] The estimated death toll was around 1,600 (with half deaths from Shadian alone) including 300 children, and 4,400 houses were destroyed.[1][3][4][6][7][8][9]
The conflict between the CCP and local religious Hui people began in 1974, during the Cultural Revolution, when a group of Hui people went to Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province, demanding the freedom of religion granted by the Constitution of China.[1][2] However, local government deemed the behavior of the hundreds of protesters as "causing a disturbance" and "opposing the leadership of the Communist Party".[1][2] In 1975, local Hui people attempted to forcefully re-open the mosques shut down by the government during the Cultural Revolution, escalating the conflict and attracting the attention of Beijing.[1][2][4]On 29 July, 1975, with approval from Chairman Mao Zedong, some 10,000 People's Liberation Army soldiers received a direct order from Deng Xiaoping to crack down on the uprising (some sources state that this order came from Wang Hongwen[10][11]), resulting in a mass killing of Hui people.[1][2][6]
Shadian Town in Yunnan Province in southwest China had one of China's largest Hui populations, with a total of about 7,200 residents.[8] During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), as part of the campaign to destroy the "Four Olds", the People's Liberation Army had shut down mosques and burned religious books.[12][13] Many Muslims set up their own factions to preserve their rights as stated in the Constitution of China.[7][12] Serious religious conflicts erupted there in 1964 and continued through the early 1970s.[2][9]
History of the incident
Initial conflicts
In September 1974, an official notice from the Communist Party provincial committee in Yunnan was issued, ordering closure of all mosques within Yunnan province, which angered the local Hui population.[8] More than 1,000 people went to Kunming (the capital city of Yunnan) to protest, and some even boarded a train to Beijing to complain.[8] In particular, a group of more than 800 Muslims from Shadian Town went to Kunming, demanding the government honor the freedom of religion granted by the Constitution of China.[1][2] However, the delegation was accused by government officials of creating a disturbance and opposing the leadership of the Communist Party.[1][2][14]
Subsequently, violence erupted between a "Muslim Militia Regiment" and the non-Muslim county administration's command.[2][14]In early 1975, representatives of both sides were called to a meeting in Beijing, where truce was brokered, only to be broken immediately on the ground in Shadian when confusion arose regarding how to handle the illegal weapons possessed by the local villagers.[2][14]The situation further deteriorated when villagers tried to forcefully re-open the mosques and refused to pay grain tax to the state as a form of protest.[1][2]
Military suppression and massacre
On 5 July 1975, the Central Committee of the CCP issued a directive signed by Chairman Mao Zedong, ordering the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to bring the situation under control if all other attempts to end the tense standoff failed.[2] A string of conflicts ensued, and at the direct request of the provincial authorities, some 10,000 PLA soldiers were called in to settle the conflict.[2][6][8] Within a week, hundreds of Hui people were killed and at least 4,400 houses destroyed in Shadian and nearby villages.[1][6][14]
Government officials later stated that only around 130 people were killed,[8] whereas most sources estimated that 1,600 Chinese Muslims, including 300 children, had lost their lives (some source claimed the death toll to be as high as 5,000).[1][3][4][6][8][15] The PLA used guns, howitzers, flamethrowers, as well as bombardment from air during the suppression.[8][7][14]
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