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Cultural Rituals Sustain Community
- Mesrep (harvest festival) and other cultural practices bind Uyghur communities and transmit identity across generations.
- These rituals persisted as forms of resilience while Uyghurs lived under external pressure to assimilate.
Hidden Books From The Cultural Revolution
- Abdul Valiayu remembers having 'red' revolutionary books and secret 'yellow' Uyghur books hidden at home during the Cultural Revolution.
- His family hid Uyghur books to protect children from persecution and preserve heritage.
1980s Cultural Renaissance
- Deng Xiaoping-era reforms in the 1980s briefly opened space for a Uyghur cultural renaissance and greater local autonomy.
- This 'golden age' allowed mosques, language, publishing, and cultural life to revive until political backlashes emerged.