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Huiwang Mansion

Tour Guide The Huiwang Mansion is located in Huijiang Township, Hami City. It was rebuilt in the 45th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1706) on the foundation of the original Mongolian royal mansion. Introduction After the Uyghur leader of Hami, Emin Dorah, broke away from the Jungar tribe and pledged allegiance to the Qing Dynasty, he went to Beijing in the autumn of the 37th year of Kangxi’s reign (1698) and returned the following year, bringing Han artisans from the capital to design and construct the mansion and the Hui City. The construction took seven years to complete. The rebuilt mansion was grand in scale, and its architectural structure reflected both the artistic style of classical Islamic architecture and the characteristics of Han Chinese architectural art.

The mansion featured high earthen walls, glazed tile roofs, upturned eaves and bracket sets, with gardens interspersed throughout. It was the largest and most distinctive palace-style building in Xinjiang at the time. Over the next several generations of Hui kings, the site was further renovated, expanded, and managed. By the time of the 7th Hui King, Bashi’er, it had become a magnificent complex of palatial gardens with interconnected residences. In the 5th year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), rebel forces of Agubai attacked Hami, killed Bashi’er, and burned down the mansion. In the autumn of the 12th year of Tongzhi (1873), Bai Yanhu, leader of the Shaanxi Muslim rebel army, stormed into the Hui City and looted the mansion once again.

In the 8th year of the Guangxu reign (1882), the 9th Hui King, Shamu Hesut, succeeded to the throne and carried out an expansion and renovation of the mansion. The expanded mansion covered one-fourth of the area of the Hui City, with over 800 rooms and nine large and small gate towers. The main gate tower featured a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with upturned eaves, ridged roofs, painted beams and carved rafters, and a green-glazed tile roof. The entire architectural complex was divided into an inner and outer palace. The inner palace was built at the same elevation as the city wall, and its exterior resembled a fortress-style palace.

In June of the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), Shamu Hesut passed away. The following year, during a peasant uprising, provincial troops stationed in Hami occupied the Hui City. In search of treasures, they set the two-hundred-year-old Huiwang Mansion “ablaze, reducing it to rubble,” and even the centuries-old “Classic Storage Library” was reduced to ashes in the fire.

The present-day Huiwang Mansion is situated in Alton Village, Huijiang Township, Hami City (next to the Tomb of the Kings of Hami). It is a tourist attraction themed around patriotism and ethnic unity, initiated in 2003 by the Hami Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. The project received strong support from Guangdong Province and Xinjiang aid cadres. The reconstruction of the Huiwang Mansion was carried out in three phases. Currently, the first phase (the King’s Platform) has been completed, covering an area of 59.68 mu and with an investment of over 20 million yuan.

The completed King’s Platform is divided into two parts: the upper part features antique-style architecture (13 individual buildings with a total floor area of 1,400 square meters), while the lower part consists of a two-story frame structure (with a total floor area of about 14,000 square meters). Main facilities include the Council Hall for Chieftains, the Main Hall of the Hui King’s Palace, the Hui King’s Sleeping Quarters, auxiliary halls, a mosque, and corner pavilions.

Xinjiang Hami City

Huijiang Township: Located in the southern suburbs of Hami City, Huijiang Township is a suburban area. It currently has an agricultural population of 4,633, 98% of whom are ethnic minorities. The total labor force in the township is 3,009, of which 629 are surplus laborers—42% are permanently surplus and 58% are seasonally surplus. Among the surplus laborers, 62% have an educational level below junior high school. In recent years, the Huijiang Township Party Committee and government have based their efforts on local realities, strengthened measures, increased publicity and guidance, intensified training, and explored employment channels in multiple directions.

I. Tailoring to Local Conditions and Strengthening Training. To improve the quality and self-reliance of surplus labor... More details on Huijiang Township++