View source for Saifuddin Azizi

{{Chinese
|pic=Seypidin Azizi.jpg
|picsize=150px
|piccap=Saifuddin Azizi in 1950
|s=赛福鼎·艾则孜
|t=賽福鼎·艾則孜
|p=Saìfúdǐng Àizézī
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|uig=سەيپىدىن ئەزىزى
|uyy=Səypidin Əzizi
|uly=Seypidin Ezizi
|usy=Сəйпидин Əзизи
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'''Saifuddin Azizi''' ({{pronunciation needed|for Uighur IPA, please add here or infobox, thank you|date=January 2013}}; March 12, 1915 – November 24, 2003), also known as '''Seypidin Azizi''', '''Saif al-Dīn ʿAzīz''', '''Saifuding Aizezi''', and '''Saifuding''', was the first chairman of the [[Xinjiang]] Uyghur Autonomous Region of the [[People's Republic of China]].

==Biography==
Azizi was born in [[Tacheng]] to an influential [[Uyghur people|Uyghur]] trader family originally from [[Artux]].<ref name="McMillen">{{cite book|title=Chinese Communist Power and Policy in Xinjiang, 1949-1977|first=Donald H.|last=McMillen|publisher=Westview Press|year=1979|pages=34–36}}</ref> He attended school in Xinjiang, and then moved to the [[Soviet Union]], joining the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU) and studying at the [[Central Asia Political Institute]] in [[Tashkent]].<ref>Xinjiang: China's Muslim Borderland by S. Frederick Starr</ref> He returned to Xinjiang as a Soviet agent, instigating the Soviet-backed [[Ili Rebellion]] against the [[Republic of China (1912-1949)|Republic of China]] government in northwest Xinjiang. He served as Minister of Education in the [[Second East Turkestan Republic]] and Commissioner of Education in the [[Zhang Zhizhong]] Ili Rebel-[[Kuomintang]] coalition government from 1945-1948.<ref name="McMillen"/> In September 1949, Saifuddin attended the [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference]] endorsed by the [[Communist Party of China]] (CPC), becoming a member of the new Communist government.<ref>{{Cite book|title=China's last Nomads: the history and culture of China's Kazaks|author=Benson, Linda|author2=Ingvar Svanberg |publisher=M.E. Sharpe|year=1998|page=100}}</ref> In October, the [[Chinese Revolution (1949)|1949 Chinese revolution]] brought the Communists to power [[Peaceful Liberation of Xinjiang|in Xinjiang]] and in China more generally; at this point, Saifuddin held various posts for Nationalities and Political and Legal Affairs for the new government.<ref name="McMillen"/>

From December 1949 through January 1950 he accompanied [[Mao Zedong]] in his trip to Moscow to negotiate the [[Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship]], and it was there on December 27, 1949 where he quit the CPSU and joined the CPC in accordance with recommendation of Mao himself. In 1955, he registered with Mao his strong objection to proposals to name Xinjiang the "Xinjiang Autonomous Region", arguing that "autonomy is not given to mountains and rivers. It is given to particular nationalities." As a result, the administrative region would be named "Xinjiang ''Uyghur'' Autonomous Region".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Uyghurs: Strangers in Their Own Land|first=Gardner|last=Bovingdon|year=2010|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=199}}</ref>

Uyghur linguist [[Ibrahim Muti'i]] opposed the Second East Turkestan Republic and was against the Ili Rebellion because it was backed by the Soviets and Stalin. Saifuddin Azizi later apologized to Ibrahim and admitted that his opposition to the East Turkestan Republic was the correct thing to do.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clark |first=William |last2= |first2= |date=2011 |doi=10.1080/14631369.2010.510877|title=Ibrahim's story |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/Ibrahim.pdf |journal=Asian Ethnicity |publisher=Taylor & Francis |volume=12 |issue=2 |issn=1463-1369 |pages=213 |access-date=4 August 2016}}</ref>

At the [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference| Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)]] in [[Beijing]], he secured the role of regional Chairman of Xinjiang, a job he kept from 1955 to 1978, with a brief respite during the [[Cultural Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Xinjiang: China's Muslim far northwest|first=Michael|last=Dillon|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|page=79}}</ref> 
He was a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the First through Seventh [[National People's Congress]] and an alternate member of the [[Politburo of the Communist Party of China|Political Bureau]] of the 10th and 11th CPC [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of China|Central Committee]].<ref name=CD/>
From 1993 to 1998, he served as a vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.<ref>[http://www.chinavitae.com/biography/Saifuding_Aizezi%7C2558 ''China Vitae''] Accessed 2010-10-30</ref>  He died of illness at the age of 88.<ref name=CD>{{Cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200311/25/eng20031125_128954.shtml|title=Noted Uygur leader Seypidin Azizi dies|date=2003-11-25|publisher=[[People's Daily]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{commons category|Saifuddin Azizi}}
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|before = Post created
|title  = Chairman of [[Xinjiang]]
|years  = 1955–1967
|after  = [[Long Shujin]]
}}
{{succession box
|before = [[Long Shujin]]
|title  = Chairman of [[Xinjiang]]
|years  = 1972–1978
|after  = [[Wang Feng (politician)|Wang Feng]]
}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box
|before = [[Long Shujin]]
|title  = Secretary of the CPC [[Xinjiang]] Committee
|years  = 1972–1978
|after  = [[Wang Feng (politician)|Wang Feng]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{NPCSC Vice-Chairpersons}}
{{CPPCC Vice-Chairpersons}}
{{Xinjiang leaders}}
{{First PLA lieutenant generals}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azizi, Sayfuddin}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Uyghurs]]
[[Category:People from Kizilsu]]
[[Category:People's Republic of China politicians from Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Communist Party of China politicians from Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Xinjiang]]
[[Category:Chinese Muslims]]
[[Category:Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress]]