Xinjiang

American  

[shin-jyahng] / ˈʃɪnˈdʒyɑŋ /

(Wade-Giles) Sinkiang

noun

1. Official Name Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.  an autonomous region in northwestern China, bordering Tibet, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Tadzhikistan, Pakistan, and India: formerly a province. 635,830 sq. mi. (1,646,800 sq. km). Ürümqi.

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Etymology

Origin of Xinjiang

First recorded in 1965–70; from Chinese Xīnjīang “New Territory, Territories”

Example Sentences

The former top official in Xinjiang is the latest aerospace-sector veteran targeted in probes rocking China’s defense industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Xi himself visited Xinjiang and Tibet in 2025 to mark major anniversaries of Beijing giving some nominal political autonomy in those areas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Qiu's research suggests pollution is shifting west as heavy industry relocates to regions like Xinjiang, and that some cities in China have seen double-digit percentage increases in PM2.5 in the last five years.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

The prime minister said he had also raised contentious issues including the jailing of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai and the treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

He was Xu A-san, who used to live next to Six-Fingers and moved far away to Xinjiang a few years ago.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang