China's Xinjiang villages renamed to reflect Communist Party's ideology, says Human Rights Watch

Authorities in China’s Xinjiang region are changing village names to erase Uyghur culture and history, replacing them with Communist Party ideology. Around 630 villages have had references to Islam and Uyghur culture removed, with terms like “dutar” and “mazar” replaced by generic words like “happiness” and “unity.” This is part of a broader campaign of assimilation that includes mass detentions and alleged forced labor. The Chinese government aims to erase cultural and religious expressions of Uyghurs by altering village names rich in meaning to reflect government propaganda. These changes occurred mainly between 2017 and 2019 during a government crackdown in Xinjiang.