The Rivers I Have Crossed

(English follows) “Men kechken kéchikler” namliq bu kitab 20-esir Uyghur tarixidiki meshhur herbiy qomandan, 1940-yillardiki Sherqiy Türkistan Milliy Inqilabining ishtirakchisi we “urush qehrimani”, Uyghur xelqi arisida riwayetlik shexs bolup tonulghan polkownik Sopaxun Süwürofning eslimisidur.

Bu eslime yézilip 30 yildin artuq waqit ötkende, yeni aptorning wapatin 10 yil kéyin esli qolyazmidiki bezi sezgür téma we mezmunlarni qisqartish, shallash, qayta-qayta tehrirlik we siyasiy sénzordin ötküzüsh arqiliq, 2011-yili Béyjingdiki Milletler Neshriyati teripidin neshir qilin’ghan.

Melumki, 20-esirning aldinqi yérimida Uyghurlarning siyasiy tarixida yüz bergen ikki qétimliq zor milliy inqilab we uning netijiside Qeshqerde qurulghan Sherqiy Türkistan Islam Jumhuriyiti (1933-1934) bilen Ghuljada qurulghan Sherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti (1944-1949) Kommunist Xitay hakimiyiti tiklen’gendin buyanqi hökümet tarixshunasliqi éytimida siyasiy sezgürliki intayin küchlük, hetta cheklen’gen téma bolup keldi. Bu heqte yézilghan mutleq köp qisim kitab we maqalilar Xitay hökümitining teshwiqat organliri tiklep bergen ramka we éytimda bayan qilindi. Tarixiy shahitlarning siyasiy cheklimilerdin xali eslime we xatiriliri, shundaqla Sherqiy Türkistandiki yerlik xelqning öz tarixiy kechürmishliri toghrisidiki éytimlirining neshir qilinishigha héchqandaq imkaniyet bérilmidi.

Undaqta, 1931-yili Qomuldin bashlinip uzun ötleyla pütkül Uyghur Rayonigha kéngeygen Sherqiy Türkistan milliy inqilabi hemde uning netijiside 1933-yili Qeshqerde qurulghan Sherqiy Türkistan Islam Jumhuriyiti toghrisida shahitlar néme deydu? 1944-yili 9-ayda Ilida partlighan Uyghur we Qazaq xelqining Gomindang hökümranliqigha qarshi milliy inqilabi we uning netijiside 1944-yili 11-ayning 12-küni Ghuljada qurulghan Sherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti toghrisida shu inqilabqa qatnashqan we muhim rol oynighan shexslerning éytimi zadi qandaq? Ikki qetimliq Sherqiy Türkistan milliy inqilabining qatnashchiliri we inqilab shahitliri 1949-yilidin kéyinki Kommunist Xitay istilasidin kéyin qandaq qismetlerge duch keldi, ularning teqdiri qandaq boldi?

Tarixiy shahit we herbiy qomandan Sopaxun Süwürofning bu kitabi yoqiriqi soallargha hökümet meydanidin emes, belki shahitlarning közidin qismen bolsimu jawab béreligen eslimidur. Mezkur eslimining qimmetlik yéri shuki, aptor öz dewrining guwahchisi bolupla qalmastin, belki téximu muhimi 20-esir Uyghur tarixidiki ikki qétimliq Sherqiy Türkistan milliy inqilabining qatnashchisi we shahitidur. Aptor 1939-yilidin kéyin izchil türde herbiy septe xizmet qilghan, jenub we shimalda yüz bergen köpligen urushlarni béshidin kechürgen, shundaqla 1945-yilining bashliridin bashlap, Ilidiki Sherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti milliy armiyeside yoqiri derijilik herbiy wezipe ötigen shexstur. Shundaq bolghachqa, bu eslime bir tarixiy shahitning ré’al kechürmishliri we körgen-bilgenlirining emeliy xatirisi bolush süpiti bilen 1940-yillardiki Sherqiy Türkistan milliy inqilabining ichkiy jeryanliri hemde Xitay-Sowet munasiwitining chégra rayonlardiki murekkep ich yüzini chüshinishte muhim ehmiyetke ige.

Mezkur eslime aptorning baliliq kechürmishliridin bashlan’ghan. Eslimining aldinqi yérimida aptor asasliqi 1931-yili yurti Qomulda partlighan milliy inqilab we uning kélip chiqish sewebliri; inqilabning murekkep we egri-toqay jeryanliri; “Shinjang ölkisi”ning re’isi, militarist Jin Shurénning esker ewetip qozghilangchi yerlik xelqni basturushqa urunushi; militarist Shéng Shiseyning esker bashlap bérip Qomul we Turpanda yerlik xelqlerni qirghin qilghanliqi; Sowét Ittipaqining Mongghuliye arqiliq Xojaniyaz Haji rehberlikidiki milliy inqilab yétekchilirini özige tartmaqchi bolghanliqi; milliy inqilabning kéyinche jenubqa kéngiyip, 1933-yili Qeshqerde Sherqiy Türkistan Islam Jumhuriyiti qurulghanliqi; 1937-yiligha barghanda militarist Shéng Shiseyning Sowét Ittipaqining herbiy küchige tayinip milliy inqilabni qanliq basturghanliqi qatarliq weqeler tepsiliy bayan qilinghan.

Eslimining ottura qismida aptor Sopaxunning 1936-yili Xuangpu Herbiy Mektipining Ürümchi shöbisige oqushqa kirgenliki, 1939-yili mezkur mektep püttürüp Qeshqerde turushluq atliq 31-polkqa teqsim qilin’ghanliqi, shuningdin kéyin izchil halda herbiy septe ofitsérliq wezipisini ötep, nurghun urushlargha qatnashqanliqi, 1945-yili 2-ayda qol astidiki milliy eskerlerni qozghap, Gomindang hökümranliqigha qarshi isyan kötürgenliki we axirida Ilidiki Sherqiy Türkistan milliy armiyesige qoshulghanliqi toghridiki weqeler bayan qilin’ghan.

Eslimining axiriqi qismida asasliqi 1944-yili 9-ayda Ilida partlighan Uyghur we Qazaq xelqining Gomindang hökümranliqigha qarshi milliy inqilabi we uning netijiside Ghuljada qurulghan Sherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti toghriliq inchike bayanlar bérilgen. Aptor eslimide özining qandaq qilip Gomindang armiyesining bir rota komandiridin Sherqiy Türkistan Jumhuriyiti milliy armiyesining polkownik derijilik qomandanigha aylan’ghanliqi; 1945-yili 7-aydin 10-ayghiche milliy armiyening jenubiy yönilish qismigha komandir bolup, Aqsuni azad qilish urushigha qomandanliq qilghanliqi; Kéyinche Iligha qaytip, milliy armiye bash qomandanliq shitabida muhim wezipilerde bolghanliqi; kommunist Xitay istilasidin kéyin milliy armiyening qandaq jeryanlar bilen tarqitiwétilgenliki we özining herbiy septin mejburiy chékindürülgenliki; 1950-yillardin 1980-yillarghiche bolghan jeryanda özi duch kelgen siyasiy bésim we éghir teqipler heqqide inchike melumatlar bergen.

Sopaxun Süwürofning “Men kechken kéchikler” namliq eslime kitabi 1980-yillarning bashliridin bashlap yézilishqa bashlighan we zor sehipilik bir kitab bolghan bolsimu, emma Xitay hökümiti izchil halda neshir qilishqa ruxset qilmighan. Aridin 30 yildek waqit ötkende, yeni aptorning wapatigha 10 yil bolghanda, andin bu eslimining yérimidin köprek qismi neshriyat we teshwiqat bölümining qatmu-qat senzor qilishidin ötüp, 2011-yili Béyjingdiki Milletler neshriyati teripidin axiri neshir qilin’ghan.

Neshirge teyyarlighuchining kitab béshigha yazghan kirish sözige qarighanda, eslide 11 bab qilip yezilghan kitab originalidin 6 bapqa yeqin qismi qisqartilip, nechche yüz betlik mezmun chiqiriwétilgen. Kitabtiki bezi bap-paragraflar Xitay hökümitining “üch wilayat inqilabi” toghrisidiki hökümet éytimigha maslashturulghgan. Bu ehwallar mezkur eslimining esli originaligha, shahitlarning öz béshidin ötküzgen tarixiy kechürmishlirini bayan qilishtiki semimiyiti we chinliqigha dagh chüshürsimu, emma milliy inqilab shahiti we herbiy qomandan Sopaxunning hayat musapisi hemde 20-esirdiki Uyghur siyasiy tarixini chüshünishte melum qimmetke igidur.

This is the memoir of Sopakhun Süwüroff, a renowned military commander in 20th-century Uyghur history, a participant in the East Turkestan National Revolution of the 1940s, and a legendary figure widely known among the Uyghur people.

The manuscript, completed over thirty years ago, was finally published in 2011 by the Ethnic Publishing House in Beijing, a decade after the author’s death, following editorial revisions to certain sensitive content in the original text.

In the first half of the 20th century, two significant national revolutions in Uyghur political history and their outcomes—the establishment of the East Turkestan Islamic Republic (ETIR) in Kashgar in 1933-1934, and the East Turkestan Republic (ETR) in Ili in 1944-1949—have remained highly politically sensitive topics in official Chinese historiography since the establishment of the PRC. Discussion of these events has often been prohibited. Most publications on this history are confined to the official narrative framework and discourse set by Chinese government propaganda institutions. Original records, memoirs by historical witnesses, and accounts by local people about their own historical experiences have consistently been denied opportunities for publication.

So, how do historical witnesses describe the East Turkestan National Revolution? It began in Qomul (Hami) in 1931 and rapidly spread across the entire Uyghur region, leading to the establishment of the East Turkestan Islamic Republic in Kashgar in 1933. What are the accounts of key figures who participated in and played significant roles in the Ili Rebellion in September 1944, and the subsequent establishment of the East Turkestan Republic (ETR) in Ili on November 12 of the same year? What fate did the participants and witnesses of these two East Turkestan national revolutions face after the CCP took control of Xinjiang in 1949?

Sopakhun Süwüroff’s The Rivers I Have Crossed is a rare and valuable primary record that partially answers these questions from the perspective of a witness, rather than the official perspective. The unique value of this memoir lies in the fact that the author is not only a direct participant in history, but also a witness to both East Turkestan national revolutions in 20th-century Uyghur history. From 1939 onward, the author served in the military, experiencing numerous battles across northern and southern Xinjiang. Notably, from the middle of 1945, he held a senior officer position in the National Army of the East Turkestan Republic in Ili. As a result, this memoir, as a firsthand account of historical experiences and observations, holds significant importance for understanding the internal dynamics of the East Turkistan National Revolution in the 1940s and the complex situation of Sino-Soviet relations in the border regions.

The memoir begins with the author’s childhood experiences. The first half provides a detailed account of the national revolution that erupted in Qomul (Hami) in 1931 and its origins; the complex and tortuous development of the revolution; the attempts by Xinjiang warlord ruler Jin Shuren to suppress local uprisings with military force; the massacres of local people in Qomul and Turpan by warlord Sheng Shicai’s troops; Soviet efforts to influence and recruit national revolutionary leaders such as Khojaniyaz Haji through Mongolia; the southward expansion of the national revolution and the establishment of the East Turkestan Islamic Republic in Kashgar in 1933; and the brutal suppression of the national revolution by warlord Sheng Shicai with Soviet military support in 1937, among other major events.

The middle section of the memoir primarily recounts Sopakhun’s enrollment in the Urumqi branch of the Whampoa Military Academy in 1936, his graduation in 1939, and his subsequent assignment to the 31st Cavalry Regiment in Kashgar, where he served as an officer for an extended period and participated in numerous battles. In February 1945, he led his unit in an uprising against Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang) rule and eventually joined the National Army of the East Turkestan Republic in Ili.

The final section of the memoir focuses on the national revolution of Uyghur and Kazakh peoples against Kuomintang’s rule that broke out in Ili in September 1944, as well as detailed accounts of the subsequent establishment of the East Turkestan Republic in Ili. The author specifically describes his transformation from a company commander in the Kuomintang army to a colonel-level commander in the East Turkestan National Army; his role as the southern front commander of the National Army from July to October 1945, during which he led the liberation campaign in Aksu; his later return to Ili to serve in a key position at the ETR National Army headquarters; the disbandment of the National Army after the CCP’s occupation of Xinjiang and his own forced retirement; and the political oppression and hardships he endured from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Although this is a work of significant historical value, the Chinese government has never permitted its complete publication. He started writing it in the early 1980s but it was only more than thirty years later, on the tenth anniversary of the author’s death, that the memoir was published in an abridged version by the Nationalities Publishing House in Beijing, after undergoing multiple layers of review by the publisher and propaganda authorities.

According to the publisher’s note, the original manuscript, which spanned 11 chapters, was reduced to approximately 6 chapters, with hundreds of pages of original handwritten manuscripts removed. Certain sections and paragraphs were adjusted to align with the Chinese government’s official narrative of the "Three Districts Revolution." While these editorial interventions have, to some extent, compromised the integrity of the original manuscript and the authenticity of the witness’s account, this memoir remains an irreplaceable resource for understanding 20th-century Uyghur political history as a record of the life of a historical witness and military commander.