Podcasts about Kazakh

In this explosive episode of Ringside Report MMA, your hosts Dave Simon, Fred Garcia, and AJ D'Alesio dive deep into the biggest news in the combat sports world: Islam Makhachev's legendary win, the future of the Welterweight division, and a detailed preview of the upcoming UFC Qatar card!

Move over Scotland heroes, we're back to local heroes. The Premiership returns this weekend and both sides of the street have crucial league clashes. We start with Dundee United this week and their home game against Falkirk. John McGlynn's side are two points ahead of the Tangerines in the table – can the Terrors leapfrog the Bairns? And we find out why Bear isn't keen on United's Kazakh target. Plus, how do Dundee shock third-placed Hibs? We also have a look back at the Deefiant era for good measure. Hosting in the studio is Courier Sport editor Sean Hamilton alongside United writer Alan Temple, Dundee writer George Cran and former Tele Sport editor Graeme Finnan. You can also see us on YouTube at youtube.com/@TheCourierUK/videos

We look at what to expect on both sides of the street ahead of the January transfer window – as Dundee United are linked with a Kazakh winger.   There is fulsome for Luca Stephenson, the player and the person, as he commits to the Terrors for the rest of the season.   And what have we learned from the Tangerines' season so far? Are they better than last season? Why are they happy not to have the ball?  At Dens Park, how much did they bank for Josh Mulligan? Probably less than £20 million…  We discuss how the Dee can get the best out of Simon Murray. Is Yan Dhanda the key or is there simply no place for that style of player?  George outlines what Steven Pressley will be working on during the international break and looks ahead to a pivotal January.   How will Dundee's transfer hierarchy ahead of a window in which the Dee must excel – or face relegation.    Dundee United reporter Alan Temple is joined by Dundee counterpart George Cran and former Evening Telegraph sports editor Graeme Finnan. The Courier head of sport Sean Hamilton is on hosting duties.   Twa Teams, One Street is proud to be supported by SPAR Scotland.  PLUS: Twa Teams Special with Neil Forsyth - Only available on The Courier website.  You can also see us on YouTube at youtube.com/@TheCourierUK/videos 

Few people outside Kazakhstan know of the famine that destroyed nomadic life in the 1930s, and left more than a third of the population dead or displaced to China and far beyond. The famine, called Asharshylyk in Kazakh, was one of the most deadly man-made famines of the 20th Century; even more so, proportionately, than the much better known Holodomor in Ukraine during the same period. It resulted from the coming of Soviet power, the violent suppression of nomadism and forced settlement into disastrous collective farms. During the Soviet years, no one mentioned the Asharshylyk in public and its history was not at schools or universities. Rose Kudabayeva's grandparents didn't breathe a word to her about the Asharshylyk although they lived through the worst of it, losing several of their children. Now she travels through Kazakhstan trying to fill out the story, meeting archivists, writers, musicians, camel farmers and of course her own relatives.

This episode Nez brings a short horror film THE PENCIL. Sara, a struggling artist who discovers a unique pencil that can solve all her problems. But her dreams turn into a nightmare when a malevolent demonic creature from Kazakh legends gets unleashed. The Pencil - https://youtu.be/wo3VCJ6xbNo?si=GeWoamcY3P8rFcrb   Hit up E Society on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ESocietyPodcast/ Check out our ESP Spotify For Creators feed: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/esoc E Society YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliC6x_a7p3kTV_0LC4S10A E Society and Mac-Nez t-shirts Tee Public: http://tee.pub/lic/9ko9r4p5uvE X: E Society Podcast - https://x.com/esocietypod Mac Nez Podcast - https://x.com/macnezpod The Zissiou - https://x.com/TheoZissou Instagram - E Society - https://www.instagram.com/esocietypod/ Mac Nez Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/macnez/ The Zissiou - https://www.instagram.com/thezissou/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@esocietypod   Taylor and Nez new podcast: Old Dawg New Trickz https://open.spotify.com/show/319KRWiJfGpMbFBLTp6E8P YouTube page for Resting Easy with Chris and Breezy https://www.youtube.com/@RECB  

ENTERTAINING SHORT FILMS is a new category on the RPA Network, which features indie short films for your enjoyment! We applaud these creators! Sara, a struggling artist discovers a unique pencil that can solve all her problems. However, her dreams turn into a nightmare when a malevolent demonic creature from Kazakh legends gets unleashed!  

宇宙 yǔ zhòu - universe太空 tài kōng - outer space西敏大學 xī mǐn dà xué - University of Westminster木星 mù xīng - Jupiter太陽系 tài yáng xì - solar system氣態 qì tài - gaseous行星 xíng xīng - planet臭氣彈 chòu qì dàn - stink bomb貓尿 māo niào - cat urine硫化氫 liú huà qīng - hydrogen sulfide氨加硫 ān jiā liú - ammonia mixed with sulfur (pungent smell)地獄 dì yù - hell雲帶 yún dài - cloud band類似 lèi sì - similar to汽油 qì yóu - gasoline大蒜 dà suàn - garlic刺鼻氣味 cì bí qì wèi - pungent odor大氣壓力 dà qì yā lì - atmospheric pressure壓碎 yā suì - crush熟食 shóu shí - cooked food太空漫步 tài kōng màn bù - spacewalk太空艙 tài kōng cāng - space capsule金屬 jīn shǔ - metal燒肉 shāo ròu - grilled meat火藥 huǒ yào - gunpowder電線燒焦 diàn xiàn shāo jiāo - burnt electrical wire單原子 dān yuán zǐ - single atom氧 yǎng - oxygen黏 nián - stick to太空衣 tài kōng yī - spacesuit表面 biǎo miàn - surface多環芳香烴 duō huán fāng xiāng tīng - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)分子 fēn zǐ - molecule瀕死 bīn sǐ - dying, near death恆星 héng xīng - star原始 yuán shǐ - primitive宇宙重生 yǔ zhòu chóng shēng - cosmic rebirth痕跡 hén jì - trace, mark卡迪夫大學 kǎ dí fū dà xué - Cardiff University詹姆斯·韋伯 zhān mǔ sī · wěi bó - James Webb太空望遠鏡 tài kōng wàng yuǎn jìng - space telescope光年 guāng nián - light-year二甲硫醚 èr jiǎ liú miè - dimethyl sulfide某種形式 mǒu zhǒng xíng shì - some form (of)生命 shēng mìng - life土星 tǔ xīng - Saturn衛星 wèi xīng - satellite (moon)甜杏仁混汽油 tián xìng rén hùn qì yóu - sweet almond mixed with gasoline腐魚 fǔ yú - rotten fish銀河系 yín hé xì - Milky Way galaxy分子雲 fēn zǐ yún - molecular cloud覆盆子 fù pén zǐ - raspberry指甲油去除劑 zhǐ jiǎ yóu qù chú jì - nail polish remover火星 huǒ xīng - Mars鐵鏽 tiě xiù - rust塵土 chén tǔ - dust霉味 méi wèi - musty smell自然史博物館 zì rán shǐ bó wù guǎn - Natural History Museum重現 chóng xiàn - recreate, reproduce嗅覺體驗 xiù jué tǐ yàn - olfactory experience降落 jiàng luò - landing哈薩克草原 hā sà kè cǎo yuán - Kazakh steppe大氣層 dà qì céng - atmosphereIf you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

Goga Ashkenazi, the Kazakh businesswoman and socialite, is known for her close friendship with Prince Andrew. She defended him publicly when scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein intensified, saying he was “very, very upset” by how he was being portrayed in the press. Ashkenazi insisted that while Andrew may have exercised poor judgment by associating with controversial figures, she believed he was fundamentally kind-hearted, honourable, and unaware of any illegal activity. She argued that his work as a trade envoy and his character were being unfairly overshadowed by the scandal.Their relationship has also drawn attention due to high-profile financial dealings. Ashkenazi introduced Andrew to Timur Kulibayev, a Kazakh oligarch who purchased Andrew's former home, Sunninghill Park, for £15 million — significantly above the asking price. The transaction sparked speculation about whether Ashkenazi acted as a facilitator or “fixer,” though she has denied receiving any financial benefit beyond making the introduction. The sale and her staunch defense of Andrew highlight how their friendship has been both personal and entangled in business and controversy.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.com

I'm with my ride-or-die comedy buddy, Alla—the best thing Russia ever exported (sorry, Yakov). We talk about how we met on day one of a bargain comedy class, why her Kazakh childhood gives her stand-up a one-of-a-kind voice, and the very wild way a farm goat once “sobriety tested” her dad.You'll also hear our tales from a truly… colorful open mic, my new mini-segment “Things That Are Things,” and why I'm all-in on bringing more clean laughs to San Diego.Episode Timeline (top moments)[16:15] The legendary goat story: how a bottle of vodka saved the day—and why my car suddenly smelled like a bar.[17:20] We head to a Sunday open mic at a brewery… and discover vampires, strippers (maybe), and everything in between.[20:25] “Unlike this 70-year-old lady here”—getting noticed (or not) and why stagewear matters.[33:05] Alla's crowd-killer bit about “three testicles,” my dog, and the punch line that blew up the room.[39:10] Why we're planting a flag for clean comedy in San Diego—“clean is green.”[42:40] Our comic crushes: Joe Koy, Leanne Morgan, Karen Mills, and more I can't stop quoting.[49:30] Inside baseball: the brutal red light, tight sets, and how we prep before a show.Links & ResourcesMusso & Frank Grill (Hollywood hang; our favorite pre-show time capsule)Mic Drop San Diego; The Comedy Store – La Jolla (stages we love)Lazy River Comedy @ the Irish pub show we mention (San Diego scene)Comics we shout out: Joe Koy, Leanne Morgan, Karen Mills, Paula (coming on the pod!), Bill Burr, Nate Bargatze, Sebastian Maniscalco, John Mulaney, Fortune Feimster, Tig Notaro, Dustin Nickerson, Richard Kind (on the Mulaney show).Connect with UsGuest: Alla Munguia — @allamunguiaHost: @SuziChicago everywhere.If you laughed or smiled today, do me a solid: rate the show, follow, and share it with a friend. Every tap helps us bring more clean comedy to more ears. See you next time!

Goga Ashkenazi, the Kazakh businesswoman and socialite, is known for her close friendship with Prince Andrew. She defended him publicly when scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein intensified, saying he was “very, very upset” by how he was being portrayed in the press. Ashkenazi insisted that while Andrew may have exercised poor judgment by associating with controversial figures, she believed he was fundamentally kind-hearted, honourable, and unaware of any illegal activity. She argued that his work as a trade envoy and his character were being unfairly overshadowed by the scandal.Their relationship has also drawn attention due to high-profile financial dealings. Ashkenazi introduced Andrew to Timur Kulibayev, a Kazakh oligarch who purchased Andrew's former home, Sunninghill Park, for £15 million — significantly above the asking price. The transaction sparked speculation about whether Ashkenazi acted as a facilitator or “fixer,” though she has denied receiving any financial benefit beyond making the introduction. The sale and her staunch defense of Andrew highlight how their friendship has been both personal and entangled in business and controversy.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Parsha "Vayelekh" (Deuteronomy (chapter 31) is one of the final chapters in the Torah, and the life of Moses. It includes the 'charge' given to Yoshua/Joshua as he prepares to take over leadership of the mixed multitude, to "Kazakh!" - or, "Be strong, and of good courage." It's also a poignant warning about the "End of Days" - arguably, now. The Erev Shabbat reading begins there, and also sets the stage for the final "Song of Moses": https://hebrewnationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SSM-9-26-25-VaYelek-teaching-podcast-xxx.mp3 During the Sabbath Day midrash, Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa focuses on a prophecy that now seems to be at minimum, 'in-progress': "You will do evil in the sight of YHVH, and provoke Him through the work of your hands." But it is no coincidence that this portion is read during the time of His Fall Feasts, and we are now - or should be - preparing for the singular moed of His Appointed Times about which He warns so clearly, do it - or else! Warning: Some will again be offended. They will say His Feasts are 'old', and "done away with." As if He preferred the pagan replacements, and couldn't manage to say so. YHVH certainly made the reason for His anger, and our continued exile, abundantly clear. And in this case, the warning and importance could not be clearer. Even if we have been lied to about it! Vayelekh: This is the Year to Make SURE you 'Know the Season' https://hebrewnationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/WT-CooH-9-27-25-VaYelek-The-SEASON-is-Vital-to-Know-and-DO-podcast-xxx.mp3 The combined two-part reading and Sabbath midrash:

On this week's podcast, we continue our trip to Geneva, New York, for part two of the Cornell story. I spend some time with Christine Smart, director of Cornell AgriTech, and her husband Larry Smart, professor of plant breeding and genetics and head of Cornell's hemp program. Christine takes me through the history of the Agritech campus — from its 1882 founding to its living plant libraries and cutting-edge robotics labs. We talk Liberty Hyde Bailey, the USDA germplasm repository, and a future where UV light replaces pesticides and robots roam the fields. Then Larry brings us inside Cornell's hemp research: from gene editing for disease resistance to the painstaking process of seed multiplication. He shares his work on a CBG-only hemp line with zero THC and CBD, designed to open animal feed markets, and explains why F1 hybrids could unlock hemp's yield potential the same way they did for corn. And stay tuned, because next week in part three we'll hear from two of the rising stars in Cornell's hemp program — PhD students Jane Hamilton and Luis Monserrate. Learn More Cornell University – Hemp Program https://hemp.cals.cornell.edu Cornell AgriTech https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/geneva-ny/plant-genetic-resources-unit-pgru/ Yu Jiang Lab – Agricultural Robotics & Sensing https://cals.cornell.edu/yu-jiang Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum https://www.libertyhydebailey.org News Nuggets, from HempToday Emergency rules take effect in Texas, restricting hemp intoxicant sales to adults over 21 https://hemptoday.net/emergency-rules-take-effect-in-texas-restricting-hemp-intoxicant-sales-to-adults-over-21/ French co-op, leading European supplier of hemp planting seed, has a new director https://hemptoday.net/french-co-op-leading-european-supplier-of-hemp-planting-seed-has-a-new-director/ Kazakh government backs China deal as foreign investors eye neighbor's hemp sector https://hemptoday.net/kazakh-government-backs-china-deal-as-foreign-investors-eye-neighbors-hemp-sector/ Thanks to our Sponsors Kings AgriSeeds https://www.kingsagriseeds.com IND HEMP https://indhemp.com

On Friday's Football Daily, Phillip Egan brings you news Chiedozie Ogbene's new perspective on life after his long-term injury, plus Paddy McCarthy believes that this Ireland group are on the cusp of something special.Stephen Kelly says be careful what you wish for when it comes to saying goodbye Daniel Levy.Andy Robertson wants the Scots to go for it.Wales triumph the Kazakh test.Venezuela miss out on automatic qualification, but Paraguay qualify.And an emotional night in Buenos Aires as Leo Messi says goodbye.Become a member and subscribe at offtheball.com/join

Conan talks to Nurzhamal in Almaty, Kazakhstan to discuss Conan's evasion of her attempts to get ahold of him and performing on the Kazakh stand-up circuit. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan.

On Thursday's Football Daily, Phillip Egan brings you the latest from the Irish camp as Ryan Manning explains how he has found his free-kick sweet spot, whilst John O'Shea is pleased with the Gian Pero Gasperini influence on Evan Ferguson at AS Roma.Manning pays tribute to the late great Ollie Horgan.O'Shea is planning for the Dominik Szoboszlai influence.Wales face Kazakh test.England's Elliot Anderson on the fallout between Evangelos Marinakis and Nuno Espirito Santo.And is the last time Leo Messi plays an competitive game in Argentina?Become a member and subscribe at offtheball.com/join

Former guest, photojournalist Claire Thomas, joins me to talk about her first monograph, Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia. Her book captures life in the remote mountains of western Mongolia, where Kazakh families train golden eagles, herd animals across vast plains, and balance centuries-old traditions with the realities of modern change. Then, in a complete change of direction for the second part of our chat, Claire speaks about her documentary and advocacy work in northern Ghana, documenting women accused of witchcraft who are forced into bleak camps, and her fundraiser to provide mattresses for those who currently sleep on bare ground. From the mailbag today, Adriano Henney writes about publishing your work and why it matters, Bob of the desert dodges those jumping cholla in Arizona while sending in one of the most honest letters I've read in a long while, and Gavin Perry heads for Complaints Corner, or at least he would, if we hadn't effectively cancelled his flight. All will be revealed. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

On Thursday's Football Daily, Phil Egan brings you a full preview of Shelbourne's massive Europa Conference League playoff tie with Linfield that you can hear exclusively live on Off The Ball and the GoLoud App from 7 o'clock, plus Shamrock Rovers' tough tie with Santa Clara in the Azores for a shot at League Phase football.Joey O'Brien has been keeping a close eye on events in Belfast.Stephen Bradley knows that his side are up against it.Celtic face a litany of boos after Kazakh draw.Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce have a shot at Champions League football.And Arsenal get their man Eze, but could they be about to add another England star?Become a member and subscribe at offtheball.com/join

Adventurous spirits take us way out into the world's wild places — stories from across 20 years of Conversations. Travel high in the mountains with Kazakh eagle hunters. Join an endurance horse race across the Mongolian steppe.Feel the edge of darkness, paddling a kayak solo across the Great Australian Bight. These tales of wild landscapes and creatures, of courage and awe, invite you to share the adventure along with some of our many intrepid guests: Palani Mohan, Bonnie Hancock, Chris Watson, Campbell Costello, Sally Henderson and Andrew Harper.This episode of Conversations was produced by Michelle Random-Hughes, Pam O'Brien, Jenna Koda and Meggie Morris. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney. Story editing by Michelle Ransom-Hughes. Sarah Kanowski and Richard Fidler present.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Summer is for stargazing and Mutual's resident Astronomer, David Ault brings us on a fantastic cosmic voyage from Steppe to Stars: A Kazakh Astronomical Journey. Sit down on a nice comfy blanket and view the universe while you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is for stargazing and Mutual's resident Astronomer, David Ault brings us on a fantastic cosmic voyage from Steppe to Stars: A Kazakh Astronomical Journey. Sit down on a nice comfy blanket and view the universe while you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olzhasbek Zhakenov is a comedian from Kazakhstan!

What does it truly mean to lead when the world around you crumbles and rebuilds itself?This episode features host Denis Gianoutsos' most powerful conversations with two extraordinary leaders. Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, born to political dissidents in Soviet Kazakhstan, witnessed her world collapse overnight—yet discovered that leadership is a dynamic space we enter and exit, not a fixed title. Ken Miller, a healthcare executive with 32 years of global experience, reveals the athletic mindset required for modern leadership and why our most outstanding teachers are found in our closest relationships, not boardrooms.Join Denis Gianoutsos for this transformative mashup—your perspective on leadership may never be the same.EP 221 - Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva: Leadership as a Dynamic Space: From Soviet Collapse to Revolutionary ThinkingBorn in Soviet Kazakhstan to political dissidents, witnessed sudden USSR collapse, creating a complete vacuumRedefines leadership as a space you enter and exit daily, not a fixed title or position.Draws from Kazakh nomadic culture,e viewing leadership as a dynamic circle larger than any individualIdentifies daughter and parents as most significant leadership influences, emphasizing self-love before leading othersEP 225 - Ken Miller: Healthcare Leadership and the Athletic Mindset: Building Legacy Through Purpose32 years in healthcare at companies like Sanofi, Pfizer, Roche, choosing impact over just profitDescribes leaders as athletes - highly competitive with a tireless appetite for success and sacrificeEmphasizes continuous learning and personal development rather than relying on organizationsCites Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a favorite leader for authenticity and fighting for something bigger than himselfKey Quotes:"Leadership for me is a space. You enter and exit many times a day." - Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva"You've gotta have a work ethic, which is second to none, to really have an impact around the world." - Ken MillerThe 10 Proven Ways to Lead and Thrive in Today's World - FREE Executive Guide Download https://crm.leadingchangepartners.com/10-ways-to-lead Connect with Denis:Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.comWebsite: www.LeadingChangePartners.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denisgianoutsos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisgianoutsos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipischanging/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DenisGianoutsos

In this volume, leading specialists examine the affinities and differences between the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the famine in China in 1959–1961. The contributors presented papers at a conference organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this volume, leading specialists examine the affinities and differences between the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the famine in China in 1959–1961. The contributors presented papers at a conference organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies

In this volume, leading specialists examine the affinities and differences between the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the famine in China in 1959–1961. The contributors presented papers at a conference organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

In this volume, leading specialists examine the affinities and differences between the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the famine in China in 1959–1961. The contributors presented papers at a conference organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

In this volume, leading specialists examine the affinities and differences between the pan-Soviet famine of 1931–1933, the Ukrainian Holodomor, the Kazakh great hunger, and the famine in China in 1959–1961. The contributors presented papers at a conference organized by the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium in 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the volume of goods and number of trains crossing back and forth over the China-Kazakhstan border in Horgos, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, continue to break records, passenger crossings are also on the increase, border officials said.据边境官员称，在新疆维吾尔自治区霍尔果斯市，中哈边境的货物运输量和列车数量不断创下新高的同时，过境旅客人数也在不断增加。According to the Xinjiang Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station in Horgos, a record high of some 280,000 crossings have been made at the border during the first quarter of this year, a 30 percent year-on-year increase.据新疆霍尔果斯出入境边防检查站统计，今年第一季度，该边境口岸过境旅客约28万人次，同比增长30%，创历史新高。The number of people crossing the border has significantly increased after the agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Kazakhstan went into force on Nov 10, 2023, said Fu Ruichao, a border inspection officer.边防检查站官员符睿超表示，自2023年11月10日中哈互免签证协定生效以来，过境旅客人数大幅增加。"Before the agreement took effect, we would normally see 20 buses taking passengers to the Chinese border every day. Now, the number is between 50 and 60, which means the number of passengers has also surged," Fu said.“协定生效前，我们每天通常能看到20辆大巴将旅客送往中国边境。现在，每天有50到60辆，这意味着旅客数量也大幅增加。”符睿超说。Chinese and Kazakh citizens have been granted visa-free access to each other's country for no more than 30 days for a single crossing, and are allowed to stay in the other country for a cumulative total of 90 days within 180 days.中国和哈萨克斯坦公民已享受互免签证待遇，单次入境停留不超过30天，180天内在对方国家累计停留不超过90天。"We've seen an obvious increase in the number of Chinese tourists making trips to Central Asian countries, foreign traders, people who seek advanced medical treatments in China and foreign students," Fu said.符睿超表示：“我们发现前往中亚国家的中国游客、外国贸易商、来华就医的人员以及留学生数量明显增加。”Another visa-free agreement between China and Uzbekistan came into effect on June 1, Fu said, adding that he expects to see more Chinese tourists explore the Silk Road by visiting Kazakhstan via Horgos and then Uzbekistan.符睿超还指出，自6月1日起，中国与乌兹别克斯坦的互免签证协议也已正式生效。他预计，未来会有更多中国游客通过霍尔果斯口岸前往哈萨克斯坦，再延伸至乌兹别克斯坦，开启丝绸之路之旅。"Such agreements have further improved personnel and trade exchanges between China and Central Asian countries," he said. "It also means that we must be prepared for the travel rush in advance. While improving the efficiency of inspection and further facilitating opening-up, we will always prioritize border security, which is key to national security."他表示：“此类协议进一步促进了中国与中亚国家之间的人文和经贸交流。”他补充说，“这也意味着我们必须提前做好迎接客流高峰的准备。在提升通关效率、深化对外开放的同时，始终要把边境安全放在首位，因为它关乎国家安全。”At the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center, Zhang Liangbo, another border inspection officer, has also had to cope with a large influx of people entering the center for business and tourism.在中哈霍尔果斯国际边境合作中心，边检官员张良波也正在应对持续增长的商务与旅游入境人流。The center allows business people from both countries to showcase their products, discuss cooperation and sign deals all under one roof.该中心为两国商界人士提供了展示产品、洽谈合作、签署协议的平台。In 2012, there were some 270,000 visits to the center. The number surpassed 6 million in 2019. In the first four months of this year, over 3 million visits have been made to the center, a year-on-year increase of 104 percent, according to official figures.2012年，该中心接待了约27万人次。2019年，这一数字超过了600万人次。官方数据显示，今年前四个月，该中心接待了超过300万人次，同比增长104%。"As the Belt and Road Initiative and Horgos itself become more influential, more and more people from other parts of China will visit the center so they don't miss out on the business opportunities," Zhang said.“随着‘一带一路'和霍尔果斯本身影响力的不断扩大，越来越多来自中国其他地区的人来到这里，希望抓住商机。”张良波说。Fu said although the border inspection officers in Horgos are busier than ever, they are glad to witness the BRI bearing fruit. "It shows that China has more partners and friends so it's all worth it," he said.符睿超表示，尽管霍尔果斯的边检官员比以往任何时候都更加忙碌，但他们很高兴看到“一带一路”取得丰硕成果。他说：“这表明中国拥有了更多的合作伙伴和朋友，所以这一切都是值得的。”exemption/ɪɡˈzempʃn/n.免除，豁免influx/ˈɪnflʌks/n.大量涌入facilitate/fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/v.促进，使便利inspection/ɪnˈspekʃn/n.检查，审查

President Xi Jinping called on China and Kazakhstan on Monday to guide their bilateral ties with high-level strategic mutual trust, saying that the two countries should serve as strong support for each other amid challenges and provide beneficial assistance to each other's development and revitalization.Xi made the remarks during a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.The Chinese president arrived in Astana earlier on Monday to attend the second China-Central Asia Summit. He was welcomed by Tokayev and other senior officials at the airport. Kazakh teenagers and children, holding the national flags of China and Kazakhstan, warmly welcomed Xi on his arrival.Xi told Tokayev that China always views and develops its relationship with Kazakhstan from a strategic and long-term perspective."I'm willing to work together with you to steadfastly consolidate the friendship between the two countries and contribute more to regional and world peace and development with stability and positive energy of China-Kazakhstan relations," he said.Xi said efforts should be made for China and Kazakhstan to upgrade bilateral cooperation through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.He called on the two sides to consolidate cooperation in traditional areas including trade, investment and energy, advance the construction of cross-border railway projects and the upgrading of port infrastructure, expand cooperation in high-tech fields, and promote green and sustainable development.Xi said that China and Kazakhstan should continue to support each other on issues involving core interests and major concerns, and promote the synergy of their development strategies.He called on both countries to expand law enforcement and defense exchanges, and jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.The two sides should strengthen the foundation of China-Kazakhstan friendship through diverse people-to-people exchanges, and make the China tourism year in Kazakhstan a success, he said, urging efforts to encourage more exchanges among youth, media, think tanks and local regions.Amid a complex and turbulent international situation, Xi called on the two countries to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and to practice true multilateralism and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.As the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China will work with all member countries and take the opportunity of this year's SCO summit in Tianjin to make the SCO more substantive and stronger, thus showcasing new developments, breakthroughs and dynamics, Xi said.Tokayev said that China is Kazakhstan's friendly neighbor, close friend and trustworthy partner.Kazakhstan and China have a strong political will to enhance cooperation and consistently support each other on issues related to sovereignty, security and other core interests, unaffected by changes in the international situation, he said.After their talks, the two presidents jointly witnessed the exchange of more than 10 cooperation documents, covering areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, customs, tourism and media.Kazakhstan is the largest country in Central Asia and shares a 1,700-plus-kilometer border with China. In 2022, the two countries agreed on the vision of building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing of weal and woe.Observers said that the two heads of state have provided significant strategic guidance for the sustainable development of bilateral ties. Xiao Bin, a researcher of Central Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in recent years has been accelerating and expanding across multiple fields, laying a solid foundation for the new "golden 30 years". "China's trade and economic cooperation with Kazakhstan has not only provided the Kazakh people with a genuine sense of benefit, but has also contributed to the diversification of Kazakhstan's economy and the stability of its society," Xiao said.In addition to enhancing and improving traditional areas of cooperation, China and Kazakhstan are also exploring emerging areas of collaboration, including green development, by launching a hydrogen energy innovation cooperation center, he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in Astana. It comes ahead of a major summit between China and Central Asia in Kazakhstan.

Emerging markets are reshaping the global economy, and a convergence of powerful, long-term trends is accelerating this shift. These include surging demand for commodities, exploding middle-class spending power and booming inter-regional trade. Investment specialist Andrew Keiller reveals some of the standout growth companies positioned to capitalise on this transformation and why now might be the perfect time to take advantage. Background:Andrew Keiller is a partner in Baillie Gifford and an investment specialist in our Emerging Markets Clients Team.In this episode, he discusses how some of the fastest-growing developing economies are driving change in the world and the forces that could further hasten that trend. The discussion builds on his recent paper, Emerging markets in 2050: growth in a changing world, which identifies long-term structural shifts tilting the odds in favour of standout companies in Asia, Latin America and eastern Europe. In the podcast, he expands on this by identifying some of the companies that could be big winners, including:the lithium miner SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile), which is set to benefit from a mismatch in supply and demand for the critical ingredient to electric car batteries and other energy storage systems the South Korean high bandwidth memory chipmaker, SK Hynix, whose products are critical to training artificial intelligence systems at speedthe ‘super-app' operator Kaspi.kz, which provides everything from bill payments, banking and travel bookings to shopping, maps and messaging  the Singaporean ecommerce, fintech and gaming conglomerate Sea, whose chief executive has ambitions to extend into further sectorsChina's biggest coffee chain, Luckin Coffee, which is giving the country's 1.4 billion citizens a passion for the beverage with its ever-changing menu of inventive recipes In addition, Keiller discusses the implications of President Trump's tariffs and why many Chinese companies still offer an exciting investment opportunity. Resources: Emerging markets in 2050: growth in a changing worldEmerging markets: our philosophyEmerging markets: rethinking the opportunityFinding high-calibre growth companies in emerging markets (podcast)Luckin Coffee: looking forwardKaspi's super-appSouth-east Asia's rising export stars (podcast)SQM: powering the futureThe Time-Travelling Economist by Charlie Robertson Companies mentioned include:Kaspi.kzLuckin CoffeeSeaSK HynixSQMTimecodes:00:00  Introduction01:35  Baillie Gifford beginnings and a trip to Hong Kong03:15  Transformational trends playing out to 2050 and beyond05:05  US exceptionalism and multiple spheres of influence07:25  Rising trade between emerging market nations08:35  Redesigning Chinese e-scooters for Vietnam and the Philippines10:15  The possibility of reduced reliance on the US dollar11:40  Increasing demand for raw materials and semiconductors12:35 Digital-first companies and underserved communities 14:45  Four types of firms capitalising on long-term growth factors16:25  SQM's lithium mines in Chile's Atacama Desert17:55  Lithium's long-term commodity cycle opportunity18:45  SK Hynix's high bandwith memory and its role in AI20:40  Kaspi.kz's Kazakh super-app21:40  Kaspi's expansion plans in Uzbekistan and beyond23:00  Sea's founder Forrest Li and importance of culture24:30  Luckin Coffee's huge domestic opportunity25:25  Luckin's taste for invention26:40  Investing in China amid a trade clash28:50  The risk of underexposure29:40  Book choice30:55  Investing in Africa

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP You can also watch this episode over on my YouTube channel here!   Guys, the Giro is rolling along, and what a race it's shaping up to be. Ahead of the final week of racing, it's still all to play for. We've got the mega-talented young Isaac Del Toro holding onto the Maglia Rosa, bookies' favourite Primoz Roglič dropping out of contention, and a handful of riders poised to go all out to try and unseat UAE's dominance before the finish in Rome. Tom Southam's been called up to bat for EF Education Easypost, so he's cruising around Italy in the team car, and he's already netted a pair of stage wins with Richard Carapaz and Kasper Asgreen! With Southam away, we've had a bit of a roster change for this month's Race Communique; we're joined by my old mate and fellow ex-professional, Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe sports director, the Flying Mullet himself - that's right, it's Shane Archbold. Shane'o joins me and Luke Durbridge - fresh off the back of the Tour of Hungary - to dissect the racing so far at the Giro and speculate what we might see in this last week of racing.  The Giro is known for being a pretty chaotic race, and the 2025 edition is no different. So far, we've seen some amazing stages, and the GC storyline has been incredible, too. From guys like Luke Plapp - the Plappinator - finally getting his hands in the air in Europe, Wout van Aert completing a monster comeback on the Strade Bianche gravel stage in dominant fashion, and unsung hero Daan Hoole taking some massive scalps in the stage 10 time trial. UAE are gripping the pink jersey pretty tightly, but guys like Simon Yates, Richard Carapaz, and our old mate Derek Gee are creeping up behind him, not to mention his own teammate Juan Ayuso waiting in the wings. Sadly for Shane, his Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe team are having some pretty rotten luck. First, they lost Jai Hindley - a former Giro winner - in the first week to a crash on the wet, slippery roads of Naples. Then, Dani Martinez, last year's runner-up, slipped out of the GC and hasn't looked like his former self so far. Of course, they went into the race with the defending champion Primoz Roglič, whose GC bid looks to be over after a brutal day of racing over the Monte Grappa. It's not all doom and gloom for Bora, though; young Italian super domestique Giulio Pellizzari has shown a hell of a lot of promise so far, and no doubt has a bright career ahead of him. In this week's PeloChat, Durbo shines the spotlight on XDS Astana and their ongoing hunt for UCI points to avoid being relegated at the end of the season. A change in tactics from the Kazakh team means they're no longer racing for the win, which sounds absolutely crazy for a pro cycling team. Instead, they're trying to stack the top 10 with riders to scrape together as many UCI points as they can. They've managed to claw themselves back up the team rankings and away from the relegation zone, putting other teams at risk and giving us fans a whole other narrative to follow this season. Finally, we have a Giro-themed CommuniQuiz. I'm Quiz Master this week, and I'll be testing Shane and Durbo's knowledge on all things Giro d'Italia. Which former ‘Junior World Champion' used to sell cleaning products, didn't turn pro until 26, and then went and won the Giro?! You'll have to listen to find out!  Enjoy this month's Communique, everybody. We'll be back at the same time next month, just a week or so out from the start of the biggest bike race of the year: the Sibiu Cycling Tour over in Romania…only kidding; of course it's the Tour de France!    Cheers, Mitch   The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter—just like the pros. Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/litp  

A journey through Almaty, Kazakhstan, reveals a city replete with captivating architecture, lush green spaces, and rich cultural experiences. The speaker presents Almaty as an underappreciated gem of the Asian continent, far removed from the typical narratives surrounding European capitals such as London and Paris. Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Tian Shan mountains, Almaty, which translates to 'apple mountain' in Kazakh, boasts a unique botanical heritage where wild apples flourish. The city experiences stark seasonal contrasts; while winter can be harshly cold, summer brings oppressively hot days. The speaker recounts arriving during a snowstorm, only to be greeted the next day by a breathtaking landscape as the snow melted, revealing the grandeur of the snow-capped mountains that serve as a dramatic backdrop to the city. Read the full travel story about Almaty on GoNOMAD.com https://www.gonomad.com/232668-almaty-cultural-crossroads-beneath-tian-shan

Specialising in combat and equestrian aerobatics, Kazakhstan supplies many of the stuntmen for Hollywood productions such as "Mulan" and "Napoleon". With its spectacular landscapes and recognised expertise, the country is becoming a new hub for action films, attracting more and more international shoots. Buoyed by the success of its stuntmen, the Kazakh film industry as a whole is now enjoying a golden age. FRANCE 24's team reports.

At least 30 million children are out of school in the Middle East and North Africa, with many displaced by conflict in Sudan and Gaza. Today we'll hear from Hanan Razek and Georgina Pearce, who are part of the team behind Dars Arabic, the BBC show that aims to connect these children with learning tools. Plus, BBC Arabic Xtra's Saif Rebai tells us about the teacher who travels 40km to reach a remote community in the Libyan desert, and Anil Kumar reports for BBC Telugu on the Indian school with just one student. We'll also learn how to say 'Once upon a time' in Turkish, Bengali, Korean and Kazakh, with Osman Kaytazoglu,Shahnewaj Rocky, Yuna Ku and Nurlibek Ukubaev. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Central Asia is one of those regions that isn't getting a lot of attention these days, as it's not a major player in the escalating U.S.-China trade war. But that may soon change as both major powers look to the region to source energy, critical minerals, and build new logistics corridors. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spent a few days in the Kazakh capital Almaty meeting with his five Central Asian counterparts to plan an upcoming leaders summit that will take place in June. Meantime, the Uzbek government this month confirmed an ambitious critical minerals deal with the United States, highlighting the region's growing strategic importance. Yunis Sharifli, CGSP's non-resident fellow for Central Asia, joins Eric from Ankara, Turkey to discuss why this renewed attention on Central Asia will also propel the development of ambitious new transport routes linking Asia and Europe. JOIN THE DISCUSSION: X: @ChinaGSProject | @eric_olander | @ysharifli Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ChinaGlobalSouth Now on Bluesky! Follow CGSP at @chinagsproject.bsky.social FOLLOW CGSP IN FRENCH AND ARABIC: Français: www.projetafriquechine.com | @AfrikChine Arabic: عربي: www.alsin-alsharqalawsat.com | @SinSharqAwsat JOIN US ON PATREON! Become a CGSP Patreon member and get all sorts of cool stuff, including our Week in Review report, an invitation to join monthly Zoom calls with Eric & Cobus, and even an awesome new CGSP Podcast mug! www.patreon.com/chinaglobalsouth

Andrew is the Founder & CEO of Fount. Fount designs the most sophisticated travel health and performance tools in the world, including the first full solution to jet lag.Previously, Andrew led human performance and biotech strategy efforts for the U.S. military, from running R&D strategy efforts to getting warfighters ready to deploy. This background has made him a trusted adviser to pro sports teams, leading corporations from tech to finance, and world class scientific institutions.Andrew's work has been profiled and published by the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired, Fortune, Defense News, and others. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches about advanced military technology.Andrew has been honored as a Mad Scientist by the U.S. Army (twice) and as a Fellow by the Synthetic Biology Leadership Excellence Accelerator Program, the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative, and others.He received Master's Degrees in Health Physics, Microbiology & Immunology, and Security Studies from Georgetown University, where he also completed his undergraduate work in the School of Foreign Service.Andrew has traveled more than 10,000 miles across Russia and Mongolia by train, lived with Kazakh nomads who train eagles to hunt, and enjoyed roasted lamb in the Turkmen desert. He also loves great dark chocolate and has recommendations for you!Join The “Now” Newsletter: https://now.katierichardson.com/newsletterAbout Katie Richardson:Katie, once a girl who just liked to have fun, transformed into a globally recognized designer and entrepreneur. With expertise in woodworking, welding, drawing, and sewing, she crafted her own path. Despite initial doubts and imposter syndrome, Katie defied expectations by establishing Puj, a business that now boasts its products in 2,000 US stores and 26 countries, delighting over 1 million customers worldwide. Her greatest aspiration is to inspire women across the globe. Renowned shows like the Ellen Degeneres Show, Rachael Ray Show, Today Show, and Entrepreneur Magazine have featured her, while influential figures like Martha Stewart, Matt Damon, Camilla Alves, Mario Lopez, Robert Downey Jr., Kourtney Kardashian, Bill & Giuliana Rancic, and Pam Beesley have embraced her products. Today, Katie is a coach, mother of four, wife, author, and powerful speaker.Connect with Katie:Website: https://katierichardson.com/CASE STUDIES: https://now.katierichardson.com/casestudyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-richardson-creatorApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-working-now/id1515291698BuzzSprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1847280Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2kV8cL7eTZ70UAXMOtcBbrNewsletter: https://now.katierichardson.com/newsletter

FURIA have signed a random Kazakh 12 year old? Spirit are signing an army of children? G2 should sign FalleN? All the important roster moves are discussed this week, as well as some moves that definitely shouldn't happen.Joined by Jack and his legendary analytical skills, Sam admits that he was wrong about Aurora and Elliott gets emotional on this week's episode of Overtime on Inferno.Join the discord:https://discord.gg/tldrCheck out Logan's newsletter:https://thestratbook.gg

All the shootings that have taken place in Indy since the beginning of the year. More violent illegal aliens being deported. Remember the "1028 days left" protestor? Rachel Zegler's Snow White is a disaster. Your principles can cost you. Tony takes Tara’s breath away. Micah Beckwith’s townhall is disrupted. Remember when the left said “Silence is Violence”? Lesley Stahl is disgusting 7:36: That’s a lot of “S”. ICE admits to an 'administrative error' after Maryland man sent to El Salvador prison. Jen Psaki admits Biden’s age was a concern during his administration. Tariff’s affect on Indiana. Gerry Dick discusses. Tariffs are coming. Who’s droning Kazakh oil. Ghost Busters, Die Hard, Family Matters conspiracy theory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jen Psaki admits Biden’s age was a concern during his administration. Tariff’s affect on Indiana. Gerry Dick discusses. Tariffs are coming. Who’s droning Kazakh oil. Ghost Busters, Die Hard, Family Matters conspiracy theory.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you turn a research idea into a successful BioTech startup? What does it take to raise funding and scale in Silicon Valley? How can a PhD background shape an entrepreneur's journey?  In this episode, Nurlybek Mursali, founder of Biodock, shares his journey from being a Stanford PhD student to launching an AI-powered biotech company. He talks about the ups and downs of fundraising, how his team secured half of their investment round in just one day, and what it was like going through Y Combinator. We also get into the Kazakh startup scene, the future of Biodock, and what makes Stanford such a unique place for entrepreneurs. Plus, Nurlybek opens up about the lessons he's learned, the historical figures that inspire him, and some of his most unconventional takes on startups and innovation. Enjoy the conversation! Arman Suleimenov: https://www.instagram.com/armansu/ Nurlybek Mursali: https://www.instagram.com/nurlybek_mursaliyev/ Produced by Daniyar Akhmetzhanov: https://www.instagram.com/good.years/ Our Telegram channel: https://t.me/nfactorialpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nfactorialpodcast/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@nfactorialpodcast

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:Broadcaster: Radio Alma Ata, Kazakh S.S.R. 1971Frequency: 9,380 kHzRecption location: Ancaster, Ontario, CanadaReceiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antennaNotes: Here is the interval signal and sign on announcement from Radio Alma Ata in Kazakhstan as heard in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada in 1971. They were on 9380 kHz and I was listening on a Hallicrafters S-52 receiver hooked up to an outdoor long wire antenna. Just using an open mike placed in front of the speaker and appears the mike was shut off briefly between the interval signal and the voice announcement.

In this episode of Makin' it in China, we share two stories.Ehsan Doostmohammadi, an Iranian researcher at Southwest University in Chongqing, is dedicated to translating classic Chinese texts into Persian. His work provides Iranians with a unique insight into Chinese heritage and traditional medicine.Saulebek Kabylbekov, a Kazakh ophthalmologist based in Daqing, Heilongjiang, has treated more than 250,000 patients since 1998. Renowned for his humanitarian efforts and commitment to providing free medical services, he received the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2023.If you enjoy feature stories like this one, be sure to check out "Footprints" on your favorite podcast platform!

This is Zack Fuss. Today, we are breaking down Kaspi, a leading financial technology company based in Kazakhstan best known for its super app. Kaspi plays a central role in the lives of millions of Kazakh citizens by offering a seamless ecosystem that combines payments and digital wallets, e-commerce, and financial services.  Its success is often attributed to its ability to solve pain points specific to the Kazakh market, such as low financial inclusion and limited access to traditional banking infrastructure. To break down Kaspi, I'm joined by the company's CEO and co-founder, Mikhail Lomtadze.  Over the past 23 years, Michael helped to transform Kaspi from a small traditional retail bank to the dominant platform it is today. He ultimately brought Kaspi public on the London Stock Exchange in 2020, and more recently listed the business on the Nasdaq Exchange in the US.  We discuss the unique challenges of building a super app in an emerging market, how Kaspi differentiates itself from the global tech giants, and the company's ambitions to expand its footprint beyond its current borders. Please enjoy this Breakdown on Kaspi. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is sponsored by Finley - modern debt capital management software for borrowers and lenders. Ask around and you'll find that nearly every operator or investor has experienced the operational nightmare of managing debt capital. Finley works by translating unstructured credit agreements into code, which gets all parties on the same page and helps them streamline the credit management lifecycle--think covenant reporting, interest and fee tracking, and portfolio analysis. Join the forward-thinking finance leaders, investors, and bank executives already modernizing their debt capital operations with Finley. Learn more and request your demo at finleycms.com.  —-- Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes (00:00:00) Learn about Finley (00:06:26) Mikhail's Background and Journey (00:08:48) Kazakhstan's Economic Landscape (00:13:05) Caspi's Mission and Evolution (00:15:51) Building a Super App (00:21:53) Focus on Payments (00:24:50) E-commerce and Marketplace Expansion (00:28:02) Entering the Grocery Market (00:29:51) E-commerce Growth and Grocery Expansion (00:30:10) FinTech Synergy and Competitive Advantages (00:33:16) Kazakhstan Market Penetration and Growth Opportunities (00:34:20) Vertical Expansion and Service Innovation (00:35:28) Acquisition and International Expansion (00:38:21) Company Culture and Product Development (00:51:37) Super App Business Model and Market Strategy (00:55:20) Lessons From Kaspi

Last time we continued to speak about the insane battle over Southern Xinjiang. In Yarkland, chaos erupted as inflation soared, prompting Chinese officials to retreat to fortified New City. Panic led to desperate measures, including the use of dummy figures for defense. As insurgents advanced, Colonel Chin's forces looted and fled, sparking violence against Uyghurs and Hindu moneylenders. By April, rebel forces captured Kashgar, fracturing Chinese control. Amid shifting alliances, Ma Chanzeng sought power, but internal strife among leaders like Temur culminated in further violence and betrayal, with power ultimately shifting to the Khotanlik provisional government under Muhammad Amin Bughra. Abdullah's revelation ignited conflict among Muslim troops. The Uyghurs and Kirghiz briefly united against the Chinese, ultimately capturing the New City. As tensions rose, massacres occurred, fracturing alliances and leading to a power struggle. After the execution of Uyghur leader Temur, Abdullah seized control of Yarkland, while charismatic Tawfiq Bay rallied forces against the Tungans. Eventually, the Khotan Amirs dominated the region, achieving unity amidst chaos, leaving only the besieged Tungans at bay.   #135 Kumul Rebellion part 4: The reunification of Xinjiang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Do you remember Ma Chongying, basically the guy that started most of this madness? Following him getting severely wounded at Liaotun in autumn of 1932, he had withdrawn the majority of his forces to his old domain in northwestern Gansu. He set up a HQ at Anxi and through his subordinates began expanding territory and increasing recruitment via conscription. The British missionaries Mildred Cable and Francesca French were living in Tunhuang at the time and wrote extensively about Ma Congying's recruitment efforts “The town was robbed of everything in the nature of food, goods and money ... next to food the most coveted possessions of the oases were the young, vigorous, hardy men ... These were the men whom Ma Chung-ying wanted for gun fodder, and orders were issued to the press-gang to fetch them in from every farm of the neighborhood, and collect them in Tunhuang City. Every day we saw them being rounded up. The ropes which they themselves had twisted from desert grass were used to tie their hands behind their backs, and to noose their necks in a running-knot. Roped together in droves of twenty to thirty, according to the success of the raid, they were brought to town by captors who rode the horses levied from these boys' own stables. Thrust behind the high palings of temple courtyards, the imprisoned youths lined the barriers, looking out for some passers-by who might belong to their own group of farmsteads and would take a report home that son or husband had been captured”. After initial training at Tunhuang, the recruits were taken to Anxi for further training. Cable and French were ordered to Anxi to aid Ma Chongying with his wounds and to  take care of other Tungans who reportedly had been injured by fire arrows during the siege of Kumul Old City. They did a good job as within a short amount of time Ma Chongying was able to ride again.  Back in Xinjiang, following the failed Uyghur led rebellion at Kumul and facing another imminent Tungant invasion in the Turfan area Jin Shujen turned increasingly to the USSR for help. In September of 1931 he bought two biplanes for the Soviets at 40,000 Mexican silver dollars each. The planes came with two Russian pilots and on October 1st, Jin signed a secret trade deal with the USSR allowing 8 Soviet trading agencies to set up shop in Urumqi, Chuguchak, Kashgar, Kulja, Aksu, Kucha, Khotan and Yarkland. Customs duties on Soviets goods were reduced and a new Xinjiang-Soviet telegraph line and radio communications were established. Jin signed these deals illegally without notifying Nanjing and in return received economic and military assistance from the Soviets. In July of 1932 he would receive another 8 aircraft. Yet despite the Soviet assistance, Jin's provincial forces with the exception of Peppengut's White Russian detachment remained ill trained and ill officered. Following the relief of Kumul Old City and Ma Chongyings retreat back to Gansu, Chang Peiyuan, the provincial commander in chief and military governor of Ili went to Urumqi. It appears that Jin did not fully trust Chang Peiyuan, possibly fearing that the victory at Kumul had stirred up dangerous ambitions in Chang. This distrust seemed to be mutual, as Chang, upon receiving orders to transfer to the provincial capital, chose to defy them and returned to Ili in an act bordering on open rebellion. In response, Jin appointed Sheng Shihtsai, Chang's Chief-of-Staff during the Kumul campaign, as the new Provincial Commander-in-Chief. This decision would have significant implications both for Jin's future and for the future of Xinjiang. Sheng Shihtsai was born in 1895 in Liaoning Manchuria. He was the son of a small landowner. In 1917 he traveled to Japan to study political economics at Waseda University and came back to China in 1919 to participate in the May 4th movement. During that time he developed radical and anti-Japanese stances. He then joined the military training school in Guangdong and later enrolled in the northeastern military academy. He entered military service under Guo Songling, haha that old cry baby, who was deputy under Zhang Zuolin. Sheng Shihtsai rose through the ranks becoming a Lt Colonel. In 1924 Guo Songling sponsored Sheng's admission to the Shikan Gakko military academy in Japan. Sheng returned briefly to help Guo Songlings failed coup against Zhang Zuolin, but was able to escape imprisonment with support from Feng Yuxiang and Chiang Kai-Shek. They got him a ticket back to Japan, and he returned to China in 1927 to participate in the northern expedition as a staff officer attached to Chiang Kai-Sheks HQ. After the northern expedition, he was made chief of war operations section of the General staff at Nanjing, but in 1929 resigned as he did not get along with his superiors. After all of this he took an interest in China's border defences. At the time a delegation from Xinjiang visited Nanjing searching for financial aid. Jin Shujen had instructed one of his delegates, Kuang Lu the deputy General secretary of Xinjiang, to find an able bodied officer to help reorganize Xinjiang's military. Kuang Lu fished around and found Sheng who looked like a very promising man. Sheng then traveled via the USSR arriving to Urumqi in the winter of 1929. His initial welcome was a luke warm one as Jin was suspicious of this highly qualified overseas educated man, obviously seeing him as a potential threat. Moreover, Jin's brother Jin Shuxin hated Sheng's appointment because the man outshined him. Despite the jealousy, Jin was basically grasping at straws and needed the help so he made Sheng the chief of staff over the Xinjiang Frontier Army and also the instructor at the provincial military college.  In the words of historian Chan Fooklam “Sheng's appointment was like Jin burying a time bomb under his bed, he had brought upon himself his own doom”. Despite receiving aid from the Soviets and British, Jin's grip over Xinjiang was slipping away. In May of 1932 Ma Chongying had dispatched Ma Shuming to take over the Tungan operation against Turfan. As we talked about, Ma Fuming, leading the provincial forces at Turfan simply defected. Also at this time Chang Peiyuan's insubordination was breaking out, easing the way for Sheng to be promoted to commander in chief. Sheng was directing an unsuccessful campaign against Uyghur insurgents at Karlik Tagh. Following news of Ma Fumings defection and the Tungan capture of Turfan, Sheng advanced west from Kumul to try and prevent the combined Muslim forces from marching upon Urumqi. After a bloody two day battle he recaptured Turfan, but this has little effect over Ma Shuming who had already moved his HQ to Kara Shahr.  During mid-winter, Ma Shuming's Tungan cavalry and Ma Fumings Turkic insurgents began an advance to Urumqi. At some point a force of provincial troops sent to Urumqi by Jin, specifically to guard the Dawan Cheng Pass were ambushed and annihilated by the Tungans. Meanwhile full scale rebellions had broken out at Kucha led by Temur and at Khotan led by the Amirs. To this Jin responded by expanding Pappenguts White Russian detachment from its original strength of 250 to 1500 men. The White Russians, most of whom came from Ili Valley, had literally no choice but to enlist. Alongside threatening any White Russians with deportation to the USSR, Jin also arrested many Russian women to compel their husbands to enlist. By early January of 1933, Ma Shumings Tungans had crossed the Dawan Cheng and were now operating at will in the Chaiwupao corridor, to the immediate south of the capital. Wu Aichen the political envoy on behalf of Nanjing reported on January 29th, that the city gates were suddenly closed and a month of food shortages and communal tensions rose. Wu Aichen would witness the brutality of the war. In his reports, the Tungans advanced towards the city during the night, seizing the Great West Bridge after a heavy fight. The Provincial commander defending the city only had 700 troops under him and if it was not for 300 White Russian troops suddenly arriving, the city most likely would have fallen then. Wu Aichen described the White Russian troops as superb fighters, albeit savagely drunk as they drove back the Tungan and Uyghurs during two days of hand to hand combat. Meanwhile Tungans had captured the radio station and a nearby height called Devil's Hill which overlooked the Urumqi suburbs. The Chinese officials feared letting in any more Muslim civilians to the Old City, thus they kept the city gates causing large numbers of refugees from the suburbs to gather outside the walls. This was particularly evident at the west gate which became the focal point of the fighting. Wu Aichen witnessed much of it and had this to say. “In times of peace this street was one of the most prosperous in the city, but now it was crowded With innocent fugitives, whose plight was terrible indeed. There was was worse to come, however, for now the advancing rebels came to this quarter and seizing the houses made loop-holes in the walls. In the flat roofs they set up machine-gun posts which could enfilade Government positions on either side of them. I could see for myself that the situation was desperate and that our troops would be pinned against the walls. General Pai, who was in command, did not hesitate. He gave the order that the street of the small religion should be set on fire. Then followed a scene so frightful that the reader's imagination must suffice. As the flames swept down the long lane of wooden structures they became an inferno of horror, for the roar of the conflagration was added to the rattle of gunfire, .and the hideous shrieks of those who were trapped. The rebels sought safety in flight, and as they crossed the open were machine-gunned from the Red Mountain; but the fugitives had nowhere to fly to and perished to the last man, woman and child. Nevertheless the city was saved, and when at last the flames died down the approach to the West Bridge was strewn with the bodies of our assailants. On the evening of the second day I had completed ten thousand words of copying. I asked how many were dead. I was told at least two thousand. Once again I returned to my task, reflecting that a human life had been taken at every fifth word”. Following the defeat, the Muslim forces had to pull back from the West Gate area, however, they still held control over the West Bridge, a mere half mile northwest. This gave them a great launchpad for night raids and many would be killed trying to scale the walls under the mouths of guns. The White Russian troops emerged as the backbone of the defenses, holding the city walls and making occasional sorties. Urumqi would have fallen if it was not for Sheng Shihtsai who came to her aid with his troops from Turfan. Upon seeing his relief forces the Muslim insurgents broke off their attack and withdrew into the surrounding countryside. With winter coming to an end, with fear of a cholera outbreak looming the Chinese went to work burying the dead. Wu Aichen was one of those who helped with the burials and wrote a horrifying description about the conditions of the city. Over 1000 bodies were buried in a single mass grave within the suburbs and the final death toll was estimated to exceed 6000. Following the relief of Urumqi, the Muslim insurgents seized all they could in the countryside such as Dawan Cheng, the districts of Fukang and parts of Santopao where an estimated 900 Han Chinese were killed. The insurgents burned the stocks of rice that usually fed the capital and on March 1st a detachment of 100 provincial troops were ambushed and annihilated at Chitaowan. The situation throughout the province deteriorated; to the south Ma Shaowu had isolated Kashgar and in the north a Kazakh rebellion broke out in the Sahara Sume region under Sharif Khan. The Kazakh uprising convinced the Soviets that Jin Sujen was going to inevitably lose Xinjiang. They acted without any notice to Nanjing by dispatching forces to help hold up Urumqi. Fate would have it, 2000 battle hardened Chinese troops had recently been driven over the Heilongjiang border into Siberia by the Japanese during the invasion of Manchuria. So Stalin signed off on sending them over the trans-siberian and Turk-sib railways to the Xinjiang frontier of Chuguchak. This force designated the Northeast National Salvation Army consisted of regular soldiers who were well trained and held good morale. They arrived to Urumqi on March 27th of 1933, substantially bolstering the provincial military, more particularly that of the new Provincial commander in chief, Sheng Shihtsai who just so happened to also be a Manchurian.  Sheng led the new forces to push back the invading Tungans of Ma Shuming who was forced over the Dawan Cheng back to his HQ at Kara Shahr. The Uyghur insurgents were demoralized and Khoja Niyas Hajji who controlled a belt around the Xinjiang-Gansu frontier began begining for assistance from Ma Chongying. Meanwhile Jin basically was undermined by Sheng and was seeing further unrest in Urumqi. The White Russians who had bore the brunt of the fighting to defend Urumqi were royally pissed off as they had not all been paid and were provided the worst horses and ammunition of all the defenders. Moreover Jin's popularity with all nationalities, even Han Chinese had fallen dramatically because his brother Jin Shuxin had reportedly exorted the granaries during the siege. Following the relief of Urumqi, Pappengut and the other White Russians approached the leaders of the northeast national salvation army with grievances against Jin Shujen and were given assurances of support to mount a coup against him. On April 12th, around 400 White Russians stormed the capital with 200 of them seizing the city gates and yamen. Jin managed to escape over the city walls and fled to the USSR via Chuguchak. From there he returned to China via the Turk-Sib and Trans-Siberian. Meanwhile his younger brother Jin Shuxin was captured and executed. Sheng Shihtsai was encamped at Uruba at the time of the coup and insisted in his future memoirs he had nothing to do with the coup and that it was all the USSR's doing. Regardless after the coup Sheng was urged to go to Urumqi where negotiations began with Liu Wenlung who was appointed Provincial Chairman while Sheng was made Tupan or “border defense commissioner”. Ie; Sheng was made the de facto ruler of Xinjiang.  After Ma Shumings failure to take Urumqi and Khoja Niyas Hajji's pleas for help, Ma Chongying determined to reenter the fray in person. Despite the setbacks, the Tungans had crossed the Dawan Cheng and nearly taken the capital, coupled with the seizure of Kashgar, Ma Chongying most likely believed there was still a great chance to take it all. He had spent 18 months rebuilding his army and better yet, because of the USSR's illegal move to save Urumqi, Nanjing officially recognizing his Tungan forces as the 36th division of the NRA. Ma Chongying moved his HQ from Anxi to Suzhou and really improved his military. A German engineer named Vasel working with him described him as a man who admired Napoleon, Bismarck and Hindenburg and who “was frequently to be seen running at the head of his troops during training, even in sub-zero temperature. Military training was pursued with a spartan rigour, pushed to the verge of utter ruthlessness. Desertion was punishable by death, and on one occasion I saw Ma personally behead five such offenders. In one of those sudden fits of exuberance that were typical of him, snatching up casually some hand grenades, which he had made himself, and hurling them, one by one, against the lofty clay-coloured walls of the city. And then he laughed heartily when he saw his men fling themselves flat on the ground as splinters of steel hurtled in all directions. He scorned to seek safety by throwing himself on the ground, and was quite delighted when he saw that I too did not seek cover”. During spring of 1933, Ma Chongying prepared to reinvade Xinjiang. A Swedish man named Bexeill was working along the Gansu-Qinghai border and noted Ma Chongying heavily taxed his territory in northwestern Gansu to the limits of the peasants endurance. He apparently even sent troops into Qinghai to illegally tax them. By May of 1933 his army departed Suhou for Yumen and Vasel gives us this description of them. “A dark mass of human beings, camels and oxen, was pouring out of the city gate towards the west amid clouds of dust. There were hundreds of heavily-laden camels, the bells on their necks clanging monotonously, their drivers easily discernible by their gaudy headgear. In the rear followed high-wheeled ox-carts, flanked on either side by infantry. Behind them again came a company of cavalry, which presently galloped past the lumbering camels and oxen along the track through the desert ... and now I had an opportunity of seeing at close range General Ma's famous cavalry riding past me and keeping its post at the head of the marching columns. This was the famous white cavalry regiment of which General Ma was especially proud. The broad iron swords of the dragoons clanked as they rode along on their magnificent white horses, while on their shoulders they carried carbines of the most varied and antiquated patterns. Next came the brown regiment, while in the rear followed the black regiment, comprising some two thousand horsemen. A short distance behind the cavalry came the infantry - regiment after regiment, headed by the Chinese (Kuomintang) standard. On they swept, platoon after platoon, followed by their officers, with their mausers at the ready. The columns strode along, keeping perfect time with their shrill, high-pitched, mournful, Asiatic marching songs. Sandwiched between some of these trained and trustworthy soldiers I saw large drafts of recruits who had been compelled to join General Ma's forces. These raw levies were constantly kept under very close observation'. On Top of Ma Chongyings new Tungan army, young Uyghurs were also conscripted into his ranks. 2500 Tungans under the command of his younger brother Ma Chongjie captured Kumul in May with little opposition. This was because the area was dominated by Ma Chongyings ally Khoja Niyas Hajji. After this Ma Chongjie issued bilingual proclamations to the people of Kumul, stating they were free of Jin Shujen's tyranny, who at the time was in the USSR. Meanwhile Sheng hurriedly prepared a force of 5000 to meet the invaders near Urumqi. Ma Chongying advanced upon Qiqiaoqing unopposed, getting even further west than his first invasion of 1931. Instead of taking the main road to Turgan, the Tungans crossed the narrow defile between Barkul Tagh and Bogdo Ula to hit the garrison town of Kitai. The first major battle broke out near Mulei, due east of Kitai on May 15th. Two days later a mixed force of 4000 Tungans and Turkic Muslims attacked Kitai led by Ma Chongjie. On May 26th Sheng sortied from Urumqi at the head of 5000 men, 1000 of whom were White Russians. Sheng planned to hold Santai, the halfway point between Urumqi and Kitai. Sheng's men attacked the invaders around Kitai, but lost the battle for the city, though Ma Chongjie was killed in battle. Sheng then retreated back to Urumqi by June 1st. Things looked dire for Sheng, he was unsure how Nanjing would react to the coup against Jin Shujen, his position was threatened to the east by Ma Chongying now headquartered at Kitai and to the west by Chang Peiyuan the military governor of Ili whom he suspected was not loyal to Urumqi and in league with the Tungans. Ma Chongying was now within striking distance of Urumqi, when he suddenly halted his attack and sent a telegram with terms. It turns out Ma Chongying had no idea Jin Shujen had been overthrown, so he was unsure how to proceed. This bought Sheng more time to raise defenses, sending the White Russians to hold Fukang as he dispatched Wu Aichen on a peace mission to Kitai. Wu Aichen's mission failed, so Sheng went to Fukang to take personal command of the army and to meet Ma Chongying around the hamlet of Zuniquan. During the battle of mid June, the provincial forces managed to gain the upper hand due to severe weather conditions for which the lightly clothed Tungans were ill prepared for. The Uyghurs forces of Khoja Niyas Hajji also took no part in the fighting despite being in the immediate area. The Tungans were defeated at Zuniquan, but not routed. Ma Chongyings men managed to retreat in well order to Qiqiaoqing and from there advanced to Turfan joined Tungan forces under Ma Shuming. Combined the Tungans marched to Dawan Cheng. At the same time a Pacification Commissioner, Huang Musung was sent by Nanjing to Urumqi. His mission was to establish peace between the provincial forces and Ma Chongying, both of whom claimed loyalty to Nanjing. Sheng was suspicious of Huang Musung and felt Nanjing might be simply backing the Tungans. Thus Sheng had Huang Musung placed under house arrest. Then Sheng accused three Xinjiang officials of plotting with Huang Musung, Chang Peiyuan and Ma Chongying to overthrow him and had them all executed via a firing squad. Thus Sheng clearly had distanced himself from Nanjing and turned 100% to the USSR for help. During early Autumn Ma Chongying was still in Turfan reorganizing the forces while Sheng was consolidating his position in Urumqi and quelling the Kazakh rebellion.  Meanwhile Khoja Niyas Hajji was growing uneasy with his alliance to Ma Chongying and began to open up secret negotiations with Sheng and soon was appointed Chief Defense commissioner for Southern Xinjiang. He then took his Uyghurs across the Dawan Cheng and occupied Toksun only to be surprise attacked and decisively defeated by Tungans under Ma Shuming. By late July Khoja Niyas Hajji took his battered survivors and fled for Kucha. At this point Huang Musung managed to secure his release from house arrest by telegramming Nanjing the recommendation that Sheng Shihtsai and Liu Wenlung be confirmed in their posts as the chief military and civil authorities over Xinjiang. Nanjing had really no options other than to comply.  On September 2nd Lo Wenkan, the foreign minister of Nanjing, came to Urumqi and officially confirmed Sheng into office and then mediated between Sheng and Ma Chongying. To compensate Ma Chongying he was offered the post of Garrison Commander of Eastern Xinjiang which he accepted, thus gaining control over Kumul, Barkul and part of Turfan. After Lo Wenkan departed in early October, suddenly Sheng announced the discovery of a new plot against him. He accused Liu Wenlung of conspiring with Ma Chongying, Chang Peiyuan and Lo Wenkan to overthrow him. Liu Wenlung was forced to resign and was replaced as the provincial chairman by Zhu Juixi. Sheng then prepared a final hammer blow against Ma Chongying. However Ma Chongying had secretly been working with Ma Shuming to deliver a lighting stroke against Urumqi which came in December of 1933. Tungan forces passed Dawan Cheng and began attacking the capital. Likewise in response to the constant accusations, Chang Peiyuan finally threw his support to the Tungans. He led his troops across the Talki Pass into Zungharia and attacked the Provincial forces stationed at Wusu. Meanwhile encouraged by the advance of the Gansu Tungans, the indigenous Tungans of Zungharia rose en masse to Ma Chongyings banner. In late december a detachment of the 36th NRA led by Ma Shuming bypassed Urumqi and attacked Chuguchak. Vasel happened to witness this and described the battle as such “The sun's rays, by this time, were shining obliquely across the street and showed us the Tungan army entering the town ... Stirrup to stirrup, the young regular soldiers in their smart uniforms looked a well-disciplined, trim and efficient force. r recognised one of their officers, Ma Shih-ming, the Commander-in-Chief's adjutant, who had frequently been my guest in Soochow. These regular soldiers rode past on beautiful horses, while huge red flags floated in the breeze above their heads, bearing the character 'Ma' in black letters on a white ground. At a short distance followed a horde that was tolerably well equipped . . . I saw needle-guns, blunderbusses and muzzle-loaders ... In their rear dense clouds of dust, which shut out the light, billowed onward, and then came the infantry. . . men with wild eyes and matted hair. . . outlaws who had nothing to lose and everything to gain from the upheaval that was going on. After the infantry followed a huge horde of camels, with their rhythmical swaying gait, laden with produce and goods of every conceivable type ... the breath came from their mouths like smoke - their necks were craned forward, and their heads kept bobbing up and down.”With the Tungans taking Zunghaira, the Khotan Amirs running amok in the south and Chang Peiyuan joining the fray, Sheng's position at Urumqi was hopeless. While Ma Chongying and Sheng Shihtsai continued their struggle in the north, in the south Muhammad Amin Bughra woo'd Khoja Niyas Hajji to become president of a new secessionist Islamic state. Thus was born the Turkic Islamic Republic of Eastern Turkestan ie TIRET. While Khoja Niyas Kajji was the quote president, this was simply symbolic, the real leadership remained with the Amirs. Amir Abdulah retained control over Yarkland, Amir Nur Ahmad Jan over Yangi Hissar and Kashgar and Bughra over Khotan. Shari a law was implemented, a national flag with a white star and crescent over a blue ground was made and the new state sought aid and recognition from Britain. But the TIRET would never receive said recognition or aid, for Britain respected Nanjing's government as the sole authority in Xinjiang. TIRET turned next to Turkey, but found no real help. Then they turned to Afghanistan who likewise could not help them. TIRET was doomed from the very beginning. Meanwhile the battles raged between Sheng and Ma Chongying. Sheng knew Nanjing would not assist him so he turned to the USSR. Sheng dispatched diplomats Chen Teli and Yaoxiong to Moscow pleading for assistance. The Soviets were sympathetic and quite concerned with events such as the rise of TIRET and the possibility of Ma Chongying capturing Urumqi as they suspected him and TIRET to have ties to the Japanese. Weary of Germany and Japan, the USSR took up a policy of curbing any influence from either, especially in her Central Asian frontiers. The Soviets sent this warning to Nanjing “'We do not mind if you Chinese develop [Eastern] Turkestan. But if you permit [Eastern] Turkestan to become a second Manchuria, we must act to protect ourselves. '” Thus in late 1933, following pleas for help from Sheng Shihtsai, the Soviets chose to intervene on behalf of Sheng, whom was known to be a loose cannon and unreliable, but atleast was anti-Japanese. The USSR appointed Apresoff as the new consul-general at Urumqi and upon his arrival Sheng conducted a purge. Officers from the Northeast National Salvation army and White Russian volunteers were arrested and shot, including Pappengut. The White Russians units were reorganized under the command of new Soviet officers. Sheng signed a secret deal with the USSR to allow them to build a railway from Sergiopol, through Chuguchak to Urumqi. Sheng also announced 6 new principles going forward (I) anti-imperialism, (2) kinship to Sovietism, (3) racial or national equality, (4) 'clean' government, (5) peace, and (6) reconstruction.  The Soviets were pleased and after receiving approval from Nanjing dispatched two brigades, numbered some 7000 men supported by tanks, artillery and aircraft against the insurgent positions at Kulja and Chuguchak. The Soviets had orders to “clear the roads and liquidate the rebellion”. They rapidly overwhelmed the forces of Chang Peiyuan who committed suicide in shame. The Tungans of Ma Shuming put up a better fight but were dislodged from the Chuguchak area. According to Vasel, the Tungans managed to beat back some attacks during 30 days of battle. In one instance the Tungans foiled a Soviet pincer attack by “crawling through the snow, camouflaged by reversed sheepskins, and storming, from a very short distance, Soviet machine-gun posts whilst wielding the characteristic curved sword of Islam”. The main battle broke out on the frost-bound banks of the Tutun River, 30 miles northwest of Urumqi. According to The Times correspondent Peter Fleming , “the Battle of the Tutun River 'raged for several days; but the Tungans' unskilled ferocity was no match for a mechanised foe, and the troops ... were badly demoralised by gas bombs dropped by the Soviet airmen”.  Both the Soviets and Tungans took heavy casualties, but ultimately the Soviets won, forcing Ma Chongying to retreat from Urumqi to the Dawan Cheng, pursued by a mixed force of Soviets, White Russians and Chinese. The Tungans attempted to make a stand at Dawan Cheng, but according to Vasel “a detachment of Soviet troops supported by armoured cars was attacked by a force of some 500 Tungans. After savage hand-to-hand fighting the Soviet forces were driven back, and their armoured cars were rolled off the mountainside by the victorious Tungans. At this juncture, by a strange twist of fate, the surviving Soviet troops were relieved by a force of White Russian 'volunteers', and Ma Chung-ying was forced to continue his retreat through Toksun to Korla”. Meanwhile in Southern Xinjiang, the Soviets tried to break the TIRET. A Soviet backed force of irregulars known as the “Tortunjis” was set up at Ulug Chat, led by Yusuf Jan. The Soviets also negotiated secretly with Khoja Niyas Hajji who despite being the president of the TIRET had taken all of his forces to Aksu. As a result Khoja Niyas Hajji received Soviet arms in return for turning against his anti-soviet colleagues. Yet despite Soviet support, Khoja Niyas Hajji's Uyghur forces were decisively defeated by 800 Tungans under Ma Chongying. Khoja Niyas Hajji had to abandon his HQ at Aksu fleeing for Kashgar with 1500 men on January 13th of 1934. The Tungans soon besieged Kashgar New City forcing Khoja Niyas Hajji and local forces under Sabit Damullah to withdrew towards Yangi-Hissar, then held by Nur Ahmad Jan. Within 24 hours the Tungan advance guard led by Ma Fuyuan entered Kashgar meeting little resistance. According to British Consulate General Thomson-Glover “'some 800 Tungans and 1,200 conscripts caused nearly 10,000 rebel troops to flee from Kashgar'” To make thing more complicated at this time Ma Shaowu assumed senior military and civil control on behalf of Nanjing and at the request of Ma Chanzeng and Ma Fuyuan. Thus the capital of TIRET was recaptured for Nanjing, but not by their approved forces under Sheng, but of those under Ma Chongying. Following the fall of Kashgar, TIRET moved its administration to Yangi-Hissar. Meanwhile Khoja Niyas Hajji fled to Irkeshtam on the Soviet border and there signed a treaty with the USSR to dissolve the TIRET and relinquished his forces to be used by the Xinjiang provincial authorities against the Tungans and Khotan Amirs. For this he was rewarded Civil Governor for life over Xinjiang with Sheng Shihtsai retaining military governorship. On February 14th, the Khotanlik forces tried but failed to recapture Kashgar. In response for two days the Tungans systematically looted Kashgar old city while they massacred nearly 2000 of its citizenry. Then Ma Chanzeng and Ma Fuyuan advanced to Yangi-Hissar where on March 28th looted its old city and killed everyone they got their hands on. In the face of the Tungan onslaught, Amir Nur Ahmad Jan fled into Yangi Hissar New City and Sabit Damullah fled for Yarkland. Nur Ahmad Jan led a fierce resistance at the New City until April 2nd when Amir Abdullah arrived from Yarkland with several thousand troops. However caught out in the open, Abdullah's men were obliterated by the Tungans and Abdullah was cut down and his severed head was sent to Kashgar to be exhibited outside the Id-gah Mosque. Yangi-Hissar New City continued to resist, “wielding only rifles and conserving their scanty ammunition and rolling back the attackers scaling the walls by means of large stones and tree trunks”. The Tungans took New City on April 12th, putting 500 of its defenders and Nur Ahmad Jan to the sword. Meanwhile the administration of TIRET received word of Khoja Niyas Hajji's deal with the Soviets and refused to dissolve. Thus Khoja Niyas Hajji went to Yarkland to try and convince Amir Muhammad Amin Bughra to dissolve the TIRET. He arrived there in Mid April, only a few days before the Tungas would. Bughra fled towards Khotan as Khoja Niyas Hajji looted Yarkland taking Sabit Damullah prisoner and advanced to Aksu. The Tungans arrived at Yarkland on the 20th and immediately pursued Khoja Niyas Hajji. Khoja Niyas Hajji managed to get to Aksu where he handed over Sabit Damullah who was promptly hung. Meanwhile Ma Chongying arrived at Kashgar with 10,000 men on April 6th where he denounced Sheng Shihtsai as a Soviet Puppet and stressed loyalty to Nanjing to its population. Other Tungan forces captured Sarikol and together marched upon Khotan. Khotan was taken on June 12th without a fight and unlike at Kashgar and Yangi-Hissar, the Tungans did not loot, but instead hunted down Muhammad Amin Bughra who had escaped with 3000 troops towards Keriya. Bughra managed to give them all the slip and fled with several ponies carrying hold to Ladakh in British India where he received permission to travel to Srinagar. Thus ended the TIRET experiment as Ma Chongying claimed he had recaptured southern Xinjiang for Nanjing. Ma Chongying then met with Thomson Glover “that he had come to Kashgar 'to try and save south Sinkiang from Russian influence', and continued to stress his loyalty to Nanjing”.  Meanwhile Ma Chongying set up a defensive line at Maral Bashi and Fayzabad with his brother in law, Ma Hushan in command. During May and June of 1934 Ma Chongying tried to gain sympathy from the British for his cause, but they refused to get involved. In a surprising turn of events, as told to us by Thomson Glover “Ma Chung-ying left Kashgar for Irkeshtam early on 7th July with three or four of his officers. . . and an escort of some 50 Tungans and one or more members of the USSR Consulate or Trade Agency. Arrived near the border to Russia the escort were met by Russian or Russian-employed troops. The Tungan escort dispersed or handed over their arms to some of Khoja Niyas' levies, and Ma Chung-ying disappeared into Russia”. Why the courageous Tungan threw in the towel is a mystery. He had not yet been deceive beaten, he could have taken his Tungan force and held out for 3 years before returning back to Gansu. Regardless the Soviets had offered him sanctuary and he just took it. His fate is a complete mystery, some say he was killed by the Soviets, some say he rotted in a dungeon, that he lived a life of luxury as a Soviet guest, and one claim is that in 1938, when Sheng Shihtsai visited Moscow, Stalin had him executed as a gift. Ma Chongyings command passed to Ma Hushan who set up a HQ at Khotan and carved out a sphere of influence extending from Karghalik to CHarkhlik. The provincial forces did nothing to stop him, and instead signed a truce, ending the wars with the Tungans. Sheng Shihtsai had won, he now held absolute power over Xinjiang, though as we will see much later on, Xinjiang was certainly not done seeing battles. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Thus in the end, after all of these different groups of people formed uprisings, betrayed one another and fought this large game of thrones for Xinjiang, it was Sheng Shihtsai who prevailed above all. Xinjiang was by no means stable and would continue to see chaos well into WW2 however.   

Indigenous knowledge of local ecosystems often challenges settler-colonial cosmologies that naturalize resource extraction and the relocation of nomadic, hunting, foraging, or fishing peoples. Questioning Borders: Ecoliteratures of China and Taiwan (Columbia UP, 2023) explores recent ecoliterature by Han and non-Han Indigenous writers of China and Taiwan, analyzing relations among humans, animals, ecosystems, and the cosmos in search of alternative possibilities for creativity and consciousness. Informed by extensive field research, Robin Visser compares literary works by Bai, Bunun, Kazakh, Mongol, Tao, Tibetan, Uyghur, Wa, Yi, and Han Chinese writers set in Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Southwest China, and Taiwan, sites of extensive development, migration, and climate change impacts. Visser contrasts the dominant Han Chinese cosmology of center and periphery that informs what she calls “Beijing Westerns” with Indigenous and hybridized ways of relating to the world that challenge borders, binaries, and hierarchies. By centering Indigenous cosmologies, this book aims to decolonize approaches to ecocriticism, comparative literature, and Chinese and Sinophone studies as well as to inspire new modes of sustainable flourishing in the Anthropocene. Robin Visser is professor and associate chair of the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of Cities Surround the Countryside: Urban Aesthetics in Postsocialist China (2010). Li-Ping Chen is a teaching fellow in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include literary translingualism, diaspora, and nativism in Sinophone, inter-Asian, and transpacific contexts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Kumul Rebellion. In 1931, tensions in Kumul escalated after a Muslim girl spurned Han tax collector Chang Mu, leading to his violent death at a family dinner. Enraged, Uyghurs retaliated against Chinese officials, igniting a rebellion. Chaos ensued as rebels targeted Han settlers, ultimately capturing Kumul with little resistance. Amidst the unrest, Yulbars Khan sought support from military leader Ma Chongying, who planned to mobilize his forces to help the Uyghurs. What began as a local incident spiraled into an all-out revolt against oppressive rule. In 1931, young warlord Ma Chongying sought to establish a Muslim empire in Central Asia, leading a small force of Tungan cavalry. As his army attempted to besiege Kumul Old City, they faced fierce resistance from Chinese troops. Despite several assaults, the lack of heavy artillery hampered Ma's progress. Eventually, Ma faced defeat due to a serious injury. After his recuperation, his forces joined with Uyghur insurgents, sparking a guerrilla war against oppressive provincial troops, leading to increasing unrest and rebellion.   #133 Kumul Rebellion part 2: Uprisings in southern Xinjiang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So in the last episode we spoke about the beginning of the Kumul Rebellion. Now the Kumul Rebellion is actually a series of other rebellions all interlaced into this larger blanket known as the Xinjiang Wars. To be blunt, Xinjiang was the wild west from the 1930s until basically the formation of the PRC. We briefly went over the various groups that inhabit northwestern China, they all had their own interests. I want to start off by looking at the situation of southern Xinjiang. Back in June of 1924, Ma Fuxing, the T'ai of Kashgar was executed. His executioner was Ma Shaowu who had just received the post of Taoyin over the oasis city of Khotan. There was of course always tension, but southern Xinjiang was relatively peaceful in the 1920s. Then Governor Yang Zengxin was assassinated in July of 1928. During the last years of his rule, southern Xinjiang often referred to as Kashgaria, remained entrenched in the British sphere of influence after the collapse of Tsarist Russia and the subsequent closure of the Imperial Russian consulate-General at Kashgar.  Going further back in time, in August of 1918, Sir Geoerge Macartney, the long standing British Consul General to Kashar had retired. His successor was Colonel P. T Etherton, a hardcore anti-communist who actively was cooperating with anti-Soviet Basmachi guerillas in the western portion of Turkestan. One of his missions was to curb Soviet influence in southern Xinjiang. Yang Zengxin understood the British policy towards Xinjiang was to push the Soviets out via enabling the survival of his independent Han led regime. Thus Yang Zengxin was very friendly to the British and allowed them to exercise considerable political influence in Tien Shan. Despite this Soviet influence spread in Ili and Zungharia. This prompted Yang Zengxin to secretly cooperate with the British in Kashgar to counter the looming red growth north of his province. Now by 1924, through a combination of military necessities and the re-emergence of Soviet Russia as Xinjiang's largest trading partner, this forced Yang Zengxin to push away the British. Following the Sino-Soviet agreement of 1924 which effectively saw the establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Beijing, the Soviet government at Omsk dispatched an envoy to Xinjiang to discuss mutual consular representation. Both sides reached an agreement on October 6th, providing for an exchange of consulate-generals between Tashkent and Urumqi and for Soviet consulates in Chuguchak, Kulja, Shara Sume and Kashgar. The new Soviet presence in Kashgar was quite upsetting for the British. It also allowed the Soviets direct access to the densely populated oases of Tarim Basin, the source of nearly all Xinjiang's revenue.  Shortly after the Soviet Consulate in Kashgar officially opened on October 10, 1925, a local power struggle emerged involving Max Doumpiss, the Soviet Consul, of Latvian origin, Major Gillan, the British Consul-General at that time, and the Taoyin of Kashgar. Sino-Soviet relations in southern Xinjiang took a troubled turn in November 1925 when large quantities of silver bullion were discovered hidden in thirty-four boxes labeled as Soviet 'diplomatic bags,' intended for the Kashgar consulate. The Kashgar Taoyin, who was reportedly offended by the 'subtle spread of Soviet propaganda' in the southern oases, retaliated by expelling several suspected Russian agents. In March 1926, significant riots erupted in Kashgar, which the Chinese authorities attributed to an interpreter at the Soviet Consulate named Akbar 'Ali. The unrest was quelled by a force of 400 local Tungan troops, and Akbar 'Ali was imprisoned; the Taoyin ignored subsequent Soviet demands for his release. The rapid increase in the number of European consular staff from around fifteen in 1925 to between thirty and forty by 1927 also alarmed Chinese officials. All these developments were likely reported to Governor Yang Tseng-hsin in Urumchi, who was likely dealing with similar situations at the newly established Soviet Consulates in Kulja, Chuguchak, and Shara Sume. It appears that, with discreet British support, Yang decided to take actions to curb the expansion of Soviet influence in Kashgar. The Kashgar Taoyin then took up a strong anti-soviet stance. Alongside this Yang Zengxin's nephew, the officer in command of Chinese troops along the Kashgar northern frontier, suddenly became a frequent visitor to the British consulate General at Chini Bagh. After the death of the old Taoyin in 1927, Ma Shaowu came over from Khotan to replace him and with this came heightened anti-soviet policies in southern Xinjiang. Ma Shaowu first began by imprisoning 60 alleged local communists and tightened Chinese control over Kashgars northern frontier. The freedom of the Soviet Consul team to travel within southern Xinjiang was tightened to the extreme and all Kashgar citizens suspected of pro-soviet sympathies became targets for confiscation of their property or deportation to other oases. Yang Zengxin backed Ma Shaowu's attempts to limit Soviet influence in Tarim Basin by imposing severe tax on Muslims leaving southern Xinjiang to go on Hajj via the USSR. Similarly, new legislative was unleashed requiring merchants going into the USSR to deposit large sums of money to the Chinese authorities in Kashgar who would forfeit if the depositor failed to return to Xinjiang within 60 days.  These policies did not completely insulate southern Xinjiang from Soviet influence; however, they did ensure that at the time of Yang Zengxin's assassination in 1928, the southern region of the province—especially Ma Shao-wu's domain around Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khotan—maintained a significant degree of independence from the Soviet Union. This stood in stark contrast to areas like the Ili Valley, Chuguchak, and Shara Sume, where Soviet influence became dominant shortly after 1925, and even to the provincial capital of Urumqi, where, by the spring of 1928, the Soviet Consul-General had considerable sway. It was likely due to Ma Shaowu's anti-Soviet position and the persistent dominance of British influence in southern Xinjiang during the final years of Yang Zengxin's administration that Kashgar emerged as a hub of conservative Muslim opposition to Chinese governance in the 1930s. Yang Zengxins intentional efforts to sever southern Xinjiang from Soviet influence resulted in the Uighurs and, to a lesser extent, the Kirghiz of the Tarim Basin being less influenced by the 'progressive' nationalist propaganda from Soviet-controlled Western Turkestan compared to the Turkic-speaking Muslims of the Ili Valley and Zungharia. This is not to imply that the socialist nationalism promoted by the Jadidists after 1917 was entirely ineffective south of the Tien Shan; however, Kashgar, situated outside the Soviet zone in northwestern Sinkiang, became a natural refuge for right-wing Turkic nationalists and Islamic traditionalists who opposed Chinese authority yet were even more fiercely against the encroachment of 'atheistic communism' and its Soviet supporters in Central Asia. Many of these right-wing Turkic-speaking nationalists were former Basmachi guerrillas, primarily of Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kirghiz descent, but also included several Ottoman Turks and, according to Caroe, "old men who had fought against the Chinese at Kashgar." Among the most notable Basmachi leaders who sought refuge in Kashgar was Janib Beg, a Kirghiz who would play a significant role in the politics of southern xinjiang during the early 1930s. Following Yang Zengxin's assassination in July 1928, Soviet influence in southern Xinjiang began to grow rapidly; nevertheless, at the onset of the Kumul Rebellion in 1931, reports of forced collectivization and the suppression of nomadic lifestyles in Western Turkestan led many Turkic Muslims in southern Xinjiang to be wary of Soviet intentions. If, during the late 1920s and early 1930's, the Turkic Muslims of southern Xinjiang were divided in their approach towards the Soviets and the newly formed Turkic-Tajik SSR's in western Turkestan, they all were united in their attitude towards their Tungan brethren to the east. Unlike the Turkic Muslim rebels of Kumul, the Uyghurs and Kirghiz of southern Xinjiang were far too distant from Gansu to appeal for assistance from the Tungan warlords, such as the 5 Ma Clique. Besides the Han Chinese officials, rule over the oases of Tarim Basin had long been held by Tungans. Ma Fuxing, the Titai of Kashgar had ruthlessly exploited his Turkic Muslim subjects between 1916-1924. He himself was a Hui Muslim from Yunnan, as was Ma Shaowu. The Turkic Muslims of southern Xinjiang therefore had zero illusions of any “muslim brotherhood” with their Tungan brethren. It was Tungan troops who intervened to suppress any demonstration against Chinese rule. The Tungans of Tarim Basin were allies to the Han Chinese administration and thus enemies to the Turkic Muslim peoples. The western rim of Tarim Basin was in a unique political situation during the later half of Yang Zengxins rule as a large part of its Turkic Muslim population looked neither to the progressive Muslim leadership of western Turkestan nor the Tungan warlords of Gansu. Instead they looked at the regimes in Turkey and Afghanistans, both quite conservative. Contacts in these places were sparse ever since the Qing reconquest of Xinjiang. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WW1, contact ceased to exist at all. Emotional links to what once was however lingerd, and the nationalist revolution of Ataturk sprang something of a Turkish renaissance inspiring Turkic peoples from Crimea to Kumul.  As for Afghanistan, there existed more concrete religious and political contacts with southern Xinjiang. In 1919, Amir Aman Allah, the last Muhammadzay ruler of Afghanistan had taken the throne after the death of his father. He became an impetuous ruler who brought forth his own downfall through a series of radical reforms that caused a revolution by 1928. Yet in his first years of rule he had widespread support of Muslim peoples in central asia, especially after he began the Third Afghan war against Britain, combined with a Jihad for Afghan independence. Because of this the British were forced to recognize Afghanistan's right to independent foreign policy. During this period, it is rumored Amir Aman Allah had toyed with the idea of forming an Islamic Confederacy which would have included Afghanistan, Bukhara, Khiva and Khokand. He would have also been interested in influence over Xinjiang where numerous Afghan merchants resided under British protection. Following Britains recognition of Afghanistan's right to independent foreign policy, with the 1919 treaty of Peshawar, British diplomatic protection for Afghan citizens in Xinjiang was lifted. Amir Aman Allah then established independent diplomatic links between Kabul and Urumqi, sending a delegation in 1922 led by Muhammad Sharif Khan. The Chinese officials regarded the Afghan mission as a trade delegation, but Muhammad Sharif Khan carried with him printed visiting cards styling himself as Afghanistan's Consul-General in Xinjiang. Alongside this he brought draft agreements demanding full extraterritorial rights and other privileges for Afghan subjects in Xinjiang and the right to import opium freely into the province. It is to no surprise Yang Zengxin refused to recognize the mission causing a dispute that would drag on for years. It became a long standing issue for th Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang. There were many who looked to Afghanistan to help them against Chinese oppression. Now getting back to our timeline, with the initial outbreak of the Kumul Rebellion and the Tungan invasion, Jin Shujen had made every effort to prevent news of these events occurring mostly in the northeast from getting into the south. But of course one cannot stop the flow of information completely. Rumors and reports of the rebellious activities northeast flooded into the oases of Tarim Basin, invigorating anti-Chinese zeal, from peoples already suffering from increased taxation and inflation caused by unbacked paper currency paying for Jin's war efforts. Jin was well aware of the discontent south in his province, but he was emboldened by his victory of Ma Chongying as well as the recent delivery of 4000 rifles and 4 million rounds of ammunition from British held India. Thus he determined to maintain his current stance. It would prove to be a very fateful decision. The Kumul Rebellion was not crushed by any means. In fact the brutality following the relief of Kumul Old City caused outrage amongst the Turkic speaking peoples and sent refugees westwards towards Turfan. By May of 1932, Ma Chongying had dispatched a young Tungan Lt, Ma Shihming to take command over his Tungan forces remaining in Xinjiang. Ma Shihming quickly established his HQ in Turfan and began to cooperate with the Turkic speaking Muslim insurgents who owed their allegiance to Yulbars Khan and Khoja Niyas Haiji. It's also believed he made contact with Ma Fuming, a Tungan officer in command of the Xinjiang provincial forces at Turfan.  By mere coincidence, in May of 1932, Jin had also elected to seek revenge against Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen, the Torgut Mongol regent inhabiting Tien Shan. That same guy he had asked for military aid from who simply took his army away. Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen was invited to come back to Urumqi where he was to attend an investigation into the assassination plot laid against him. On May 21st, shortly after his arrival, he alongside two Torgut officers and the young Torgut Prince were all invited to an official banquet at Jin Shujens yamen. Now you might be thinking, who in their right mind would fall for that shit? Especially given the Yang Zengxin banquet story. Well according to R.P Watts, the British Vice Consul General at Kashgar who happened to be in Urumqi at the time. “While drinking the usual preliminary cup of tea the regent and the two military officers were led out into a courtyard and executed. According to Chinese custom in such matters proper observance was accorded to the high rank of regent even at the moment of execution. A red carpet was spread on the ground on which he was invited to seat himself. He was then killed by being shot through the head from behind by one of the governor's special executioners. His two companions being men of inferior rank were not given the privilege of a red carpet to sit on whilst being executed.”  The young Torgut prince was allowed to return to Kara Shahr, man that must have been an awkward desert. So Jin hoped the harsh action would terrify the young prince into submission. As you may have guessed, Jin actions were quite toxic for the Torgut Mongols. Might I add the Torgut Mongols were probably the only non Chinese group in Xinjiang that may have sided with Jin against the Turkic peoples? So to tally up things a bit here. Jin pissed off the Uyghurs and Tungans of Turfan, the Kirghiz of Tian Shan and now the Torguts.  In early 1932, Turkic Muslim opposition to forced collectivization and suppression of nomadism by Stalin in the Kazakh and Kirghiz regions of Soviet Central Asia, saw many spill over into Xinjiang. By March of 1932, large numbers of Kirghiz fled the border and were pursued by Soviet forces. A series of skirmishes and raids broke out in the border region. The Soviet Kirghiz naturally received aid from the Xinjiang Kirghiz and in June a Chinese official was killed by Kirghiz insurgents in Tien Shan. The Chinese were outraged, prompting Ma Shaowu to unleash 300 troops from Kashgar New City and 200 troops from Kashgar Old City to defend the frontier area. These units were soon joined by another 100 troops from Opal and 200 from Uch Turfan all under the leadership of Brigadier Yang, the nephew to the late Yang Zengxin. In July Yang's men began joint operations with the Soviets against the Kirghiz insurgents who were led by Id Mirab. The Chinese forces were said to quote “The Chinese forces had been suffering badly from want of opium', and reportedly behaved very badly towards Kirghiz, a number of whom were driven to take refuge in Russian territory”. To try a force the submission of the Kirghiz, Yang's forces took 70 hostages from Kirghiz families and brought them to imprisoned them the oases of Khotan, Keriya and Charchan. Thus Jin and Ma Shaowu had succeeded within a few months of Ma Chongyings withdrawal back into Gansu in both alienating the Turkic speaking and Mongol nomads of Tien Shan. The Sino-Soviet cooperation against the Kirghiz had also not gone unnoticed by other Muslim groups.  Meanwhile the Kumul Rebellion had spread westwards. By Autumn of 1932, months after the arrival of Ma Shihming to Turfan, Ma Fuming joined the rebels cause. Wu Aichen wrote it was his belief that Ma Fuming's decision was based on the continuing flow of Muslim refugees from Kumul to Turfan combined with reports of mass executions being carried out by Xing Fayu. But like I had mentioned, there is also strong evidence Ma Shihming probably negotiated an alliance with Ma Fuming. Wu Aichen wrote Ma Fumings first rebellious action was to send a telegram to Jin requesting he dispatch reinforcements while he also sent a letter to Xing Fayu over in Kumul to come quickly to Turfan. The reinforcements arrived at the oasis without suspecting a thing and were “shot down to the last man” by Ma Fumings forces as they passed the city gates. A few days later another detachment of 100 men led by Xing Fayu reached Turfan only to suffer the same fate. Xing Fayu was taken captive and “tortured to death in public with every refinement of cruelty and vileness of method”. Following Ma Fumings official defection, the Turfan Depression quickly emerged as the main center of Muslim rebellion in northeastern Xinjiang. Kumul which had been laid to ruin by Jin was abandoned to the Turkic Muslim insurgents and a handful of Tungan troops. A large portion of Tungan forces consisting of those following Ma Fuming and Ma Sushiming massed at Turfan preparing to march upon Urumqi, lying 100 miles northwest. The storm brewing in Turfan was followed up by a series of uncoordinated uprisings amongst the Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang. The Uyghurs of Tarim Basin and Kirghiz of Tien Shan realized Jin's grip over the province was weakening and the presence of Tungan forces in Turfan effectively cut off the oases of the south from Urumqi and Jin's White Russian troops, whom otherwise may have scared them into submission. The White Russians and other provincial forces were hard pressed by Ma Fuming and Ma Shihming. Reports also spread that Ma Chongying would soon re-enter the fray in person and that Chang Peiyuan, the Military commander over at Ili had fallen out with Jin. Thus the Turkic speaking Muslims of southern Xinjiang knew the time was ripe to rebel against Chinese rule. In the winter uprising began at Pichan, just east of Turfan and at Kara Shahr about 175 miles southwest. Lack of Torgut support at Kara Shahr following the murder of Tsetsen Puntsag Gegeen basically sealed the fate of the Chinese forces within the city. The new Tungan leader, Ma Chanzeng emerged the commander of rebel forces in the region. Disregarding the increasingly intense conflict between Ma Shih-ming and the provincial forces along the Turfan-Urumqi road, Ma Chan-ts'ang moved westward, seizing Bugur in early February and progressing to Kucha. There, he formed a strategic alliance with Temiir, the local Uyghur leader, who was noted by Wu Aichen as "a capable individual who had managed the mule wagon service." After occupying Kucha without any resistance, the combined forces of Ma Chanzeng and Temiir continued their advance toward Aksu, capturing the small town of Bai along the way. Ma Shaowu was the Taoyin of Kashgar and second most powerful official in the provincial administration after Jin, thus found himself cut off from Urumqi by two separate armies of Muslim rebels each composed of Tungan and Turkic factions. One of these armies held a small but militarily competent Tungan force led by Ma Chanzeng with a large contingent of poorly armed Uyghur peasants owing their allegiance to Temur. This force advanced southwest towards Aksu, while the other army consisting of a loose coalition of competent Tungan troops under Ma Shihming and Ma Fuming with Turkic speaking Muslim peasants owing allegiance to Khoja Niyas Haiji and Yulbars Khan pressed their attack directly upon Urumqi. In February of 1933 to add further confusion in the south, the rebellion against the Chinese spread southwards across the Tarim Basin to its southern rim. Uprising against the Chinese administration broke out simultaneously amongst the gold miners of the southern oases who had long resented the provincial governments fixed rate for the purchase of gold in Xinjiang alongside brutal working conditions. The spiraling inflation from Jin's worthless currency which was used to pay for the gold only made things worse. By spring their patience had run out, the Uyghurs led by Ismail Khan Khoja seized control of Kara Kash killing a large number of Han Chinese. Meanwhile the Uyghurs at Keriya seized control over the Surghak mines and threatened to take control over the whole oasis. Prominent rebel demands included a fair price for gold and silver and prohibition of the purchase of precious metals with paper currency. More urgent demands were lowering taxes, ending government tyranny, introducing Shari a law and stationing Muslim troops in every city. Now these demands were very real, they were willing to stand down if they were met. One anonymous writer of the demand notices placed at Karakash was as follows “A friend for the sake of friendship will make known a friend's defects and save him from the consequences of his defects. You, who are supposed to rule, cannot even realize this, but try to seek out the supporter of Islam to kill him. Foolish infidels like you are not fit to rule ... How can an infidel, who cannot distinguish between a friend and a foe, be fit to rule? You infidels think that because you have rifles, guns ... and money, you can depend on them; but we depend upon God in whose hands are our lives. You infidels think that you will take our lives. If you do not send a reply to this notice we are ready. If we die we are martyrs. If we survive we are conquerors. We are living but long for death”. Ma Shaowu elected to first move against the Muslim insurgents threatening Aksu, most likely reasoning that if Ma Chanzeng and Temur were defeated the weaker rebel forces at KaraKash and Surghak would just crumble. There also was the fact Ma Shihmings men at Turfan had severed the telegraph line between Urumqi and Kashgar, and that line had been re-routed via Aksu, but if Aksu fell to the rebels, communications with the capital would only be possible via the USSR. At this point its estimated Brigadier Yang had a mixed army of 280 cavalry and 150 infantry as he set out for Aksu on February 6th. Ma Shaowu's position was not good. On February 9th, Jin Shujen's younger brother, Jin Shuqi the commander in chief at Kashgar New City suddenly died of illness. He was replaced with a Chinese officer called Liu who took command of his three detachments of cavalry, about 480 men and a single detachment of artillery, about 160 men. Ma Shaowu held control over two regiments of cavalry, 700 men and 3 detachments of infantry, around 300 men all stationed at Kashgar Old City. In mid february reports reached Kashgar that Brigadier Yang was heavily outnumbered by the rebels under Ma Chanzeng and Temur and had fallen back from Aksu to a defensive line at Maral Bashi. On the 23rd celebrations were held at Kashgar to mark Jin handing Ma Shadowu the new title of Special Commissioner for the Suppression of Bandits. During the celebration, salutes were fired at the yamen and KMT flags were flown from buildings throughout the city. Afterwards all of Liu's forces were sent to Maral Bashi to bolster Yang.  Now in a bid to suppress the uprisings at Surghak and KaraKash before a full scale uprising could develop on the southern road, 200 men led by Colonel Li were dispatched to Khotan, while another force under Colonel Chin was dispatched to Yarkland. Because of these movements of troops to Khotan and Maral Bashi, there was a serious depletion of defenders for Kashgar. Thus Ma Shaowu ordered a raising of Kirghiz levies and recalled some Chinese troops from the frontier districts west of Kashgar. Thus the Chinese garrison at Sarikol pulled out to Kashgar, leaving the region's Tajik population to their own devices. At Kashgar, troops posted on the walls of both cities had strict orders to close all gates at 7pm, with major curfew laws set into place.Despite all of this the provincial troops proved very inept at stemming the rebel advance along both the north and south roads into Kashgar. On the 25th, the rebels entered Aksu Old City, shooting up all its Chinese residents, seized their property, stormed the arsenal and looted the treasury. Later on Ma Changzeng and Temur led an estimated 4700 ill armed Uyghur irregular army to advance on Maral Bashi and Kashgar.  In the Keriya, the Chinese officials consented to convert to Islam and to surrender their possessions; however, on March 3, thirty-five Chinese individuals, including top officials, were executed, with their heads displayed in the marketplace. On February 28, the Old City of Khotan fell into the hands of rebels with little resistance, while the New City of Khotan was besieged before capitulating to the insurgents on March 16th. Following the rebel successes in Khotan, it was reported that 266 Han Chinese converted to Islam, and both the treasury and arsenal of the New City—containing "thousands of weapons and nearly a ton of gold"—were seized by the insurgents. Additionally, uprisings led by a Uighur named ‘Abd ai-Qadir took place in Chira, and in Shamba Bazaar, several Han Chinese and two Hindu moneylenders were killed. Further afield from Keriya, the town of Niya succumbed to the rebel forces from Khotan, while even farther east, at the isolated oases of Charchan and Charkhlik, reports indicate that peaceful insurrections occurred after a small Tungan contingent loyal to Ma Shih-ming entered the region via a little-used desert route connecting Kara Shahr and Lop. Meanwhile, to the west of Khotan, Uighur forces under Isma'il Khan Khoja obstructed the main route to Yarkand at the Tokhta Langar caravanserai, repelling all but two delegates sent from Kashgar by Ma Shao-wu, who aimed to negotiate with the rebel leaders in Khotan. No further news was received from the two Begs allowed to continue to Khotan, and with their diplomatic mission's failure, the entire southern route from the eastern outskirts of the Guma oasis to the distant Lop Nor fell out of Chinese control. To fortify their position against potential counterattacks from Kashgar, the rebel leaders in Khotan destroyed roadside wells in the desert east of Guma and began establishing a clearly Islamic governance in the areas they had liberated. By mid March, Ma Shaowu's control over southern Xinjiang was limited to just a wedge of territory around Kashgar, Maral Bashi and Yarkland. Moral was so low, Ma Shaowu asked the British Indian government for military assistance as it seemed apparent no help would come from Urumqi. Ma Shaowu had received 3 telegrams from Jin via the USSR lines; the first confirmed his position as Commander in Chief; the second relayed Jin's brothers death and the third directed Jin Kashgar representatives to remit a large sum of money to his personal bank account in Tientsin. That last signal must have been a banger to read. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Kumul Rebellion quicked off a storm of different groups' grievances and Jin Shujen did a banger job of pissing off…pretty much every single group. In the southern portions of Xinjiang massive uprisings began and it seemed a tidal wave would hit the entire province.  

David, Pete and Ned catch up for a last gasp pod in 2024. Happy New Year, everyone!Try AG1 for 2025! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia launched attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Christmas Day, with explosions reported across the country. Soldiers are away from their families as civilians hide amid air raid alerts. Displaced Christians in Gaza gathered to celebrate Christmas amid the ongoing war. Across the Middle East, families and communities marked the holiday, including Iraqi Christians celebrating despite the risks. An Azerbaijan Airlines flight with 67 people onboard crashed in Kazakhstan Wednesday. A Kazakh official has confirmed the deaths of 38 people. Azerbaijani authorities said they are still investigating why the plane tried to make an emergency landing. ⭕️Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

Real-life couple David Giuntoli (Grimm, Batman: Soul of the Dragon) and Elizabeth Tulloch (Grimm, Superman and Lois) face off as a wise farmer and proud queen in this tale with Georgian, Kazakh and Ghanaian roots.