China (Xinjiang), 30th Anniversary in Sinkiang Medal

As civil war raged in China in the 1940’s, Xinjiang experienced a brief period of independence and became known as East Turkestan. On 1 October 1949, Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China and brought Xinjiang under its control. On 31 December 1954 and 1 January 1955 there was an ethnic-Uighur uprising and Communist troops and their families were sent to the region. Following the suppression, The Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) was established by the PRC government on October 1, 1955. In 1985, to celebrate the 30th anniversary, the government issued this medal to those military members and their families. These are now quite scarce and sought after. The medal is a 13-point gilt star measuring 45mm across with red and white enamel depicting a power station with snow-capped mountains in the background and animals grazing in the foreground and a golden star in the sky above. A bar with the dates 1955-1985 is attached above. The reverse carries bilingual script in Chinese characters and the local Uighur language which is a kind of Arabic script. The medals come as issued in a presentation case which has its own stand on the back for upright display.