The Tree That Bleeds: A Uighur Town on the Edge Book

'The Tree That Bleeds' relates the moving story of the Uighurs, a muslim ethnic minority in western China. Like the Tibetans, they speak their own language and have a long history of resentment against the Chinese government. In Febuary 1997 there was a large protest in Yining city between Uighurs and the police that led to many deaths, thousands of arrests, and the imposition of martial law. At the time, no Western news agencies were permitted access to the area, which meant that the only accounts of the violence were from highly biased sources. The book describes the time the author spent in the region, and offers fresh insights into the ways in which the Chinese government tries to exert its authority on the lives of Uighur people. Controversial and compassionate, it is a fascinating portrait of a town divided by prejudice and resentment, which provides an invaluable context for anyone hoping to understand the recent riots in Urumqi and the changing face of China as it emerges into the modern world.