The dynasty of the Jagatai khans collapsed in 1572 and from then till 1759 strife between the White and Black Mountaineers (Ak and Kara Taghluk), with interventions by the Dzungarian Kalmucks raged in the region. In 1759 a Chinese army from Ili (Kulja), which had been recaptured by the Chinese in 1755, conquered Kashgaria, settled Chinese emigrants there and estab lished a garrison at Kashgar, which, except for Mohammedan risings, remained in Chinese hands until the great insurrection of the Chinese Mohammedans (the so-called Dungani) in 1862. After this Kashgar and the other cities of the Tarim basin re mained under the rule of Yakub Beg until 1877, when the Chinese recaptured their ancient dominion. Yakub Beg was a general in the army of Buzurg Khan, a chief of Khokand, who, just before the Russians captured Khokand in 1866, took advantage of the rebellion of the Chinese Mohammedans, who formed 94% of the population of Kashgar, to proclaim himself king of Kashgar in 1865. Buzurg Khan proved himself an incapable ruler and his general Yakub Beg, a man of extraordinary ability, usurped the throne, and secured recognition from many other governments, including the Russians and the British; the latter were appre hensive of the spread of Russian rule into the region. The Chinese army under General Tso Chung t'ang, sent against Yakub Beg, had to march 4,000 miles without any supply and transport service; they met the difficulty by sending on advance troops who sowed cereals and vegetables in each oasis so that provisions were ready by the following year, when the rear troops reached the next oasis. Their advance under these circumstances was necessarily slow and occupied more than two years, but the spirit of determination evidenced by their procedure carried them through a successful campaign and the region was afterwards treated with marked restraint. Most of the horses in the region were commandeered in order to prevent mobility in case of further rebellions, but otherwise very little vengeance was exacted and Kashgaria has remained loyal ever since, especially as religious freedom was granted to the Mohammedans. After the revolution which began in China in 1911, the Taoyin of Kashgar acknowledged the authority of the new republic and, though disturbances broke out temporarily and Russian troops were sent to the town, these latter were soon withdrawn and Kashgar settled down again under Chinese rule.
today is the military, though not the administrative, centre of Sinkiang, or the New Dominion, as the Chinese call it ; many other names have been given at various times to this province, e.g., Chinese Turkistan, Lesser Bukhara, Moghulistan, Tartary, High Tartary, the Six Cities and Kashgaria. Kashgar is the headquarters of one of the Six Taoyin who each have charge of a circuit in the New Dominion and who are re sponsible to the governor whose headquarters are at Urumchi. But the military provincial Commander-in-Chief at Kashgar is re sponsible directly to the central government of China. The chief vegetable products of the oasis are maize, wheat, barley, rice, cot ton, millet and peas, with fruits such as apricots, peaches, melons mulberries and grapes. The inhabitants also dress skins and furs and make leather goods and pottery. Homespun cotton cloth (kham), woollen goods and felt are also made. Primitive mining of the rich red, black and green copper ore found north and west north-west of Kashgar is also carried on, but the art of chemical refining of copper is quite unknown.
The "Ferghana series" of oil-bearing strata extends into Kash garia through Kanjigan, along the foot of the Tian Shan, past Aksu and right up to Kuchar. Boring and chemical refining are
alike unknown, the crude oil being scooped out of surface wells and holes. But gasolene, kerosene, machine oil, grease and mineral wax (ozokerite) are produced in a primitive way, the chief re fineries being at Kashgar. Just before the Russian revolution trade between Ferghana and Kashgaria had developed rapidly and was ousting the trade with India across the difficult Karakorum route, for the trade route from Kashgar to Russia involves only an 8 days' caravan route, with the crossing of a single pass (the Terek) to Osh, the railhead of the Russian line up the Ferghana valley. This trade is at present completely disorganized and as trade with China proper is on a small scale, Kashgaria at present depends on India for cotton piece-goods, dyes, tea and sugar which she formerly imported from Russia. A certain amount of trade, some open and some contraband, still goes on, however, between Russia and Kashgar, the chief exports from Kashgar being raw wool, raw cotton, local cotton fabrics, British muslin gut and dyes (re-exported from India), tea and sheep, payment on the Russian side being in gold roubles, silver, jewellery, furs and Bukharan silk, oil and iron. An interesting financial phenomenon is the fact that there is no metallic currency reserve behind the Kashgar issue of paper money, yet the local paper tad is still worth 75% of its face value, mainly because the people have complete confi dence in the stability of the existing regime and partly because inflation has been kept within bounds and the considerable export trade creates a currency demand.
A postal connection exists between Urumchi and Kashgar, cov ering the 1,00o m. in 13 or 14 days, and there is telegraphic com munication between Urumchi, Kashgar and the Russian frontier. In 1922-23 a wireless station was erected at Kashgar by the Marconi company on behalf of the Chinese government. Kashgar has no railway or aviation link at present. The population is esti mated at 8o,000, but no census figures are available. The region is liable to destructive earthquakes. Yanghi Shahr, the modern town, was built in 1838 and is of an oblong shape running from north to south, entrance being by a single gateway. The whole is surrounded by a deep, wide ditch, which could be filled by the river, though this might mean bringing down the whole mud structure on its porous sandy soil. Kuhna Shahr is the small, clay walled fortress built on the Tuman river after the destruction of old Kashgar in 1514. The ruins of this old city, Aski Shahr, may still be seen on each side of the Tuman river. Two miles to the north, beyond the river, is the shrine of Hazrat Afak, the saint king of the country who died and was buried here in 1693. It is a handsome mausoleum, faced with blue and white glazed tiles, and silver poplars are planted round it. The college, mosque and monastery, surrounded by orchards, fruit gardens and vineyards, erected by Yakub Beg, are situated in its vicinity.