ABSTRACT
Although the central government in Beijing has endeavoured to integrate its
farthest flung region fully into the political system of the Chinese People’s
Republic, local leadership and local politics have necessarily been important in
shaping the development of the autonomous region. The two most powerful
political figures in Xinjiang during the early years of control by the CCP were
the two Wangs, Wang Zhen and Wang Enmao, both military men and both Han
Chinese, whose careers overlapped closely.
