Shadian incident

(in red)Shadian Town in Yunnan Province in southwest China had one of China's largest Hui populations, with a total of about 7,200 residents. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), as part of the campaign to destroy the "Four Olds", the People's Liberation Army had shut down mosques and burned religious books. Many Muslims set up their own factions to preserve their rights as stated in the Constitution of China. Serious religious conflicts erupted there in 1964 and continued through the early 1970s. == History of the incident ==

Initial conflicts In September 1974, an official notice from the Communist Party provincial committee in Yunnan was issued, ordering closure of all mosques within Yunnan province, which angered the local Hui population. The PLA used guns, howitzers, flamethrowers, as well as bombardment from air during the suppression. ==Aftermath of the incident==

Rehabilitation of victims prior to its 2024 sinicization After the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, the Communist Party provincial committee in Yunnan reviewed and investigated the Shadian Incident during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period, subsequently rehabilitating the victims and offering official apologies in February 1979. The Communist Party under Deng Xiaoping blamed the worst and most violent parts of the Cultural Revolution on Lin Biao (who had been made a scapegoat by the Party after his death in 1971) and the Gang of Four. Later government policies After the launch of "Reform and Opening" by Deng Xiaoping and his allies, such as Hu Yaobang, in 1978, as more and more Hui students got the opportunity for Islamic education abroad. As part of the reparations scheme, the government also erected a Martyr's Memorial in Shadian, to honor the 800 officially recognized victims whose graves surround the pathway that leads up to the memorial. The government also partially financed the building of the Great Mosque in Shadian which was completed in 2009. It now serves as the town center and a source of pride for the local Muslim community. == See also ==