Chinese Turkestan, also spelled Chinese Turkistan, is a geographical term corresponding to the region of the Tarim Basin or southern Xinjiang (south of the Tian Shan mountain range) or sometimes Xinjiang as a whole[1] under the rule of the Qing dynasty of China. It is considered a part of the Chinese Tartary that covered the Inner Asian regions ruled by the Qing dynasty. The Europeans commonly used this term especially during the period of the Qing dynasty to denote the division of Turkistan into territories controlled by the Chinese and the Russians, with the latter controlling Russian Turkestan.
The Turkic people Uyghurs conquered the Tajiks and established several small principalities in Central Asia, giving their name Turkestan. They then ruled over the region (later fell under the protectorate of the Dzungar Khanate) until they were subjugated by the Chinese Qing dynasty under Qianlong Emperor in the 1750s. Thence the European name of Chinese Turkestan (or Chinese Turkistan),[2] similar to the name Russian Turkestan which was controlled by the Russian Empire.
The term “Chinese Turkestan” or “Chinese Turkistan” was commonly used by Europeans during the period of the Qing dynasty to specifically refer to the region (as part of Chinese Tartary that was ruled by Qing China), while the Chinese called this region Tian Shan Nan Lu (Chinese: 天山南路), meaning the area in Xinjiang south of the Tian Shan Mountains, although the term "Chinese Turkestan" (or "Chinese Turkistan") was also occasionally used by Qing officials in English-language writings. The term gradually lost popularity in the 20th century worldwide after the fall of the Qing dynasty, although it was still being used in various publications during the eras when the Republic of China (1912–1949) and the People's Republic of China ruled the region.[3][4] During the 20th century, Uyghur separatists and their supporters used East Turkestan as an appellation for the whole of Xinjiang (the Tarim Basin and Dzungaria) or for a future independent state in present-day Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, whereas others typically use the name "Xinjiang" to refer to the autonomous region of China, so the term "Chinese Turkestan" (or "Chinese Turkistan") has largely been replaced by other terms nowadays.