Uyghur Human Rights Project

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China’s forced assimilation campaign — forcing children to speak only Chinese, targeting Uyghur language advocates, destroying Uyghur books, and banning Uyghur songs — threatens the survival of the Uyghur language.

In a recent Financial Times report by Alison Killing, Uyghur linguist Abduweli Ayup warns that “young children lose their language very quickly.” Family separation and Mandarin-only education are creating a “generational gap,” with many Uyghur children forgetting their language and losing connection to their community.

The same report documents the suppression and destruction of Uyghur literature:

“There used to be 10 different Uyghur-language publishers, but they have gone,” says anthropologist Rune Steenberg. Uyghur books have been “removed from bookstores… they’ve been removed from people’s homes, they’ve been removed from libraries in huge stacks.”

Dozens of Uyghur songs, like the beloved folk ballad “Besh pede,” were banned by Chinese authorities, according to AP reporting by Simina Minstreanu:

“[A]uthorities warned residents that those who listened to banned songs, stored them on devices or shared them on social media could face prison. Attendees were also instructed to avoid phrases like 'As-salamu alaykum,' the greeting common among Muslims, and to replace the popular farewell 'Allahqa amanet' — 'May God keep you safe' — with 'May the Communist Party protect you.'"

Language is the medium of memory, identity, community, and survival. Amid the Chinese government's attempts at eradication, is a powerful symbol of Uyghur resilience.

Learn more:

https://www.ft.com/content/119d8c3a-e10f-4bf7-a198-90507293054b?syn-25a6b1a6=1

https://apnews.com/article/china-uyghur-banned-songs-xinjiang-f63ad27225ab1fc021c8d8949ca799c4

https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/draft-ethnic-unity-law-intensifies-language-and-cultural

https://thediplomat.com/2026/02/chinas-erasure-of-ethnic-minority-languages/

https://uhrp.org/report/resisting-chinese-linguistic-imperialism-abduweli-ayup-and-movement-uyghur-mother/

https://uhrp.org/report/uhrp-releases-report-bilingual-education-east-turkestan-uyghur-voices-education-html/

Uyghur Voices on Education: China's Assimilative ‘Bilingual Education' Policy in East Turkestan - Uyghur Human Rights Project New report highlights assimilative language policy through firsthand accounts