News Desk
Chinese authorities have demolished a landmark building in Urumqi that once served as a hub for Uyghur entrepreneurs and intellectuals, Radio Free Asia (RFA) has reported. The Rebiya Kadeer Trade Center, which had been shuttered for 15 years, was razed on November 29, marking yet another erasure of Uyghur cultural and economic heritage in Xinjiang.
Erasing Uyghur History
The seven-story trade center, built in 1990, housed over 600 shops, conference halls, and classrooms. It was a vital space for Uyghur businesspeople and a meeting place for scholars and young professionals. For many in the Uyghur diaspora, the center was a symbol of economic empowerment and community identity, particularly after its namesake, Rebiya Kadeer, was imprisoned by Chinese authorities in 1999.
Kadeer, now 78 and living in exile in the U.S., told RFA she has been unable to contact relatives in Xinjiang to determine why the building was demolished or whether authorities would offer compensation.
A Pattern of Destruction
The demolition is part of a wider campaign by Beijing to erase Uyghur cultural and religious landmarks. Over the past decade, authorities have demolished thousands of mosques, traditional neighborhoods, and Uyghur historical sites, often replacing them with state-controlled tourist attractions.
Eyewitnesses and security sources told RFA that strict measures were imposed on the day of the demolition. Roads were sealed off, nearby businesses were ordered to close, and residents were barred from filming or sharing information online. Even Chinese state media remained silent on the demolition.
Silencing Questions
When RFA reached out to officials in Urumqi, police refused to confirm the building’s destruction, calling the matter “sensitive.” A local officer acknowledged that foreign tourists were allowed in the area but offered no comment on Kadeer’s legacy or the government’s motivation behind the demolition.
China has long denied allegations of cultural erasure and repression in Xinjiang, but its continued demolition of Uyghur landmarks—coupled with mass internment, forced labor, and restrictions on religious practices—tells a different story. The destruction of the Rebiya Kadeer Trade Center is one more chapter in Beijing’s systematic effort to rewrite the region’s history and erase the symbols of Uyghur resilience.
