XINJIANG TO TAIWAN.

This article examines the life and legacy of Yolbars Khan, a Uyghur chieftain who allied with Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist government during the 20th century and is buried in Taipei's largest Muslim cemetery. Yolbars played a significant role in Xinjiang's turbulent history, leading uprisings against Chinese provincial governors in the 1930s and commanding anti-communist Uyghur and Kazakh forces after the Chinese Civil War, before fleeing to Taiwan where he headed the exiled Xinjiang Provincial Government. His story highlights the complex and often violent relationship between Xinjiang's Uyghur population and successive Chinese regimes, as well as Taiwan's largely forgotten historical connection to the Uyghur diaspora during the Cold War. Despite his prominence in Nationalist circles, Yolbars Khan is less remembered today compared to other Uyghur leaders who advocated for independence, reflecting shifting political attitudes within both the Uyghur community and Taiwanese society.