Confronting the Past: Director's Notes on "Darkness Over Urumqi"

Since 2019, CGTN has produced four documentaries on fighting terrorism in China's western frontier of Xinjiang. It has been eight years since the last terrorist attack there. Why does CGTN now feel the need to produce a fifth documentary?

The Worst Terrorist Attack

The July 5th Riots remain Xinjiang's most severe terrorist attack, not only in terms of the number of casualties but also for the depth of its impact. Many details were not made public at the time for security reasons. The turmoil still casts a shadow over many lives. What motivated the instigators? And why were civilians targeted? The answers go to the very heart of the events. The victims need an outlet for healing. Society needs to understand the thinking of the perpetrators. And China needs to tell its side of the events.

Urumqi Is Torn Apart

After extensive research and interviews with those directly involved, we have pieced together the events leading to and including the July 5th Riots, and even far beyond. Xinjiang was torn apart overnight. The bonds of interdependence and respect between its ethnic communities were shattered by brutality. "Darkness Over Urumqi: The July 5 Riots" tells individual stories to help start open discussion.  "In the face of such trauma, we need to look back and confront it. We should see clearly its true nature, so that we can potentially avoid similar problems from arising in the future, and effectively address such issues," says Professor Wang Jiang from the Institute of China's Borderland Studies at Zhejiang Normal University.

A Dividing Line

Over the years, the methods of terrorist attacks have changed and reshaped law enforcement and public understanding of terrorism. During the July 5th Riots, ethnicity and religion were hijacked by terrorism. Many of the violent tactics were unprecedented in China. Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau of Urumqi Wang Fei says, "the Xinjiang of today can be traced back to that July. 2009 was a dividing line for how the region would deal with terrorism."

Getting to the Truth

Previous CGTN documentaries dealt with the scale of violent incidents in Xinjiang, the role of the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM), the sacrifices made by people from all ethnicities in fighting extremism, and the ongoing challenges in Xinjiang's anti-terrorism efforts. This fifth documentary focuses on previously classified information about the July 5th Riots. Together, these films present China's narrative, chronicling its fight against terrorism in Xinjiang.

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Watch: Darkness Over Urumqi: The July 5 Riots

Watch: The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang

Watch: Tianshan Still Standing: Memories of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang

Watch: The Black Hand — ETIM and Terrorism in Xinjiang

Watch: Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang