Fragrant Concubines and Commerce

Xiang Fei: a femme de fatale who has become the genesis story of Xinjiang as a prefecture region of China.

Portrait of Xiang Fei

Kashgar, China, a popular tourist attraction, is 香妃墓 Xiang Fei Mu- a mausoleum of the first Uyghur concubine to China. My Uyghur tour guide informed me in her perfectly punctuated Mandarin. That is based on a popular Chinese legend, a Muslim, Uyghur concubine named Ipharhan wooed the emperor 2,700 miles away in Beijing, with her sweet-smelling fragrance. Although she was initially homesick, through gifts- the emperor allegedly won her hand. From here, she entered the 容妃 Rong Fei and was considered an imperial consort for the Qing Dynasty. Indeed, the 'youthful harlot's curse' echoes through Madonna-Whore Complex present in Xiang Fei's both allure and feminine mystique.

 The Afaq Khoja Mausoleum, Kashgar, Xinjiang.

Kashgarian renditions, on the other hand, tell a story of conquest and colonialism, where Ipharhan- a defiant beauty-  was captured and dragooned behind the palaces' gilded walls. From here, she was kept as a trophy of war and sex slave. Ipharhan hid knives in her sleeves and remained chaste until the end. Her identity was questioned and changed into Xiang Fei until she was allegedly murdered by the emperor’s mother or palace eunuch after she repeatedly rejected Emperor Qianlong’s advances.  According to party propagandists, she lies to rest in the Afaq Khoja Mausoleum- it was built in 1640 as the tomb of Muhammad Yusuf and is believed to be the resting place of 5 generations of the Afaqi family. Ipharhan is believed to be a descendant of this royal bloodline. To Uyghur communities, Ipharan lies to rest elsewhere because Xiang Fei is merely a myth, a dream, an alluring aroma that the CCP capitalise on for tourism and political legitimacy.

Intentionally the CCP in during its seven decades since coming into power, has constructed united historical narratives to legitimise their rule, obfuscate their failures. With the overall goal in mind of creating a national story that authorises their Autonomous Regions as part of the extended family to mainland China. Through history being used as the ink, the CCP are seeking to calligraph a story against separatist interests and consolidate their efforts to govern potentially resistant populations.

Official signs, guided tours and tourism have capitalised on the story of romance. In 2009, the CCP began reconstruction of the Ancient City of Kashgar. Popular tourist sites in the city include = 'Happy Xiangfei Garden ', a love check-in place, Xiangfei Welcome Ceremony, Xiangfei former residence, Xiangfei relief wall. In 2015, they all came under the name Xiang Fei Garden. Not conquest, but romance is the focus. As of 2019, it was rated a AAAA attraction level by the CCP. Reconstructionist romantics is the tone of the officials in this region.