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Kazakhstanis were astonished after learning how much ethnic Kazakhs living in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region receive as pensions، reports infohub.kz citing Ulysmedia.kz.

Kazakh Culture Thrives in Xinjiang’s City of Kuldja

In the city of Kuldja (Yining)، local Kazakhs continue to preserve their language and traditions.
61-year-old Kabidolla Kokesh، who lives in a tourist area، turned his home into a guesthouse where he treats visitors to traditional Kazakh and Uyghur dishes.

“Hospitality is in our blood. We welcome guests with beshbarmak، baursaks، kazy-karta، sauces. We buy good meat from the pastures، butcher it ourselves and cook it. There are many Kazakhs in Kuldja — our language lives on. We try to speak to every guest in their native language،” he says.

Pensioners Earn Over 400،000 Tenge Monthly in China

Another local resident، 65-year-old Kurmetzhan Mamedzhan، also runs a small guesthouse despite receiving a solid pension from the Chinese government.

“Our children all received higher education. My daughter studied in Urumqi، my son too. Another daughter — in Beijing. The state paid for their studies and accommodation. Even my great-grandson studied in Beijing for five years — all funded. I receive 6،000 yuan (about 450،000 tenge) per month، my wife gets 5،000 yuan (about 370،000 tenge). It’s enough. We lack nothing. The country is peaceful، people live well، children study — that’s why we say shükir (thanks)،” he shared.

Background

Around 1.5 million ethnic Kazakhs live in China’s Xinjiang region. Earlier، a local teacher shared insights about daily life for Kazakhs in the region.