Key Points
In the desert outside Kashgar, an oasis city in the far-western region of Xinjiang, an ancient Buddhist stupa rises out of the sand..
Because of its conical shape, it is known as Moer, the word for chimney in the language of the native Uyghurs..
According to official statements, artefacts discovered at Moer temple are similar to those dug up thousands of miles to the east in areas dominated by the Han, Chinas majority ethnic group..
At the peak of a security campaign in 2018-19, perhaps a million Uyghurs and other Muslim residents of Xinjiang passed through camps where they were forcibly assimilated into Han Chinese culture..
Buddhist culture is part of Han culture, he claimed, and Xinjiang has been part of China for thousands of years..
