Xinjiang overcomes terrorism, prospers

Once inundated by extremism and poverty, region has come on strong economically to become magnet for tourists

Editor's note: China has seen tremendous changes nationwide, from economic growth to environmental protection, from social improvement to cultural progress. In this series, China Daily maps the changes and tells the stories of the people who lived through them.

After successfully curbing terrorist and extremist activities that once posed serious threats to society over the past decade, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is now in better shape than it has ever been to boost its development. For a number of years, Xinjiang suffered from the combined impact of ethnic separatists, religious extremists and violent terrorists, and it was plagued by frequent terrorist attacks. As a result, people lived in constant fear.

Such concerns have been alleviated as the overall situation in the region has markedly improved since the Communist Party of China Central Committee developed governance policies for Xinjiang after the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.