In 1759, Qing forces defeated the Altishahr Khoja uprising, ending a major challenge to Qing power in the Tarim Basin (southern Xinjiang). This victory consolidated Qing control both north and south of the Tian Shan, creating the conditions for a more permanent governing structure.
By 1760, the Qing established military agricultural colonies around present-day Ürümqi, using soldiers to farm and supply garrisons. This approach supported long-distance frontier defense by reducing reliance on food shipped from eastern China.
In 1762, the Qing court created the post of General of Ili to exercise unified military and civil authority across Xinjiang. The general became the top Qing official in the region, signaling a shift from wartime occupation to organized frontier administration.
From 1762 to 1765, the Qing based the General of Ili at Suiding (often written in older sources as Suidun). This interim headquarters helped stabilize the Ili Valley while the Qing prepared a stronger administrative and defensive center.
In 1763, the Qianlong Emperor ordered construction of Huiyuan, a new fortified city on the Ili River intended as the headquarters for the General of Ili. Establishing a purpose-built capital in the Ili Valley strengthened Qing command, logistics, and defense in the northwest.
In 1763, the Qing founded a Chinese city called Dihua at Ürümqi, building a durable urban base in northern Xinjiang. A permanent city and garrison strengthened Qing control of the corridor linking the Ili Valley, the Junggar Basin, and routes toward Gansu.
In 1765, the General of Ili moved from Suiding to the larger fortress of Huiyuan. This move marked Huiyuan’s rise as the central seat of Qing authority in Xinjiang for much of the later 18th century.
After Huiyuan was established, the Qing built additional fortified towns across the Ili (Dzungarian) Basin, often summarized as the “Nine Forts of Ili.” Spreading garrisons and supply points across the valley helped the Qing project power, protect routes, and support settlement.
From 1763 to 1767, the Qing expanded Ürümqi into a walled city and established it as Dihua. Fortified urban centers like Dihua anchored Qing administration and security while encouraging migration, trade, and farmland development.
By 1769, Qing officials in Dihua planned a school and Confucian temple and began formal state ritual there. These institutions were part of how the Qing extended imperial norms—education, examination culture, and official ceremonies—into new frontier cities.
By the late 18th century, the General of Ili’s system coordinated officials and garrisons across areas north and south of the Tian Shan. This arrangement tied together Ili, the Junggar Basin, and the oases of the Tarim Basin into one Qing-governed frontier zone, even though local practices and indirect rule continued in some places.
By 1800, the Qing’s Ili-centered system—fortress capitals, distributed garrisons, and frontier farming—had become the standard framework for governing Xinjiang. This structure did not end conflict forever, but it created a long-lasting administrative pattern that shaped later Qing rule in the region.
Establishment of Qing administration in Ili and the Gansu-Xinjiang circuit (1762–1800)