三国曹魏政权继承汉制，在西域设戊己校尉。西晋在西域设置西域长史和戊己校尉管理军政事务。三国两晋时期，北方匈奴、鲜卑、丁零、乌桓等民族部分内迁并最后与汉族融合。327年，前凉政权首次将郡县制推广到西域，设高昌郡（吐鲁番盆地）。从460年到640年，以吐鲁番盆地为中心，建立了以汉人为主体居民的高昌国，历阚、张、马、麴诸氏。隋代，结束了中原长期割据状态，扩大了郡县制在新疆地区的范围。突厥、吐谷浑、党项、嘉良夷、附国等周边民族先后归附隋朝。唐代，中央政权对西域的管理大为加强，先后设置安西大都护府和北庭大都护府，统辖天山南北。于阗王国自称唐朝宗属，随唐朝国姓李。宋代，西域地方政权与宋朝保持着朝贡关系。高昌回鹘尊中朝（宋）为舅，自称西州外甥。喀喇汗王朝多次派使臣向宋朝朝贡。元代，设北庭都元帅府、宣慰司等管理军政事务，加强了对西域的管辖。1251年，西域实行行省制。明代，中央政权设立哈密卫作为管理西域事务的机构，并在嘉峪关和哈密之间先后建立安定、阿端、曲先、罕东、赤斤蒙古、沙州6个卫，以此支持管理西域事务。清代，清政府平定准噶尔叛乱，中国西北国界得以确定。此后，对新疆地区实行了更加系统的治理政策。1762年设立伊犁将军，实行军政合一的军府体制。1884年在新疆地区建省，并取“故土新归”之意，改称西域为“新疆”。1912年新疆积极响应辛亥革命，成为中华民国的一个行省。

　　The Kingdom of Wei of the Three Kingdoms Period adopted the Han system, stationing a garrison commander to rule the Western Regions. The Western Jin Dynasty stationed a garrison commander and a governor to exercise military and political administration over the Western Regions. In the Three Kingdoms Period and the Jin Dynasty, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Dingling, and Wuhuan in northern China moved inland and finally integrated with the Han ethnic group. In 327, the Former Liang regime spread the system of prefectures and counties to the Western Regions and set up the Gaochang Prefecture in the Turpan Basin. From 460 to 640, the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochangcentered in the Turpan Basin and with the Han people as the main population was ruled successively by the Kan, Zhang, Ma, and Qu families.

　　The Sui Dynasty ended the long-term division of the Central Plains, and expanded the areas in the Western Regions that adopted the system of prefectures and counties. The Turk, Tuyuhun, Dangxiang, Jialiangyi, Fuguo and some other ethnic groups submitted to the authority of the Sui. In the Tang Dynasty, the central government strengthened its rule over the Western Regions by establishing the Grand Anxi Frontier Command and the Grand Beiting Frontier Command to administer the Western Regions. The ruling clan of the Kingdom of Khotan (232 BC-AD 1006) asserted that it was related by blood to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and changed its surname to Li, the surname of the Tang emperor. In the Song Dynasty, local regimes of the Western Regions paid tribute to the Song. The king of Uighur Kingdom of Gaochanghonored the Song emperor as “Uncle” and called himself “Nephew in the Western Regions”, while the Kara-Khanid Khanate (840-1212) sent envoys many times to pay tribute to the Song court.

　　In the Yuan Dynasty, the central government strengthened administration over the Western Regions by establishing the Beiting Command and the Pacification Commissioner’s Office to manage military and political affairs. In 1251, the system of administrative provinces was adopted in the Western Regions. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court set up the Hami Garrison Command to manage local affairs, and then set up six garrison cities – Anding, Aduan, Quxian, Handong, ChijinMengu, and Shazhou – between the Jiayu Pass and Hami to support local administration. In the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court quelled a rebellion launched by the Junggar regime, defining the northwestern border of China. It then adopted more systematic policies for governing Xinjiang. In 1762, the Qing government established the post of Ili General and adopted a mechanism combining military and political administration. In 1884, it established a province and renamed the Western Regions as “Xinjiang”, meaning “land newly returned”. In 1912, as a response to the Revolution of 1911, Xinjiang became a province of the Republic of China.

　　1949年中华人民共和国成立，新疆和平解放。1955年成立新疆维吾尔自治区。在中国共产党领导下，新疆各族人民同全国人民共同团结奋斗，新疆进入历史上最好的繁荣发展时期。

　In 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, and Xinjiang was liberated peacefully. In 1955, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was established. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, all ethnic groups in Xinjiang united and worked with other groups across the country, opening a period of unprecedented prosperity for the region.

　　在长期的历史进程中，中国疆土既有割据时期又有统一时期，统一与割据交替循环，国家统一发展始终是主流方向。同中原地区不同时期曾经存在诸侯国或割据政权一样，新疆地区也多次出现地方政权割据情况，但不论这些政权割据时间有多长、局面有多严重，最终都走向重新统一。历史上，西域不同时期曾经存在的“国”，包括城郭诸国、行国、封国、王国、汗国、王朝、属国、朝贡国等形态，无论是汉代西域三十六国，还是宋代喀喇汗王朝、高昌回鹘王国等，元代察合台汗国，明代叶尔羌汗国，都是中国疆域内的地方政权形式，都不是独立的国家。即便是地方割据政权，也都有浓厚的中国一体意识，或认为自己是中原政权的分支，或臣属于中原政权。宋代著名历史文献《突厥语大词典》将当时中国分为上秦、中秦和下秦3部分，上秦为北宋，中秦是辽朝，下秦为喀什噶尔一带，三位一体为完整的秦。在《长春真人西游记》中汉人被称为桃花石，相应在《突厥语大词典》词条里，回鹘人被称为塔特·桃花石，也有的直译为中国回鹘人。在喀喇汗王朝钱币上，常有桃花石·布格拉汗、秦之王以及秦与东方之王等称呼，标示是中国的一部分。

　　In the long history, Chinese territory has experienced periods of division and unification, but unification and development have always been the overall trend. Small kingdoms or separatist regimes existed in the Central Plains in different periods; similarly, Xinjiang also witnessed several local regimes dividing the region. Nevertheless, no matter how long these regimes divided Xinjiang and however serious the situation was, the region was ultimately united. In different periods in Xinjiang there were city-states, nomadic states, princedoms, kingdoms, khanates, vassal states, tributary states and some other forms of local regime, such as the 36 states of the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty, the Kara-Khanid Khanate and the Uighur Kingdom of Gaochang in the Song Dynasty, the Chagatai Khanate in the Yuan Dynasty, and the Yarkant Khanate in the Ming Dynasty. But these were all local regimes within the territory of China; they were never independent countries. These local regimes had a strong sense of national identity, and acknowledged themselves as branches or vassals of the Central Plains authorities.

　　A Comprehensive Dictionary of Turkic Languages, written by Turkic scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari in the 11th century, states that China [often referred to as Qin in ancient times] was composed of three parts, namely Upper Qin (the area of the Northern Song Dynasty), Middle Qin (the area of the Liao Dynasty), and Lower Qin (the area of the Kara-Khanid Khanate). In the Travels to the West of Master of Eternal Spring QiuChuji, the Han people were called the Tavghaq; and in A Comprehensive Dictionary of Turkic Languages, the Uighur people were called Tat Tavghaq, or the Uighurs of China. The coins of the Kara-Khanid Khanate were often inscribed with such titles as TavghaqBughra Khan, King from Qin, and King from Qin and the East to indicate that the khanate was part of China.