# Maralbexi County

Maralbexi County (Maralbeshi, Maralbishi, transliterated from Uyghur: مارالبېشى ناھىيىسى; Chinese: 玛热勒巴什县), Bachu County (Chinese: 巴楚县), and Chinese: 巴尔楚克县) the former long Chinese name as well, is located in the southwest of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. The county is under the administration of the Kashgar Prefecture. It has an area of 18,491 km$^2$ (7,139 sq mi), and surrounds, but does not administer, the sub-prefecture-level city of Tumxuk. According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 380,000.

## History

In 1913, Maralbexi County was established.
In September 1937, two regiments of Soviet Kirghiz troops and one regiment of Russian troops equipped with forty airplanes and twenty tanks entered Sinkiang from Atushe and attacked Maralbexi, dividing Ma Hushan's 36th Corps into two sections.
In February 2002, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake killed 267 people in Maralbexi County and Payzawat County.
On February 24, 2003, the 2003 Bachu earthquake occurred.
In April 2013, twenty-one died in an incident in Seriqbuya.
In October 2014, twenty-two died in an incident at a farmer's market in the county.
According to her husband, in May-June 2017, Mailikemu Maimati / Malika Mamiti, in her 30s, native of the county and wife of businessman Mirza Imran Baig of Pakistan, in his 40s, was detained in the county's re-education camp. After her release, she and their young son were not given their passports by Chinese authorities.

## Administrative divisions

Maralbexi County includes 4 towns (بازىرى / 镇), 8 townships (يېزىسى / 乡):
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Uyghur (UEY) | Uyghur Latin (ULY) | Administrative division code |
| Towns ||||||
| Maralbeshi Town (Bachu Town) | 巴楚镇 | Bāchǔ Zhèn | مارالبېشى بازىرى | maralbëshi baziri | 653130100 |
| Seriqbuya Town (Selibuya Town) | 色力布亚镇 | Sèlìbùyǎ Zhèn | سېرىقبۇيا بازىرى | sëriqbuya baziri | 653130101 |
| Awat Town (Awati Town) | 阿瓦提镇 | Āwǎtí Zhèn | ئاۋات بازىرى | Awat baziri | 653130102 |
| Achal Town (Sanchakou Town) | 三岔口镇 | Sānchàkǒu Zhèn | ئاچال بازىرى | Achal baziri | 653130104 |
| Townships ||||||
| Charbagh Township (Qia'erbage Township) | 恰尔巴格乡 | Qià'ěrbāgé Xiāng | چارباغ يېزىسى | charbagh yëzisi | 653130200 |
| Doletbagh Township (Duolaitibage Township) | 多来提巴格乡 | Duōláitíbāgé Xiāng | دۆلەتباغ يېزىسى | döletbagh yëzisi | 653130201 |
| Anarkol Township (Anakule Township) | 阿纳库勒乡 | Ānàkùlè Xiāng | ئاناركۆل يېزىسى | Anarköl yëzisi | 653130202 |
| Shamal Township (Xiamale Township) | 夏玛勒乡 | Xiàmǎlè Xiāng | شامال يېزىسى | shamal yëzisi | 653130203 |
| Aqsaqmaral Township (Akesakemarele Township) | 阿克萨克玛热勒乡 | Ākèsàkèmǎrèlè Xiāng | ئاقساقمارال يېزىسى | Aqsaqmaral yëzisi | 653130204 |
| Alaghir Township (Alagen Township) | 阿拉根乡 | Ālāgēn Xiāng | ئالاغىر يېزىسى | Alaghir yëzisi | 653130205 |
| Chongqurchaq Township (Qiongkuqiake Township) | 琼库恰克乡 | Qióngkùqiàkè Xiāng | چوڭقۇرچاق يېزىسى | chongqurchaq yëzisi | 653130206 |
| Yëngi'östeng Township (Yingwusitang Township) | 英吾斯坦乡 | Yīngwúsītǎn Xiāng | يېڭىئۆستەڭ يېزىسى | yëngi'östeng yëzisi | 653130207 |

## Transportation

Bachu is served by the Southern Xinjiang Railway and G3012 Turpan–Hotan Expressway.

## Economy

Agricultural products include corn, cotton, wheat and others as well as sword-leaf dogbane. The central and eastern parts of the county have old desert poplar forests. Animal herding is prominent and rock salt and phosphate fertilizer are produced in the county. Industries include food processing, plastics, rug making, electricity and construction.
As of 1885, there was about 30,600 acres (202,728 mu) of cultivated land in Maralbexi.

## Demographics

As of 2015, 363,488 of the 382,186 residents of the county were Uyghur, 17,816 were Han Chinese and 882 were from other ethnic groups.
As of 2019, the population of Maralbexi County was 95.13% Uyghur.
As of 1999, 83.12% of the population of Maralbexi (Bachu) County was Uyghur and 16.41% of the population was Han Chinese.

## Geography
### Climate

Climate data for Maralbexi, elevation 1,117 m (3,665 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2000) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.7 (63.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 35.4 (95.7) | 37.7 (99.9) | 40.0 (104.0) | 41.5 (106.7) | 42.6 (108.7) | 36.3 (97.3) | 30.0 (86.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 16.3 (61.3) | 42.6 (108.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) | 6.9 (44.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 24.4 (75.9) | 29.0 (84.2) | 32.5 (90.5) | 33.9 (93.0) | 32.4 (90.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 21.3 (70.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 2.4 (36.3) | 19.9 (67.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.2 (20.8) | 0.1 (32.2) | 9.3 (48.7) | 17.2 (63.0) | 21.6 (70.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 26.3 (79.3) | 25.1 (77.2) | 20.5 (68.9) | 12.7 (54.9) | 3.6 (38.5) | −4.0 (24.8) | 12.6 (54.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −11.5 (11.3) | −6.0 (21.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 10.1 (50.2) | 14.7 (58.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 19.7 (67.5) | 18.8 (65.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 5.7 (42.3) | −2.6 (27.3) | −8.9 (16.0) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −21.5 (−6.7) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −9.1 (15.6) | −2.5 (27.5) | 3.0 (37.4) | 6.6 (43.9) | 11.7 (53.1) | 10.3 (50.5) | 4.3 (39.7) | −3.7 (25.3) | −13.2 (8.2) | −22.5 (−8.5) | −22.5 (−8.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.8 (0.03) | 1.2 (0.05) | 2.4 (0.09) | 3.4 (0.13) | 9.7 (0.38) | 12.9 (0.51) | 19.4 (0.76) | 12.6 (0.50) | 8.0 (0.31) | 2.4 (0.09) | 0.8 (0.03) | 1.1 (0.04) | 74.7 (2.92) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 30.1 |
| Average snowy days | 5.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 12.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64 | 53 | 38 | 31 | 35 | 39 | 44 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 55 | 67 | 48 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 161.3 | 169.6 | 183.3 | 214.9 | 265.6 | 293.7 | 300.1 | 277.8 | 253.0 | 249.7 | 200.0 | 155.6 | 2,724.6 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 55 | 49 | 53 | 59 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 74 | 68 | 54 | 61 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China ||||||||||||||

## Notable persons

* He Jing (TV presenter)

## Historical maps

Historical English-language maps including Maralbexi:
* Map including Maralbexi (labeled as PA-CH'U (MARAL BASHI)) (USATC, 1971)
* Map including Maralbexi (labeled as PA-CH'U (MARAL BASHI)) (ATC, 1971)
* From the Operational Navigation Chart; map including Maralbexi (labeled as BACHU (PA-CH'U)) (DMA, 1980)
* Map including Maralbexi (labeled as BACHU (PA-CH'U)) (DMA, 1984)