Rebiya Kadeer
The 1997 Jiashi earthquakes, continuing to 2003, were a series of deadly earthquakes in the county. Rebiya Kadeer wrote that her career was significantly affected by the earthquakes, which were "one of the worst natural disasters that had occurred in the Uyghur nation in recent memory." One hundred villages and one thousand homes were leveled. Kadeer organized donations and aid for the area. In February 2002, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake killed 267 people in Maralbexi County and Payzawat County.