A growing interest in China's borderlands accelerated after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, which brought independence to new states like Kazakstan as well as a new configuration of power to Central Eurasia. Despite renewed interest in the region and its peoples, information on the Kazaks, and particularly on the Kazaks living in China, has remained limited. This new study, based on Chinese publications, archival materials, and recent fieldwork, provides an up-to-date treatment of Kazak history and culture. Special emphasis is placed on the Kazaks in 20th century China and, in particular, their status today as one of China's minority nationalities. Not only does this book add to an understanding of the Kazaks of Xinjiang, it also contributes to a broader understanding of China's own stake in Central Eurasia as this politically sensitive region prepares to enter the twenty-first century.