In the 18th century , the Qing went to war against the Dzungar Khanate . Ürümqi was taken by the Qing in 1755 , and the Dzungars of the region were eliminated in the Dzungar genocide . One writer , Wei Yuan , described the resulting desolation in what became northern Xinjiang as " an empty plain for a thousand '' li '' , with no trace of man " . A fort was built ( either in 1755 or 1758 depending on sources ) , and the Qing then established garrisons of Manchu and Mongol bannermen and Han Chinese troops at Ürümqi . After 1759 , the Qing government established state farms in the under-populated areas around Ürümqi , where there was fertile , well-watered land . The Manchu soldiers also constructed a temple with red walls dedicated to Guandi on Pingding mountain overlooking Ürümqi , which gave Ürümqi its nickname , Red Temple
Dzungar genocide
Dzungar genocide
Ürümqi