A man in China has been sentenced to six years in prison for 'provoking trouble ' because he grew a beard . The 38-year-old from the Uighur minority received several warnings before attending court in Kashgar , local newspapers reported . His wife was also given a two-year sentence for wearing a veil that hid her face . In China authorities widely discourage growing a beard because they say it is linked to extremist ideals . The Uighurs vehemently dispute this claim . A Uighur man in China has been sentenced to six years in prison for 'provoking trouble ' because he grew a beard . Above , a rare photo of two men from the Uighur minority who were not involved in the court case . The unnamed man started growing facial hair in 2010 before being accused of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble ' by officials . A campaign dubbed 'Project Beauty ' similarly encourages women to leave their heads bare and abandon wearing the veil - a relatively widespread practice among the Uighurs . Speaking after the court case officials said : 'Since the beginning of the year , a certain number of people breaking the regulation on beards , veils and burqa have been prosecuted and sentenced . ' The repression of the Uighurs has been fanning tensions in the region for more than a year . The 38-year-old 's wife was also given a two-year sentence for hiding her face . Above , a stock image of a woman defying officials by wearing a colourful veil . In 2013 Chinese authorities flooded into the region after a wave of unrest caused tension between the Uighurs and the Han Chinese , the majority ethnic group . Violence increased last year and at least 200 people were killed in a series of bombings and deadly clashes with security forces . In April authorities in Xinjiang 's Shaya county offered cash to informants to report on neighbours with excessive facial hair . And in August authorities in Karamay city banned people with large beards or Islamic clothing from travelling on public buses . The origins of the Uighur tribe lie deep in the Altai mountains of Mongolia - or in Turkmenistan , depending on which version of the story you believe . According to the Uighurs , their origins are Turkic and date back more than 5,000 years . They now reside in the Xinjiang region . By contrast , the Chinese say the Uighurs are descendants of the Tiele tribes of Mongolia , who by 842 , had coalesced into the Uighur people and moved to the Tarim Basin in what is now modern China . Either way , the debate around the origins of the Uighurs is yet another skirmish in the ongoing battle between the majority-Muslim tribe and the Han Chinese , the country 's majority ethnic group . Mainly tolerated during the long rule of the Chinese emperors , the real problems for the Uighurs began in 1949 . After a failed bid for independence , the Chinese cracked down on the fledgling state . Activists accuse the Chinese government of steadily eroding the minority 's freedoms , as they have curtailed religion , commercial and cultural activities . Beijing has also been accused of seeking to dilute Uighur influence by arranging the mass immigration of Han Chinese to Xinjiang . According to China , their activities are justified because of the terrorist threat posed by Uighur separatists . The Uighur themselves vehemently dispute this claim .
38-year-old Uighur received several warnings before attending , official said . His wife was also given a two-year sentence for hiding her face with a veil .