As China and Kyrgyzstan are neighbouring countries, there is a long history of population movements between the lands that today make up their national territories. The [[Dungan people]] ([[Hui Chinese|Chinese-speaking Muslims]] from [[Northwest China]]) fled to Kyrgyzstan in 1877 after the failure of [[Dungan revolt (1862–1877)|their uprising]] against the [[Qing Dynasty]]; they settled in [[Semirechie]] as well as the [[Ferghana Valley]]. In the early 20th century, Uyghurs, Dungans, and [[Han Chinese]] alike came to the Ferghana Valley as [[migrant worker]]s in coal mines, cotton mills, and farms; some settled down permanently in Kyrgyzstan. The agricultural failures incurred during the 1950s [[Great Leap Forward]] spurred many people from [[Xinjiang]] to flee to the [[Soviet Union]], including Kyrgyzstan, to escape hardships in China. However, as the [[Sino-Soviet split]] worsened, the border was closed and such migration made impossible.<ref name="Zhaparov90">{{harvnb|Zhaparov|2009|p=90}}</ref>
Migration would begin again in the late 1980s, centred on [[ChuiChüy ProvinceRegion]], [[Bishkek]] and its surroundings; people from Xinjiang would come to rent land, and grow vegetables. Others came as cross-border traders, selling [[Chinese alcoholic beverages]] and buying up clothing—especially coats made from [[Karakul (sheep)|Karakul sheep]] pelts—for sale in Xinjiang.<ref name="Zhaparov81"/> In the early 2000s, the majority of [[Nationality law of the People's Republic of China|PRC nationals]] in Kyrgyzstan were of [[Uyghurs|Uyghur]] ethnicity, but since then, an increasing number of [[Han Chinese]] have been arriving.<ref name="Ferghana">{{citation|title=The Great Silk Road with one's own eyes. Part III. Chinese expansion.|periodical=Ferghana.ru|date=2007-11-30|accessdate=2009-05-08|last=Babakulov|first=Ulugbek|url=http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2252|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605200335/http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2252|archive-date=2008-06-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kyrgyzstan and other [[post-Soviet states]] are popular destinations for people from Xinjiang because they offer the opportunity to learn [[Russian language|Russian]], which has become important in urban job markets such as [[Urumqi]]. Recent migrants state they chose Kyrgyzstan as their destination, rather than join the large numbers of [[Ethnic Chinese in Russia|Chinese people in Russia]] or [[Chinese people in Kazakhstan|in Kazakhstan]] because Kyrgyzstan is cheaper, and because they perceive public safety as being better in Kyrgyzstan than in Russia where there have been [[Racism in Russia|cases of attacks on migrant workers]].<ref name="Tokbaeva"/>
