8th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

In March 1950, the 26th Infantry Division relocated its headquarters from Jinghua County to Suilai County (绥来县, the present Manas County). In March 1953, the troops of Xinjiang Military Region (新疆军区, XMR) were reorganized, and the 26th Division was integrated into the XMR. It was renamed to the 8th Agricultural Construction Division of the XMR. The three regiments under its jurisdiction were renamed as the 22nd, 23rd and 24 Regiment of the agricultural construction division. On May 27, the 8th Agricultural Construction Division was ordered by the Central Military Commission (CMC) and changed to be a production force as a whole to produce on its place. In August 1953, the 8th Agricultural Construction Division moved its headquarters from Manas County to Shihezi.[6]

On August 6, 1954, the CMC General Staff (军委总参谋部) issued a decree to revoke the XMR Production Management Department (新疆军区生产管理部) and the 22nd Corps (二十二兵团), and establish the XMR Production and Construction Corps (新疆军区生产建设兵团, XPCC). On October 7 of the same year, the XMR issued an order to announce the organization of the XMR Production and Construction Corps and the designation of its competent forces. The 8th Agricultural Construction Division officially belonged to the leadership of the XMR Production and Construction Corps on November 1, 1954. In February 1955, the 10th Agricultural Construction Division was abolished, and the 30th regiment and labor reform detachment of the 10th division were merged into the 8th Agricultural Construction Division. From May 21 to 26, 1956, the first CPC Congress of the 8th Agricultural Construction Division was held. Elected the first committee of 15 people, Yu Zhengdong (鱼正东) was the CPC secretary, and Liu Bingzhen (刘炳正) was the CPC deputy secretary.[6]

On August 29, 1967, the temporary Cultural Revolution Committee of the 8th Agricultural Construction Division was established. On October 4, Gong Jianzhang (龚建章) was appointed as the director. On December 2, 1968, the 8th Agricultural Construction Division established a temporary CPC committee with five members of the standing committee, Duan Yifeng (段一峰) as the secretary, and Xiao Fengrui (肖凤瑞) as the deputy secretary. In August of the same year, the division held the Cultural Revolutionary Activist Conference, and elected the Cultural Revolutionary Committee of the division, with 61 members, 23 members of the Standing Committee, Director Duan Yifeng, and 2nd Director Xiao Fengrui (肖凤瑞).

On July 7, 1969, the XPCC made a decision to change the new military designation of army units in the corps: the former 7th Anjihai Farm (安集海七场) of the 8th Agricultural Construction Division was changed as 141th Regiment, the 22nd Regiment Farm (二十二团农场) as the 142nd Regiment, the 23rd Regiment Farm (二十三团农场) as the 143rd Regiment, Shihezi headquarters Farm (石河子总场) as the 145th Regiment and 146th Regiment, the 30th Regiment Farm (三十团农场) as the 147th Regiment, the 2nd Mosuowan Farm (莫索湾二场) as the 148th Regiment, the 5th Mosuowan Farm (莫索湾五场) as the 149th Regiment, Gongqingtuan Farm (共青团农场) as the 150th Regiment, Ziniquan breedingsheep Farm (紫泥泉种羊场) as the 151th Regiment. At the end of the year, 144th Regiment was formed.[7]

On June 1–4, 1971, the 8th Agricultural Construction Division held the 2nd CPC Congress, and elected 43 members of its 2nd committee. The committee elected 12 members of the Standing Committee, and Duan Yifeng served as Secretary and Zhang Shengke as Deputy secretary. On April 20, 1975, the CPC Central Committee approved "Request for Strengthening the CPC's Unified Leadership and Changing the XPCC", and agreed to revoke the XPCC and its affiliated organizations. According to the arrangement, the 8th Agricultural Construction Division was cancelled.[6]

On December 3, 1981, the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission decided to resume the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps system and be under the dual leadership of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (农垦部). The 8th Agricultural Construction Division was resumed and the use of the military designation began on May 25, 1982. the 8th Agricultural Construction Division of the XPCC (新疆生产建设兵团农业建设农八师; abbreviation for 兵团农八师) was approved to rename as the present 8th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps by the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform on October 25, 2012.[1]

As of 2018, the total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery was CN￥20,744 million (US$3,135 million), an increase of 6.1% over the previous year. The annual crop planting area was 286.7 thou hectares, among them, the grain sown area is 13.57 thou hectares, and the cotton planting area is 25.21 thou hectares. The annual total grain output was 122 thou tons, the total cotton output was 610.6 thou tons, the vegetables were 449.1 thou tons, the fruit output was 253.4 thou tons, and the industrial tomato sauce was 127.2 thou tons. The annual total meat output was 90.1 thou tons, the milk output was 268.7 thou tons, and the eggs were 17.6 thou tons. At the end of the year, there were 860.2 thou heads of livestock, including 105.6 thou heads of cattle, 522.6 thou heads of pigs and 232.2 thou sheep. The number of livestock on hand was 1.129 million heads, including 47.2 thou heads of cattle, 908.1 thou heads of pigs and 171.2 thou sheep. The annual output of aquatic products was 9,500 tons.[4]

In the manufacturing sector, the 8th Division is based on cotton yarns, chemicals, cement, electrolytic aluminum, raw coal mining, food and beverages, and food materials as the pillar industries. In year of 2018, the 8th Division produced 133.16 thou tons of cotton yarn, 2.16 million tons of calcium carbide, 1.30 million tons of PVC, 0.89 million tons of caustic soda, 0.18 million tons of hydrochloric acid, 54.64 thou tons of plastic products, 2.59 million tons of cement, and electrolytic aluminum 1.17 million tons, raw coal 0.23 million tons, dairy products 60.74 thou tons, tomato sauce 49.76 thou tons, instant noodles 23.19 thou tons, refined edible vegetable oil 53.87 thou tons, wheat flour 41.54 thou tons.[4]

The Shihezi Economic and Technological Development Zone is located in the eastern suburbs of Shihezi City. It was established in December 1992 with the approval of the Xinjiang Government and was upgraded to a national economic and technological development zone with the approval of the State Council on April 24, 2000.[13] On March 14, 2014, the Ministry of Science and Technology was recognized as the "A-Class National New Materials High-tech Industrialization Base (A类国家新材料高新技术产业化基地)."[14] In 2018, the development zone achieved a GDP of CN￥21.52 billion (US$3.25 billion), up 6.5% YoY, of which the value added of the secondary industry was CN￥15,580 million (US$2,354 million), up 8.2% YoY, and the value added of the tertiary industry was CN￥5,940 million (US$898 million), up 2.4% YoY. The fixed assets investment was CN￥5,290 million (US$799 million), down 51.1% YoY. 55 new projects were signed, CN￥27,420 million (US$4,144 million) was invested, its tax was about CN￥6 billion (US$907 million), and 470 new registered enterprises were added, reaching a total of 3,180 in 2018.[15]