The General of Ili ( Officially ), also known as the Viceroy of Ili, and in western sources as the Kulja Military Governor, was a position created during the reign of the Qing Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1799) to "pacify" Dzungaria (now part of Xinjiang) and suppress uprisings by the Khoja "Rebels". The General of Ili governed the entirety of Xinjiang during Qing rule until it was turned into a province.

History Based in Huiyuan City (; now Huiyuan Town, Huocheng County), in the Qing delineated greater Xinjiang region in the northwest of China, the general was the senior military commander in the area. In 1759, Qing general (Manchu: Zhaohuui) suppressed the Revolt of the Altishahr Khojas and reestablished Qing control over the western part of Xinjiang. As a result, in 1762 the Qing court established the position of General of Ili with Ming Rui as the first incumbent.

At the same time, the offices of Military Attache or Dūtǒng () and Imperial Resident () were created under the general to manage military affairs north and south of the Tian Shan range of mountains. The northern circuit () or Tarim Basin was administered by the Ili Ministerial Attache (), five Ministerial Leaders (), a Tarbagatai Ministerial Attache () and a Minister of Affairs (). In the south () or Altishahr there was a General Minister for Altashahr Affairs () responsible for Kashgar, Yarkant, Yengisar, Uqturpan, Aksu, Kuqa, Hotan and Karasahr amongst others. In the western circuit ( the Urumqi Military Command () was responsible for Gucheng (; now Qitai County), Barköl Kazakh Autonomous County, (, now Hami City) and (now Wusu) among other locations.

In 1763, the Qianlong Emperor ordered the construction of the new city of Huiyuan on the north bank of the Ili River as a base and headquarter for the General of Ili. Thereafter, Huiyuan became the capital of the Qing Xinjiang Region. A further eight fortified cities were then constructed across the Ili or Dzungarian Basin: Ningyuan City (; now Yining City), Huining City (; now Bayandai Township [) west of Yining), Taleqi City (; now part of Huocheng County), Zhande City (; now part of Qingshuihe County), Guangren City (; now Lucaogou Town ( in Huocheng County), Gongchen City (; now Khorgas City), Xichun City (; now part of Yining City) and Suiding City (; now Shuiding Town).

The headquarters of the Manchu bannermen was in Huiyuan and Huining while the Green Standard Army was distributed across the remaining towns with their commander in Suiding. Uyghur merchants (including the Taranchi) resided in Ningyuan. Their affairs were managed by the General of Ili through the East Yamen ().

In 1864, during the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor, the broke out concurrent with the Dungan Revolt of 1862-77 further east. On 8 March 1866, a large force of Hui Muslims captured the General of Ili Mingsioi's Yamen. He committed suicide by blowing himself up but his predecessor Cangcing () was captured and paraded through the streets.

After Tzarist Russia invaded the Ili Basin in 1865 they demolished Huiyuan then in 1876 Qing General Zuo Zongtang, at the head of a large army, ended Yaqub Beg's occupation of the southern part of Xinjiang. In 1881 the Qing army recaptured the Ili Basin and two years later rebuilt Huiyaun north of its former site. This new settlement was known historically as "New Huiyuan" ().

Xinjiang officially became a province in 1883 with its capital at Dihua Fu ( modern day Urumqi) and Huiyuan gradually lost its political importance; the General was to defend the north of the new province until the position was abolished following the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.

Officeholders Name Appointed End date Banner Mingrui October 1762 March 1767Bordered Yellow Banner Agui March 1767 April 1768 Bordered Blue Banner July 1768 October 1769 Plain White Banner October 1769October 1770Plain White Banner 　　 October 1770December 1770Bordered Blue Banner Imperial Clan Iletu December 1770 July 1772 Plain White Banner Šuhede October 1772July 1774Plain White Banner 　　 Iletu July 1774 June 1784 Plain White Banner　 Mingliang June 1784July 1784Plain Yellow Banner Hailu (July 1784August 1784Plain Blue Banner Iletu August 1784July 1793Plain White Banner July 1793September 1795Bordered Yellow Banner Yongduo ()September 1795November 1795Bordered Blue Banner Booning 1795 1798 Plain White Banner Mingliang 1798 1799 Bordered Yellow Banner Booning 1799 1801 Plain White Banner Songyun 1801 1801 Plain Blue Banner Booning 1801 1803 Plain White Banner Songyun 1803 1810 Plain Blue Banner Jinchang 1810 1814 Plain Blue Banner Songyun 1814 1818 Plain Blue Banner Changling 1818 1820 Plain White Banner Gao Qi 1820 Bordered Yellow Banner Qingxiang 1820 1825 Plain White Banner Deying'a 1825 Bordered Yellow Banner Changling 1825 1827 Plain White Banner Deying'a 1828 Bordered Blue Banner Yulin 1828 1830 Plain Yellow Banner Yishan 1830 1839 Bordered Red Banner Guanfu 1839 1840 Bordered White Banner Buyantai 1840 1845 Plain Yellow Banner Yishan 1845 1855 Bordered Red Banner Zhalafentai 1855 1856 Plain Yellow Banner Changqing 1856 1857 Bordered Blue Banner Zhalafentai 1857 1860 Plain Yellow Banner Changqing 1860 1864 Bordered Blue Banner Mingxu 1864 1866 Bordered Red Banner Li Yunlin 1866 Rongquan 1866 1877 Plain Yellow Banner Jinshun 1877 1886 Bordered Blue Banner Xilun 1886 1887 Plain Blue Banner Selengge 1887 1891 Plain White Banner Fuleminge 1891 Bordered White Banner Changgeng 1891 1902 Plain Yellow Banner Ma Liang 1902 1906 Plain Yellow Banner Guangfu 1906 1907 Plain Blue Banner Changgeng 1907 1909 Plain Yellow Banner Guangfu 1909 1911 Plain Blue Banner Zhirui 1911 Plain Red Banner Elehun 1911

See also Xinjiang under Qing rule Mongolia under Qing rule

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