by the 1860s, xinjiang had been under qing rule for a century. the area had been conquered in 1759 from the dzungar khanate whose core population, the oirats, subsequently became the targets of genocide. however, as xinjiang consisted mostly of semi-arid or desert lands, these were not attractive to potential han settlers except some traders, so other people such as uyghurs settled in the area. the whole of xinjiang was divided into three administrative circuits: