Why did many Kyrgyz flee to China during the revolt of 1916?

The revolt of 1916 was a response to long-standing grievances under Russian colonial rule, particularly the expropriation of land for Russian settlers and a wartime decree that conscripted non-Russian subjects for forced labor.12

The subsequent suppression of the uprising by Russian authorities was carried out with extreme brutality. Entire villages were destroyed by fire, and the resulting violence led to mass casualties among the Kyrgyz population. Faced with this savage repression and the loss of their homes and livelihoods, nearly one-third of the Kyrgyz people fled across the border to seek refuge in China.12