Hong Kong (CNN) -- China has struggled to contain ethnic tensions in the far northwest region of Xinjiang, recently launching a crackdown after a series of violent attacks left hundreds dead in recent months. But authorities think they may have found a new tonic to mend the cultural differences between the region's indigenous Uyghurs -- a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking group -- and China's dominant ethnic group, the Han Chinese. Her name is Ipal Khan. The wide-eyed Uyghur beauty is the protagonist of an upcoming cartoon based on the well-known tale of a girl from the city of Kashgar who captivated China's Qianlong Emperor with her good looks and sweet fragrance in the 18th century and became his concubine.
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New cartoon seeks to foster cultural understanding between ethnic groups in Xinjiang region
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"Princess Fragrant" is based on the tale of a Uyghur concubine who marries an emperor
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A symbol of national unity for Chinese, modern Uyghur interpretations portray her as a sex slave
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Animation seeks to be entertaining while fulfilling "political needs," director says
"(The cartoon) is a re-understanding of the friendship between @placeholder and Uyghurs, which is especially significant to the re-education of the children and teaching them to accept different cultures."