 The earliest Russian immigrants who came to Xinjiang were the (кержаки in Russian, Old Believers), who were persecuted under the reign of Peter the Great for refusing to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church.They sent four heralds to negotiate with the Kazakh chief Kala Usman, and they were allowed to settle down in Burqin.After several years, they also pioneered some settlements in Kanas, Chuguchak and Ili.