Pilal (; from Mandarin Chinese Pilale or ) is a township of Akto County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Located in the west of the northeastern part of the county, the township covers an area of 186 square kilometers with a population of 46,981 (as of 2015). It has 22 administrative villages and a farm under its jurisdiction. Its seat is at Pilal Village ().
The name of Piral is from Uighur language, that evolved from the word "pul-al", meaning "paying" or "pay money" (). The place was named Pilal because there used to be a market in this place 270 years ago (about 1750s).
In 1958, Pilal Commune was established ().
In 1967 during the Cultural Revolution, Pilal Commune was renamed Hongqi Commune (literally 'Red Flag Commune'; ).
In 1984, the commune became Pilal Township.
In September 2017, it was reported that a policewoman from Pilal had claimed that "several thousand detainees" were in the Xinjiang internment camps system in Akto County, saying the facilities were "closed schools" where authorities keep internees "detained day and night, and they continuously receive political and ideological education." She further commented that, "A few people are released after two or three months. But most detainees are sent to the camps indefinitely."
The township of Pilal is located between 75ð45â²- 76ð01â² east longitude and 38ð08â²- 39ð16â² north latitude and in the alluvial plain of Gez River to the northwest of the county seat. It is bordered by Tortayi Farm to the east, by Barin Township, Akto Town and Ujme Township to the south, by Buraksu Township of Shufu County to the west, by the 41st Regiment () of the XPCC across Yuepuhu River () to the north. Its maximum distance is 24 kilometers from west to east and 11 kilometers from north to south. It has an area of 186 square kilometers with an area of 6 118 hectares of arable land. The distance between the seat of the township and the county seat is 11 kilometers.
The township has a temperate continental arid climate with a long frost-free period. Its annual average temperature is 12 ðC, the average temperature in January is -7.4 ðC, and the average temperature in July is 24.9 ðC. Its terrain is flat with sufficient water source. It is rich in mineral resources, mainly iron, copper, gold, aluminum, zinc and coal.
The soil is fertile, part of which are silt and salt soil. The natural conditions for developing agriculture are very advantageous. Pilal Township has a long history of planting rice. It is known as the âÂÂPlateau Rice landâ () and is the main rice producing area in Akto County.
The township has 22 administration villages and a farm under its jurisdiction.
, 93.1% of the residents of Pilal were Uyghur.
Water resources are plentiful. Japonica rice is produced in abundance and Pilal is the main rice producing area of Akto County.