Hui (回族)

Geography of Hui (回族)

The Hui minority group is one of the largest in China, with a population of almost 10 million. Qinghai, Hebei, Henan, Yunnan, Gansu and Shandong provinces, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as well as most cities and counties throughout China, are all home to many people of Hui origin.

The name is actually an abbreviation of Huihui, which referred to the Huihe people in literature as far back as the Northern Song dynasty. These Huihe people lived in what is now Xinjiang. The Huihe preceded modern-day Uyghurs, a separate ethnic group.

• Population: 9,816,802
• Distribution:  Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Hebei, Qinghai, Shandong, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Anhui, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin
• Language: Han
• Religion: Islam

History of Hui (回族)

The Huis’ ancestry can be traced back to the mid-seventh century when Islamic traders came to China, and in the early 13th century, middle Asian people migrated either voluntarily or by force into China, settling to breed livestock, and bringing their religious beliefs with them.

Culture of Hui (回族)

Huihui culture mainly started to develop during the Yuan dynasty, a time of warfare and farming. The Mongols recruited the people as scouts, sending them on military excursions; they set up homes in what are now Hebei, Yunnan, Gansu, Henan and Shandong provinces. A common economy began to develop as a result of them settling in cities and along vital lines of communication; they generally stayed together around the mosques they built themselves.

The social customs of these people were different from those of the native peoples, so the Huihui began cultivating a separate national consciousness. This was augmented by the fact they concentrated themselves around their mosques and by increasing economic contacts, their political situation and their shared beliefs. The Huihui people began to properly emerge as an ethnic group during the Ming dynasty.

From this time, the number of Huihui people in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces increased, and dispersion was caused by commercial and industrial exchanges, tours by Huihui officials, garrison troops assigned to various areas to open up wasteland to grow food and, especially, the peasant uprisings which caused many Huihui people to leave home. However, they still managed to retain their traditional way of life. During the Yuan dynasty, Huihui people gradually began to leave military life behind to concentrate on farming, handicrafts and small-scale trading, clustered around an agricultural economy.

Language of Hui (回族)

During these unsettled times, the Hui began speaking the language of the Han people, but kept some Arab and Persian turns of phrase. Han culture infiltrated their own because of their association with Hans they even began to adopt Han surnames.

ReligionIslam always played a significant role in Hui life, with Muslim rituals and traditions being retained. It was important in economic and political areas of Hui society, matters of common interest being discussed in the mosque. This has not always been an advantage, as Muslim rulers enjoyed the privileges of a feudal system in the late Ming dynasty.

Living with Hans and adopting their language has helped with the progress and development of the Hui, whose artisans are well-known for making medicines, incense and cannons, among other skills. Hui merchants traded between China and other Asian countries.

Modern TimesIn the twentieth century, six autonomous regions were set up for the Hui people in Gansu and Qinghai provinces. Industry has boomed in recent years; education has improved, especially for Hui girls and women; and the level of general public health has risen.