History of the Hui People

Author: Ding Guoyong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The Hui people are one of the ethnic minorities in China with a relatively large population and wide distribution. According to the 1990 census, there were approximately 8.6 million Hui people. They live in most counties and cities across the country, with higher concentrations in Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, as well as in provinces such as Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, and Xinjiang. In areas where the Hui people are distributed, two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas, while one-third lives in urban areas. In rural areas, the Hui people generally live in several villages and towns, while in urban areas, they tend to cluster in specific streets, lanes, or districts. The term "Hui" is a shortened form of "Huihui," referring to the Hui people. The name "Huihui" first appeared in literature during the Northern Song Dynasty. It referred to the "Uyghurs" (Huihe people) who lived in the Anxi region (now southern Xinjiang and parts west of the Pamirs) since the Tang Dynasty. The Huihui were the ancestors of the Hui people as they are known today. It is generally believed that the Hui people were formed over a long period of history through the integration of various ethnic groups from abroad, with Islam playing a unifying role. The main source of the Hui people is the Islamic followers from Central Asia, Persia, and Arabia who were forcibly migrated eastward as conquered peoples during the Mongol westward campaigns in the early 13th century. Scholars estimate that there were approximately 300,000 to 400,000 of them. Another source of the Hui people is the Arab and Persian merchants who had long resided in the southeastern coastal regions of China during the Tang and Song dynasties.