Guangxi Autonomous Region (Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqut) of China :
As for the ....
The Hui, Ningxia and Islam in China :
As for the Hui, the first major Muslim settlements in China consisted of Arab and Persian merchants who had traveled eastward along the pathways and trade routes of the Silk Road to end up in Tang Dynasty Chinese Territory. The Hui Chi tribe which was located in Western China and had contacts with these islamic settlements through trade learned about Islam and later accepted it as their Faith. The current day reference to the huihui or the Hui, a muslim ethnic minority of considerable size, derives from the name of the Hui Chi Tribe.
The Uygurs and Islam in China :
The Uygurs are another large Islamic Minority group in China. Migrated to the Western Regions of China (mainly Xinjiang-Uygur Uatonomous Region) during a lapse power in the Central Empire and the subsequent Reign of the Yuan Dynasty the Uygurs are of Turcmenic Central Asian descent. During a large period of their history the Uygurs lived a nomadic lifestyle. During the period between xxx AD and XXX AD this Nomadic lifestyle brought them to migrate to the Chinese Western Regions where in due time they asimilated with other local Islamic Tribes.
During the Yuan Dynasty, due to the exceptions offered to the Islamic Peoples of the Empire, Uygur Muslims were able to settle for proplonged periods.
During the Cultural Revolution the Government attempted to dilute the Muslim population of Xinjiang by settling masses of ethnic Han Chinese there, and replacing the local Muslim leaders with those willing to cooperate fully with "the Beijing Line".
Since 1978, the Chinese government has merkedly liberalised its policies toward Islam and Muslims and other minorities. New legislation gave all minorities the freedom to use their own spoken and written languages, develop their own culture and education and practice their religion. In practice however, equality means that some are more equal than others and as was recently shown in Tibet under the surface large tensions between ethnic groups and Han remain.
Current Uygur Issues are: Parhat, a Muslim of ethnic Uighur descent, is accused of attending a terror training camp in Afghanistan at the time of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He however won a court appeal claiming that he was improperly labeled an "enemy combatant" by the Pentagon.
Asia Report - Map of Asia Entire . All Countries, Borders & Capitals
Full Geographical Overview Map of Asia Entire with Zoom & Scroll Functions, Relief Feautures, Oceans, Main Rivers and Capital Cities.
This Map of Asia includes all Asian Countries with Names and Borders, Disputed Border Regions in Asia, Capital Cities of all Asian Countries and Main Rivers and Mountain Ranges.
Currently there are 10 Islamic Ethnic groups that remain in China. Some of these groups are very small while others count millions of members.
First and Foremost are the Uygurs, most of whom are Chinese Muslims originating from Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, and a minority from Hunan and Henan Provinces. There are currently about 7.2 million Uygurs in China.
BBQ-ed mutton, Islamic Speciality as a Street Snack in the small remaining Islamic Street in the Center of Lanzhou, Capital of Gansu Province in November 2007.
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Islamic Ethnic Minorities in China :
The second important group are the Hui. The Hui are of Arab and Persian descent and are spread all over China. The Hui are nationally the most found Islamic Ethnic group. The population of Hui is around 8.6 million strong. Main concentrations can be found in Ningxia (Hui) Province, in Qinghai and Gansu Provinces, Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, Shaanxi Province (Xi'An), Shandong Province, Hebei, Inner Mongolia AR and Yunnan Province.
After these main Islamic Ethnic Groups follow no less than 8 other groups found in China.
The others are: The Kazaks, the Khalkhas, the Uzbeks -found in Urumqi, Yining, Tacheng and Kashgar-, Tajiks living in the Pamir Mountains (Tashkurkan Tajik Autonomous County) near Kashgar and The Tatars, the latter of whom only number 5 to 6000 souls found in the Grasslands of Western Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, the Salas of mixed Turkmenic and Tibetan descent some 900.000 of whom live in their own autonomous prefecture in Qinghai Province, the Dongxiang of Linxia Prefecture in Gansu Province and last the small group of remaining Bao'An People. The Bao'An are also known as Bao'An Huis, to designate their Muslim Faith, however they are a seperate ethnic group with their own language, albeit no written version of it. All Bao'An, some 15.000 in number live in Jishishan in County of Linxia Prefecture in Gansu Province where they live from farming and knife-making among things.
The greater majority of Chinese Muslims, if not all, fall under the Sunni definition of Islam, it's culture and it's beliefs although especially the Dongxiang practice aspects of Sufism and some sects have adopted aspects of buddhism as well.
Hui's and Han's enjoying themselves posing for China Report at the Market of Dunhuang, Gansu Province in November 2007.
The Salar are found in Qinghai Province, where they mainly reside inside the Xunhua Salar Autonomous County of Qinghai Province. Other Salar reside in their communities in Hualong Autonomous County of the Hui Nationality, and in Gansu Province in Jishishan Autonomous County where they live together with the Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Nationalities. Last there are Salar Communities in Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region inside the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
In the 1990 National Census there were reportedly 87,900 Salar in China. By 1995 AD the number of Salar had risen to 92,900. According to the Year 2000 National Census there were 104.500 Salar in China.
The Salar originally made their living by hunting, forestry and livestock farming. However today the Salar's main lifestyle is agricultural and self-sustaining while living in a semi-desert area. The Salar also keep sheep for wool and their favored dish of mutton. Some Salar extend their activities to gardening, leather working and processing and in gardening and forestry.
Alternative names for the Sala are Salar, Salacu and Salahui, the latter referring to their cultural assimilation with the Hui. The Salar name themselves as Salar'Er.
The Salar ancestors were migrating Oghuz Turks who settled in the area and intermarried with local women of the Tibetan Ethnicity, The Hui and the Han Chinese. The Salars ancestors migrated to Qinghai Province at sometime during the 13Th Century when the Mongols ruled the Eurasian Continent at the Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD - 1368 AD) had it's brief but glorious period. At this time large migrations from Central Asia entered China, among which the Salar. It is said that they descend from a Turkmen tribe that originated near Samarkand, the former capital of Uzbekistan, an important city of the Silk Road.
For centuries they've maintained their Oghuz language remarkably similar to the Turkmen language spoken in the Karakoram Mountain Range (Qaraqum).
Salar have their own spoken language but no written version. It is closely related to the Uyghur and Uzbek languages. Many Salar known Arabic through their Religious Ceremonies and practice. The Salar language has two large dialect groups. Many Salar, some 30%, however do not speak the Salar Language anymore but speak Chinese or Tibetan, the language of another ethnic group with whom they have long been in contact. For a large part Salar history has been passed on by an oral tradition and the Salar culture knows many tales and folklore's.
The Salar live in close family unit communities where close kinship is the rule. Their houses are of the Central-Asian style rather than Chinese or Han. Their homes characterized by the intricately carved pillars, door frames, and eaves. All houses are protected by an outer wall on the inside of which fruit trees are planted. The traditional culture of the Salar is strongly patriarchal. Extended families live together in communities. Marriages are traditionally arranged with a dowry to be payed. Women have few rights. Peculiar Wedding Customs of the Salar include the wedding ceremony to be conducted outside the Bride's house while she waits inside for the Husband to see and fetch her. The largest unit of Salar Community is the Village.
The Salar are Islamic Peoples. In fact, they are said to be the most zealous and pious Muslims in China.
Each village has its own mosque and cemetery. Other than this, their lifestyle very much resembles that of the Hui, another much larger ethnic minority group on the North and North-West by whom they have been much influenced. The Salar were only converted to Islam during the late 17Th and in the 18 Century after which they have been a militant group. Due to Hui influence the Salar strictly speaking belong to the Naqshbandi (Naqshbandiyya) Order, which is one of the major Tasawwuf orders (tariqa) of Islam. The Naqshbandi are also known as the "Sober Order" which has made its imprints on Salar life. As a result of the adoption of this islamic style and religous zealousy afterwards many Salar Folk lyrics were lost. At times the original turkmen music of the Salar was even outlawed. The Salar not only had their own version of the cultural religion if you will, they also revolted against Central Rule repeatdly in their history. In the Year 1781 AD there was a Salar uprising against Ching Dynasty Rule under encouragement of the arriving Russian Powers who were seeking to destablize the region at the Time. The Salar uprising however was violently crushed by the Ching Armies. In the events and aftermath 40% of the Salar were killed, decimating their numbers. Throughout the 1950's Salar resistance to the new Communist Chinese state was fairly intense and led to a series of armed attacks and uprisings against the Central Authority. In 1958 AD there were further problems when the Salar rose in Rebellion along with the Tibetans who were out for autonomy and plagued by the same problems with Central Authorities. The Rebellion was received with outrage in Beijing and necessitated the Central Comunist Government to take drastic steps regardless of the ethnic minority laws enacted since 1952 AD. The militant Salar were deported, long prison sentences were meted out to many and all Mullah's of the Salar were removed from office (The Tibetan Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet and has been living in exile eversince). However worst for the Salar was the removal of their most treasured Holy Piece, a 13th Century handwritten Koran (one of only three worldwide) to Beijing officially for safe keeping. In this way the Salar were suppresed and culturally held hostage by Beijing for over 24 years.
Only after 1980 AD, when a new and more open policy on religion was adopted nationally, were religious activities among the Salar allowed to resume. Many Mullah's were pardonned and returned from labor camps. The treasured Salar Kuran was returned from Beijing.
There have been no recent accounts of political or ethnic troubles among the Salar, or at least not reported, however the Central State remains it's vigilance.
Map of the Gobi Desert & Yellow River Flow
Satellite Image Map of the Yellow River Flow. Map overviews North-West Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and North-Eastern China giving a Full Overview of the Gobi Deserts and Yellow River Basin. Map includes location of LuoYang in Henan and other Cities (clearly visible).
Today's Salar are struggling. Persecuted by the Central Government in the past they were desperately poor and literacy was among the lowest of all ethnic groups. Since the 1990's cooperation with Authorities has improved and through educational efforts initiated by the Central Government and the development of the west outlined in the last two Five Year Plans, conditions for the Salar are gradually improving.
In recent years Xunhua County of Qinghai has been successfully developing. The mainstays of the local economy are energy production - through two hydro-electric dams on the yellow river as well as through wind turbine technology, the export of labor outside the county, the wool industry - a traditional occupation of the Salar and the production of cloths and clothing with Islamic religious significance. Through mechanization of the production processes the expansion of the woollen goods industry has been remarkable.
Dress of the Salar, in general is equally similar to the Hui. Salar traditional wear includes a round cap - white or black, somehat resembling a fez and higher than the Hui caps. The Salar caps are usually thicker and warmer than the traditional Hui caps. The men further dress in black coats and white shirts. Many Men, if not all have beards of various sizes.
For Women there is the obligatory head-scarf, not a veil, which varies according to age group, married status and the like.
Salar traditions and festivals resemble those of the Hui in the same area. As do other tribes, the Salar like singing and dancing. They especially pay attention to their lyrics. A peculiar instrument the Salar use is the Kouxi or Kouxuan, a small copper or silver-made instrument that produces sounds by touching it. The instrument is usually played by women and many Salar girls learn to play the instrument even today. Other traditional women's activities are embroidery and paper cutting.
Major Salar festivals are the Lesser Bairam and the Qurban (Corban, the Almsgiving). Wedding Ceremonies have special Salar customs and are always a major event in this small community of close kin. Among things before the bride departs from her family home she must cry whilst singing to demonstrate her reluctance to leave her family home and start a new life with her new family. During wedding ceremonies the Salar perform 'Camel Dances' in groups of four.
A Salar Dance Group on You Tube.com
Agricultural products of the Salar are wheat, highland barley, buckwheat, walnuts, potatoes and other vegetables. Fruits are those commonly found in the China and the North-West, namely melons, apples, grapes, and apricots.
Salar foods resemble those of the Hui. Their staple diet is made of flour with some potatoes added. Frequently eaten are steamed buns, noodles, and vegetable soup. Pork meat (not Halal) is avoided but also the meat of the donkey and horse. Both are considered more useful alive.
The Salar insist on drinking tea with milk. Due to their religion alcohol is strictly forbidden. They are also fond of wheat tea, and they have their own tea rituals and preperations.
Uzbek or Ozbek:
The Uzbek's, or Uzbeki's are one of the smallest Ethnic Minority Groups in China today. In 1990 there were 14,592 Uzbeki reportedly living in China. According to the Year 2000 AD National Census there were only 12.400 Uzbeki. A drop of more than 2000 mainly due to remigration into Russia across the Xinjiang Border.
Uzbek's mainly reside in the Cities and Towns of Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region in the North-West near the borders with Russia. Main concentrations of Uzbeki in China live in Yining, Tacheng (Qoqek), Kashgar and Yarkant, the Capital of Urumqi, and Yecheng (Kargilik).
Uzbeki traditionally are famous for their handicraft work and their commercial skills, which make up their main occupations of trade and commerce.
Some Uzbeki are engaged in a different lifestyle of small scale agriculture and animal husbandry. These Uzbek's live in North Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region where they live a semi-nomadic lifestyle together with the Kazak ethnic group. Less than 30% of the Uzbek's are farmers or herders however.
The name Uzbek first originated from the Uzbek Khan, one of the local rulers under the Mongol Empire in the 14th century. The Uzbeki ancestors were the famed traders of silk, porcelain, tea, jade and other treasured goods on the Silk Road. During Yuan Dynasty many came with the migrations from Central Asia and some Uzbeki traders settled in towns and cities, After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty and finding themselves under different circumstances
A Schematic Map of the Eurasian Trade Routes existing in the 13Th Century (Yuan Dynasty).
Clearly depicted on the Map are the land-bound trading routes through Central Asia known as the Silk Road (the path of Marco Polo and others) and the Maritime Trade Routes that operated between the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean and Coastal Cities, the Straights of Malacca and South-China Sea's. As shown Maritime Trade to China mainly entered through Southern Harbors, then was distributed internally by use of the Grand Canal, the Yangzte River and the Yellow River.
- CLICK MAP TO GO TO FULL VERSION -
Uzbeki traded in their long-distance trading for local jobs as silk weavers, farmers, craftsmen, and, eventually again entrepreneurs and tradesmen. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Uzbek trading caravans from Buchara and Samarkand used Yarkant in Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region as an entrepot for business deals in silk, tea, chinaware, fur, rhubarb and other such products. Migrations of Uzbeki to China continued through the 19Th and early 20Th Century. Currently remigration across the Russian Border or into Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is more frequent.
The Uzbeki, as do many of the minorities have a spoken language but no written version of it. Due to their geographical location and their centuries of coexistence with other ethnic groups of the region, many Uzbeki speak the Uygur Language and/or Kazakh. As a matter of fact, the Uzbeki have adopted much of the ways and lifestyles of the Uygur People. Most notably, they use the Uygur written language which is essentially Arabic.
Strictly speaking the Uzbek language belongs to the Turkic Group of the Altaic Family and it is closely related to Uygur, explain the affinity between these ethnic groups. Due to current and historic influences the modern Uzbek language has many loanwords from Farsi - A Language historically spoken by Uzbek intellectuals, Russian - brought along by the Czarist Russian Empire, and Chinese.
Due to the close ethnic and lingual resemblances between the groups, Uzbek's regularly inter-marry with Uygurs and Kazakh's.
The Uzbek however still retain many features of their own nationality. For instance, both Uzbek Women and Men wear colorful embroidered caps, the main sign of their ethnic group. Uzbeks wear round hats, while Uigur wear square hats. Uzbek women are traditionally good at embroidery and their products are fit on caps, scarf's, items of clothing and even every day use items.
As in other traditional cultures in Asia and China, the elderly are highly respected and important in traditional Uzbek culture. As the Uzbeki form a small community children have an especially important place too. Whenever a child is born among the Uzbeki, there will be a grand ceremony and afterwards a feast for the guests.
Uzbeki in China are Muslims. Their Religious orientation originates from the 14Th Century Islamic Conversion of the Uzbek (Or Ozbek) Khanate under the political and military leadership of Uzbek Khan. No Pork or Alcohol are allowed to them. Their main Festivals are as with the Salar, the lesser Bairam and the Qurban. Burials among the Uzbek have a special tradition of mourning for an entire week. Men who attend funerals tie a strip of white cloth around the waist, and women wear a piece of white cloth on their heads. The Then three times afterwards on the 40th, the 70th , and the 100th day after death, the ahung or Mullah (Muslim priest) must perform memorial services and rituals.
Uzbeki festivals are celebrations of their culture and involve a lot of music, singing and dancing. As with many ethnic groups, they have a strong oral tradition and therefor there are many folk songs, ballads, tales and saga's to be found among the small Uzbek Community in China.
The musical instruments of the Uzbeki are mainly percussion instruments and snared instruments used for plucking. Ozbek dances are famous for their vivacity, grace and variety. The Uzbek style of dance has been exported to all other ethnic groups in the region. Most dances are solos, with the dancer (female) waving her arms while turning round and round.
Uzbeki today are among the most successful ethnic groups in China. Their literacy is the highest of all minority groups in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region. Many Uzbek's are engineers, factory mechanics and tradesmen. Young Uzbek's no longer receive education through religious schools (madrassas) but receive a Chinese program initiated and supported by the Central Government. Strict adherence to the Islamic faith, albeit strong is diminishing among Uzbek Youth.
