Hui

The roots of the Hui trace back to Arab and Persian traders who arrived in China along the Silk Road starting in the 7th century, settling in ports and cities along the way. The flow grew in the 13th century, when the Mongols, in conquering Central Asia, brought with them Muslim artisans, soldiers, and administrators who settled in various Chinese regions.

These groups gradually blended with the local population, adopting Mandarin and Chinese customs, but preserving the Islamic faith as their common bond. Centuries of coexistence, intermarriage, and internal migration formed the Hui identity that exists today: a people fully Chinese in language and everyday customs, yet distinct through the religion inherited from their ancestors.

Hui life revolves largely around the mosque and the neighborhood: in many Chinese cities there is a Hui district recognizable by the architecture of its mosques and by qingzhen restaurants, as the halal standard is called in China. Cuisine is a strong marker of the people’s identity, with mutton and beef dishes prepared without pork, sold at stalls and restaurants that serve both Hui and Han customers.

The Islamic calendar organizes important moments of the year, such as the month of fasting followed by the feast that brings families together to pray at the mosque, visit relatives, and share food. Family life values respect for elders and the passing of faith from one generation to the next, even amid China’s rapid urbanization.

The Hui are predominantly Sunni Muslims, and most follow the orthodox Islamic tradition learned in local mosques. In some regions, especially Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai, Sufi brotherhoods also flourished, shaping their own devotional practices, with spiritual masters and orders passed down from generation to generation.

For the Hui, being Muslim is not merely a religious option but what sets them apart from the Han and gives meaning to their identity within China. That is why the Islamic faith also functions as an ethnic marker: keeping religious customs alive is, at the same time, keeping the people’s own history alive.

Since the Hui speak Mandarin, they have technical access to the various existing Chinese Bible translations, but the language and religious terms in those versions carry Buddhist and Taoist associations that sound strange or even offensive to Muslim ears. For this reason, a Bible translation aimed specifically at the Hui was published, adjusting terms such as the name of God and other key words to the people’s Islamic sensibility.

For the Hui, becoming a follower of Jesus is often understood as abandoning their own ethnic identity, not merely changing religion. Family and community pressure against conversion is strong, and the Chinese state, which in recent years has expanded control over mosques and Islamic expression in the name of the so called sinicization of religion, closely monitors any religious movement outside official channels, making it harder to form open Christian communities among them.

The Hui need people who approach them with genuine respect for their history and faith, able to present Jesus without requiring them to stop being Hui in order to follow him. What is most lacking is a living, patient witness within their own culture, since most have never had personal contact with a Christian.

There is also a great need for discipleship and community for the few who already believe, since many face isolation from family and neighbors when they step away from mosque life.

Even though the vast majority of the Hui still do not know the gospel, small emerging churches already exist among them in some regions of China, formed by Hui who decided to follow Jesus. The emergence of a Bible translation sensitive to Hui culture is also a sign that the Word is reaching this people in a way that speaks to their identity.