The identity of Hui Muslim in Xi'an

There are ten ethnic groups in China that believe in Islam, one of them is Hui. Today, the people of Hui are located in almost all Chinese cities, but most of them live in the northwestern regions of China, including the city of Xi'an. More than a thousand years ago, for business and education reasons, some Arabs, Persians, and some Muslims in Central Asia through the Land Silk Road and Sea Silk Road, came to China and started living in China. These western Muslims married some Chinese women and settled in China for generations. Over time, they and their children tried to learn about Chinese culture; therefore, their "sinicization" process began. During the Yuan Dynasty (13th century AD) in China, the "Hui ancestors" were recorded into the household registration book by the Chinese government and considered to be Chinese citizens. Since then, Hui ancestors have officially become part of Chinese citizens. Hui ancestors did not give up their Islamic beliefs while learning Chinese and traditional Chinese Confucian culture. Instead, the ancestors of the Hui people tried to inherit Islamic beliefs and cultures through education. During the Ming Dynasty (14th century AD) in China, the Hui group became an independent nation with its own special culture. As a Muslim and a Chinese citizen, those dual identities of Hui people determine the dual characteristics of Hui culture. Hui culture is the result of the fusion of Islam and Chinese culture. In other words, Hui culture has both the content of Islamic culture and the content of Chinese culture. This thesis examines how the Hui people who have survived on the land of China always maintain their unique culture and identity for thousands of years. It introduced the four major aspects of the history, economy, education, and culture of the Hui people and also analyzed deeply the role of the "Ten Factors" in the formation of the Hui nationality and the identity of the Hui nationality, and tried to explain the identity of the Hui Muslims in China and the reasons why they can maintain this special identity. The introduction part introduced the research theme, methods and theoretical framework and concepts related to this thesis, which lays the theoretical foundation for the writing of this thesis. As a supplement to the theory of ethnic identity, the author proposes that in the process of ethnic formation, national identity construction, and the maintenance of national identity, in addition to external and objective factors such as war and natural disasters, religious beliefs, blood relations, national policies, economy and trade, education strategies, language and writing, folk culture, settlement structure and interaction between ethnic groups played a very important role. Short title: "Ten Major Factors Affecting National Identity". The first part of the thesis "The History of Hui Muslims in Xi'an" introduced the history of the formation and development of the Hui people in China. The second part of the thesis "Economic Status of Hui Muslims in Xi'an" introduced the development and status of Hui economy in various periods. The third part of the thesis "Educational Status of Hui Muslims in Xi'an" introduced the different forms and contents of the education of the Hui people in different periods in Chinese history, and the influence of these Hui education forms and contents on the formation and inheritance of Hui culture. The fourth part of the thesis "Cultural Traditions of Hui Muslims in Xi'an" introduced the content of Hui culture traditions in detail from six aspects: moral characteristics, life ceremonies, festivals, food cultures, clothing and arts. In the fifth part of the thesis "Comprehensive Analysis of Hui Muslim Identity in Xi'an", the author analyzes the dual characteristics of the Hui identity, analyzes the relationship between the "Ten Factors", and comprehensively analyzes the role played by the "Ten Factors" in the formation of the Hui ethnic group, the construction of their national identity and the maintenance of their identity. These are the main frame and writing idea of this thesis. In the end, the author believes that we should help the Hui people to shape and maintain their dual identity of "Chinese" and "Muslim" from the perspective of "Ten Factors", so as to maintain the uniqueness of the Hui identity. Because the formation and maintenance of the special identity of the Hui people is very important for the protection and inheritance of the Hui culture. The Hui culture is the fundamental reason why the Hui can exist as an independent ethnic nation in China.