Hui muslims in Xining
Xining, the capital of the rather unknown western chinese province of Qinghai, is a city populated by almost 40 distinctive nationalities. The Han from the east, Mongols from the north, Tibetans from the south, and perhaps the most visible ethnic group in the center of the city, the Hui muslims, originally coming from the west following the Silk Road.
Culturally quite similar to the Han Chinese, the Hui males are easily recognizable with their white caps, while the females wear headscarves. During the friday-prayer a fascinating scene takes place in the center of Xining as the streets and squares around the famous Dongguan Mosque get filled with praying men of all ages who don't fit into the crowded mosque.
As muslims the Hui cuisine also differs following Islamic dietary laws which among others include the rejection of pork, the most common meat consumed in Chinese culture. This is however replaced by a great selection of traditional food varying from tempting sweets and cakes to bloodfresh yak meat at the muslim market.