The
Hui people (,
Xiao'erjing: /,
Dungan: Хуэйзў/Huejzw) are a predominantly Muslim
ethnic group in
China. Hui people are found throughout the country, though they are concentrated mainly in the
Northwestern provinces and the
Central Plain. According to a 2011 census, China is home to approximately 10.5 million Hui people, the majority of whom are Chinese-speaking practitioners of
Islam, though some practice other religions. Hui people are ethnically and linguistically similar to
Han Chinese with the exception that most of them practice
Islam, engendering distinctive cultural characteristics. For example, as Muslims, they follow
Islamic dietary laws and reject the consumption of pork, the most common meat consumed in China, and have given rise to their variation of
Chinese cuisine;
Chinese Islamic cuisine, as well as
Muslim Chinese martial arts. Their mode of dress differs primarily in that old men wear
white caps and old women wear
headscarves, as is the case in many
Islamic cultures, however most of the young people of Hui ancestry are practically indistinguishable from mainstream
Han Chinese. The Hui people are one of 56
ethnic groups recognized by China. The government defines the Hui people to include all historically Muslim communities not included in China's other ethnic groups. The Hui predominantly speak Chinese. In fact, the Hui ethnic group is unique among Chinese ethnic minorities in that it associates with no non-Sinitic language.