Muslims in the ancient capital of China

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. The city was founded more than 3,000 years ago, and was regarded as the capital of China for over 850 years.

The Hui People

The Hui people trace their ancestors back to Muslim traders, soldiers, and officials who came to China during the seventh through fourteenth centuries. These men settled and married local native (Han) Chinese women. The Hui have so well assimilated into the Chinese society that they are almost indistinguishable from the Han Chinese, except in dietary and religious practices. There is a wide range of devotion to Islam among the Hui. In north-eastern China, they are more liberal. There, they smoke, drink, and eat pork when away from home. Overall, the Hui are said to be among the least radical Muslims in the world.

Niujie Street

One can find the Muslim Hui people all over the capital region, however, they tend to congregate in certain streets as well as a few towns and villages around the city. A significant Hui community lives in the Niujie Street area of central Beijing. Slightly over 11,000 Huis live in this area of 1.5 km2 around the famous Niujie Mosque, the biggest and oldest mosque in Beijing. It was built in 996 AD and was rebuilt and expanded later. It now covers 6,000 m2. Its architecture blends the beauty of both ancient Chinese palaces and Arabian mosques.

Flag of China

Map of China

Christian Witness?

There is very little if any Christian witness to the Hui Muslims in general. There are no known believers among the Muslim Hui in Beijing.

Prayer Starters

* May God open doors for Chinese believers in the Messiah to proclaim Christ to Muslims.

* May God cause the Muslim Hui people in the Beijing area to seek the true God.

* Pray that Chinese believers can be agents of blessing and positive change for the city and the Muslim population.

Prayer Times

Practicing Muslims all over the world pray memorized ritual prayers toward the city of Mecca five times per day. This is done at appointed hours which are constantly changing by a few minutes each day depending on the calendar. Here are the prayer times for Beijing today: 5:50 AM, 12:11 PM; 4:41PM ; 6:32 PM and 8:02 PM. Some people will pray an optional sixth time at 4:09 AM.

Video: Hui Muslim community in China [2:33]

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Hui Muslims in Linxia City, China

Today in the city one immediately notices that a large portion of the population are Hui Muslims, in fact there are equal number of Hui to Han Chinese (The Han Chinese is the predominate Chinese ethnic group). Formerly during their regional political and military dominance the Hui made Linxia one of their major bases since it was strategically located on the border of China and the Tibetan region. A large Hui mosque is located in the center of town and one can often see old Muslim men with long beards and white caps everywhere throughout the city.

In addition to the Hui, Linxia is home to the Dongxiang, a zealous Muslim people group. The Dongxiang mainly live in the town of Suonoba situated on a high ridge near the city Linxia. Some Dongxiang have green or blue eyes and fair hair, a sign of the Central Asian ancestry of this group. Reaching the Dongxiang with the Gospel is made more difficult because the city is tightly controlled by the police. The Dongxiang people are widely known as the controllers of the drug trade and the prostitution rackets in Northwest China. The Dongxiang also have the lowest literacy rate of China's 55 official minorities. A mere 12% of adults are able to read Chinese. Overall, Linxia provides the ideal gateway to reach out to the needy Dongxiang, as well as the Hui Muslims in the city.

Flag of China

Map of China

Christian Presence in Linxia City, China

There has been some Christian presence in Linxia since the early part of 20th century, but frustrated in their attempts to establish a church among the Hui and Dongxiang Muslims, the missionaries refocused their attention towards the more receptive Han Chinese. Today there is a small church among the Han in Linxia. Recently when the pastor was asked if there was any hope of reaching the Hui or Dongxiang in their area, he replied "It is impossible!" The small number of believers in Linxia seem to have given up all hope of reaching out to their Muslim neighbours. As a result, the vast majority of people in Linxia today have never been exposed to the Gospel.

Pray for the Muslims in China:

* Ask God to glorify his name among the inhabitants of Linxia.

* Pray that the Han Chinese people would reach out to the Hui and Dongxiang Muslims with the Gospel message (Luke 1:37).

* Pray for former Muslim Christian workers to choose Linxia as a place to reach out to and that a church would be establish among these Muslim groups.

* Pray that Christians from other parts of China would focus on Linxia for ministry and church planting.

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