Conclusion

The Hui in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region continue to be very conservative about modernizing their Islamic beliefs. We notice that many of the old traditions are still in practice today such as declining a child from going to school because the parents feel that it has little emphasizes on Islamic teachings. Moreover, marriage is still very conservative, there is an emphasis on intermarriages within the Hui and parents are still actively involved in the process of matchmaking. The way they have come to identify themselves is by following closely to their ancestral traditions. They have rejected the action of assimilating into the Han’s culture; in fact, Hui modernization is about having the Chinese culture accommodate what identifies them. This process has began, the Chinese government arranging for pork abstention in schools, thus, allowing more Hui students to attend. Only the government is able to allow modernization that is moving away from old traditions, to occur in the Hui communities. Modernization in the Hui’s identity is yet to come and it may become an entirely new culture in centuries to come. This is the case for Hui in the Ningxia province and further studies would have to take place in order to understand whether this is the case for all Hui communities in China.