The Hui ethnic minority Major areas of distribution: Ningxia,
Gansu, Henan, Hebei, Qinghai, Shandong, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Anhui,
Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shanxi, Beijing, Tianjin
Language: Han (standard Chinese) With a sizable population of
8.61 million, the Hui ethnic group is one of China's largest
ethnic minorities. People of Hui origin can be found in most of
the counties and cities throughout the country, especially in
the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu, Qinghai, Henan,
Hebei, Shandong and Yunnan provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region. The name Hui is an abbreviation for "Huihui,"
which first appeared in the literature of the Northern Song
Dynasty (960-1127). It referred to the Huihe people (the
Ouigurs) who lived in Anxi in the present-day Xinjiang and its
vicinity since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). They were actually
forerunners of the present-day Uygurs, who are totally different
from today's Huis or Huihuis. During the early years of the 13th
century when Mongolian troops were