chinese muslims had traveled to west asia for many years prior to the hui minorities' war. in the 18th century several prominent muslim clerics from gansu studied in mecca and yemen under naqshbandi sufi teachers. two different forms of sufism were brought back to northwest china by two charismatic hui sheikhs: khufiyya, associated with ma laichi (1681–1766), and the more radical jahriyya, founded by ma mingxin (1719?–1781). these coexisted with the more traditional, non-sufi sunni practices, centered around local mosques and known as "gedimu" (qadim, or ). the khufiyya school and non-sufi gedimu tradition—both tolerated by qing authorities—were referred to as "old teaching" (), while jahriyya, viewed by authorities as suspect, became known as the "new teaching" ().