Dongxiang

族About this people

The Dongxiang people live in the Dongxiang Autonomous County and neighbouring areas of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu, in the deeply dissected loess plateau between the Tao River and the Yellow River. Their language belongs to the Mongolic family and preserves features of Middle Mongolian, reflecting the community's descent from Mongol soldiers and officials who converted to Islam during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) and intermarried with local Muslim populations.

The Dongxiang are one of several Muslim Mongolic-speaking groups of the Gansu-Qinghai region, alongside the Bonan. Their homeland is characterised by terraced loess hillsides where wheat and potato cultivation has replaced the pastoralism of their ancestors. The community is among the most rural and economically underdeveloped of China's ethnic minorities, though poverty alleviation programmes since 2000 have brought significant infrastructure investment.

Islamic observance — Hanafi Sunni practice, mosque attendance, Ramadan fasting, and adherence to halal food codes — is the core of Dongxiang identity. Several Sufi orders, including branches of the Naqshbandiyya, are represented in the community. Traditional domestic crafts include embroidery on women's clothing, basketry, and pottery. Dongxiang cuisine, like that of neighbouring Hui communities, centres on wheat noodles, flatbreads, and halal lamb preparations. The distinctive Dongxiang carpet weaving tradition uses geometric patterns in bold colours.