Brief introduction to Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Thirty-five percent of its six million inhabitants belong to the Hui national minority, who comprise the bulk of China's Muslims. Partly descended from Arab and Iranian traders and soldiers who settled in China from the Tang dynasty onwards, the Hui are now, in terms of appearance and language, virtually indistinguishable from the Han majority, but have retained a distinct culture based around Islam. Read more...