The Red Diaspora
The Dungans are Chinese Muslims who call themselves Hui (回族). They are a lesser-known Chinese diaspora who live in China’s neighboring states, such as Kyrgyzstan, for more than 100 years. After fleeing war and religious persecution, the Hui settled in Central Asia and started to build their lives here. The name “Dungans” was given to them by the Russians and Central Asians. Even though they share the same religion as Central Asians, the Dungan still face discrimination from those who don't view the Dungan as their countrymen. These ethnic tensions often simmer below the surface, fuelled by jealousy of their success in business and farming practices, giving rise to violent attacks. Although it doesn't happen often, the Dungans understand that they are not considered equal among the Central Asians.
“ I miss China, I still have relatives there, but my family is here, I have 10 children in Kyrgyzstan, my grandson and great grandson is here, I have lost contact with my distance relative, I love staying here,”
— Said Halima, who moved to Kyrgyzstan in 1960s when she was 18 years old and have since gained a Kyrgyz citizenship,
Unlike Han, Miao (苗族), or Qiang (羌族), Hui have not always lived on the ancient soil of China, nor are they immigrant groups that came to China from abroad like the Koreans or Russians, neither are they the people of a border region who have long lived in close contact like the Kazaks or the Dai. Rather, they relied upon the tremendous unifying power of Islamic culture, which concentrated Muslims of different countries and different languages into a single entity, causing a minzu (民族）to form from a blend of foreign elements and partially domestic inhabitants, almost as if creating a new species.
