“Little Mecca” in China: Religious central places of the Hui Muslims

There is only one Mecca in Islam. However, in the history of Islam in China, there has occurred a phenomenon wherein Chinese Muslims have bestowed the title of “Little Mecca” upon local centers of Islam in various regions, such as Linxia (formerly Hezhou) in Gansu, Xining in Qinghai, and Shadian in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jianping Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24761028.2025.2459968
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Summary:There is only one Mecca in Islam. However, in the history of Islam in China, there has occurred a phenomenon wherein Chinese Muslims have bestowed the title of “Little Mecca” upon local centers of Islam in various regions, such as Linxia (formerly Hezhou) in Gansu, Xining in Qinghai, and Shadian in Yunnan. Why were these places named by Chinese Muslims, particularly, the Hui Muslims, as Little Mecca? The paper draws on historical materials and data from fieldwork investigation to trace the origins of Little Mecca, and how this construction was used by Chinese Muslims in order to organize a wide Islamic network of solidarity in the competition with their Han Chinese surroundings.
ISSN:2476-1028
2476-1036