A Study Of The Relationship Between Hui And Han In Modern Ningxia From The Perspective Of Identity (1840-1949)

At the background of huge change in various area in modern China,internal ethnic relations were effected both by each nation's development and complicated factors of the country inside and outside showed many new forms.Hui and Han are the two main nationality in Ningxia,relationship between them is an important ethnic relation in Ningxia and even in northwest China.This paper studies the relationship between Hui and Han in Ningxia when it was in the huge change of history,particularly on the view of ethnic identity.Early Qing dynasty,the rulers made no difference in political treatment on ethnic Hui and Han,and they were tolerant to Islam.After the Middle Qing Dynasty,Qing dynastic rule turned decline,the ethnic Hui in northwest China became change cause of many factors like order system.As many internal religion disputes inside the ethnic Hui degenerated into revolts against Qing dynastic rule,the rulers attitude to the ethnic Hui and Islam increasingly severe.Early Tongzhi dynasty,the ethnic Hui in northwest China started massive uprising against a background of uprisings all over the country.In the circumstances of Ningxia,contradiction between Hui and Han was not the main reason of uprising,but still scuffles broke out between Hui army and Han Tuan'lian.Conciliation in uprising,leaders of Hui army took steps to smooth relations with Han people.Ordinary people of both Hui and Han had no choice during the war,they suffered the tragedy together.After uprising had put down,Qing Dynasty used a series apartheid policies for the Hui nationality,the Hui and Han nationality apart from each other for long time.After the revolution of 1911,traditional Huayi Concept was replaced by new ethnic relation,Republic of China government proposed "five republican" idea and freedom of religious belief that made two nationalities equal with legal and political proof.Otherwise,this kind of equal only paid lip service,in Ningxia,Hui and Han maintained apartheid since late Qing Dynasty.Politicians,religious,intelligentsia in Ningxia began to promote people's education especially the Hui people,communicated and reconciliated the relationship between ethnic Hui and Han.During Republican period,domestic intelligentsia had made lots of discussion about whether the“Hui”is a religious group or an ethnic group,which reflect that ethnic identity and the effort of making one Chinese nation.When Ma Hongkui ruled Ningxia,though he took cruelly dictatorship rule,but he played down political of the Hui nationality,controlled and used Islam,passively handled dispute between ethnic Hui and Han.To a certain extent it maintain a stable relationship between the two nations.During the war of resistance against Japan,the Hui nationality actively participated into the Anti-Japanese war when Japan tried to fragmentate China by provocating the relationship between ethnic Hui and Han.Every stratum both of Hui and Han in Ningxia launched various Anti-Japanese activities,and country's will increased.When Chinese Communist Party in the long March,western expedition and construction of Shan-Gan-Ning border region,it reported and practiced its equality ethnic policy,and well accepted and supported by people.Under leadership and influence of Chinese Communist Party,people in Ningxia both Hui and Han started purchasing a new practice of ethnic equality,progress and liberation.Modern times,relationship between ethnic Hui and Han in Ningxia shows historical rudiment and changes of the time,and it gives us an inspiration of dealing with ethnic relations like Hui and Han today.