A Glimpse Of The Cultural Significance Of The Plaques In Xi'an Huimin Street

The plaque as the accessory of buildings, now has multi-functional development. As a kind of culture symbol, it has integrated calligraphy, decoration and architectural art in one. Delving into the historical evolution of the plaque can further disclose the artistic and cultural exchange process of China in the thousands of years of history. Plaque design affects the market image and culture promotion of a shop, which is a significant part of a shop. Besides, it not only relates to the image of the shop, but also reflects the regional characteristics of the overall market environment. It is safe to say that the plaque is not only a sign of shop name and nature, but also a cultural symbol conveying history, art and religion to the public.Muslim's Quarter firstly came into shape in the Tang Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had been known as "Seven Mosques and Thirteen Communities" Since the reform and opening policy of China, it has been known as "Twelve Mosques of Muslim's Quarters". The Hui nationality has the tradition of "living and trading beside the Mosques". Its characteristic national culture has been exchanging and integrating with the local culture. This study is aimed to explore the cultural implication of the shop plaques on Muslim's Quarters, for these shop plaques are not only the witness to the history of Xi'an, but also the inheritor of the Islamic culture.The uniqueness of shop plaques on Muslim's Quarters comes from the minority culture they conveyed. Since the Hui Muslim came into being, it has believed in Islam. This national and religious culture constitutes the core cohesion of the Hui. Islamic culture's impact on the Hui Muslim reflects in every aspect of their life. For example, the shop plaques on Muslim's Quarter adopted both Chinese and Arabic, which reflects their anti-assimilation psychology. This psychology came from their national self-confidence and the beliefs and habits they adhered to for thousands of years. For other nationalities, the Hui Muslim shaped a group identity to consolidate its cultural core and national cohesion. Due to the special environment, of Muslim's Quarters are not only an ancient street recorded in the history, but also a well-known snack street with national characteristics, so that it is an ideal cultural diffusion place for the Hui nationality. The characteristic decoration of a nationality represents its aesthetics. In terms of art, the ethnic minorities have made considerable contributions to the art history of China. Islamic art has penetrated into the shop plaques on Muslim's Quarters, such as Islamic geometric patterns on the plaque frames and calligraphy fonts as well as the color matching. Such decorations contain both the national emotion and Islamic art.Throughout the development course of the Hui, it is easy to see that it has been engaged in cultural exchange and integration with heterogeneous cultures and finally formed today's unique, united cultural system. The religious faith plays a decisive role in this process. Under the background of modernization, Muslim's Quarter of Xi'an is also facing greater environmental stress. The reform and opening policy of China includes various groups into the process of modernization. Everyone has no choice but devoting into the urban modernization. Therefore, the author thinks that maintaining the national characteristics is the important mission of the Hui.