In the Footsteps of the Hui

On the western edge of the Middle Kingdom, along the Silk Road, we set down our backpacks in Lanzhou, Linxia and Yinchuan. These cities in central China, proudly home to magnificent mosques blending Chinese, Persian, Turkish and Arab styles, are essential stops in our encounter with the Hui: China's largest Muslim ethnic group.

But where did the Hui come from? Why do they enjoy a relative freedom of worship unlike their Uyghur coreligionists? What relationship do they have with the Muslim world and with China's successive governments? These questions lead us from one encounter to the next, following the footsteps of the Hui people.