Formation of Hui Muslim Communities and Policy Accommodation in the Early Ming (1390s)

Timeline

1. 1391–1394Outside Jubao Gate, Nanjing · JiangsuIn the early Ming, descendants of Yuan-era Semu Muslims were registered into the civilian population, forming concentrated communities in Nanjing, Beiping, Xi'an, and elsewhere. Many Muslim families retained their Yuan-era military or artisan household status, participating in early Ming military colonies and city defense construction, and gradually came to call themselves 'Huihui', forming the basis of community identity.
2. 1394–1396Jingjue Mosque (mosque), Nanjing · JiangsuThe Hongwu Emperor issued edicts protecting the Islamic faith and mosques, permitting Hui people to continue worship, funerary practices, and dietary customs as usual. Mosques such as Nanjing's Jingjue Mosque received official recognition in the early Ming, becoming centers of community religious and social activity, reflecting the early Ming policy of 'pacification and appeasement' toward Muslims.
3. 1396–1400Xi'an · ShaanxiHui merchants in Xi'an, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and elsewhere were active in domestic long-distance trade and the tributary trade network, dealing in spices, medicinal materials, and silk. Hui communities formed market wards centered on mosques, coexisting with Han and other ethnic groups, laying the foundation for the Ming-era Hui pattern of 'widely dispersed, locally concentrated'.