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Islam is widely spread throughout every corner of China, with the Hui people, the largest Muslim ethnic group in China, numbering over 10 million people, serving as its main carrier. Their culture types and local features exhibit great diversity across different provinces. The ceremony of Prophet's Day or Mawlid al-Nabi in China, as one of the three fundamental festivals of the Hui people alongside Eid al-Fitur and Eid al-Qurban, appears to be more comprehensive, open, and localized. Drawing from fieldwork in three Hui communities—Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Najiaying in Yunnan province, and Hezhou in Gansu province—this paper approaches the topic from the perspective of inculturation and cultural innovation. It aims to describe the ritual processes observed in these three different Hui communities and discuss how the Hui people integrate Islam with traditional Chinese culture in their local contexts, with the intention of forming and preserving their own cultural characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although ethnic governance in the People's Republic of China is often portrayed as a matter of controlling "minority nationalities" in the country's frontier regions, the ethnic affairs bureaucracy operates in every province. The origins of "nationalities work" as a discrete domain of governance can be traced to the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to mobilize scattered Hui communities in the eastern provinces of Shandong and Hebei in the 1930s–1940s. Thanks to the initiative of Hui Communists, local Party leaders came to understand that Hui were not simply scattered but interconnected. They adapted and replicated organizational methods to exploit Hui networks for gathering intelligence, smuggling goods and penetrating enemy-controlled cities. This history offers an instructive case of adaptive governance in the revolutionary period and the role of ethnic minority cadres in policy entrepreneurship. It also underscores the importance of the Party's experience in eastern China in the study of Chinese ethnic policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qixiang is a unique sacrificial culture created by the Han army eight banners in northeast China. This culture not only has elements such as shamanism and Han people burning incense, but also has military sacrificial elements. This paper argues that Qixiang is the evolution and legacy of Maji, a military sacrificial ritual in ancient China. The Han military banner people in the Qing Dynasty took Maji as the main body, combined the Manchu Shamanism with the Han incense burning, and created a cultural symbol representing their own ethnic group. At present, the study of Qixiang not only helps to understand the complexity of the development and evolution of Manchu shamanism, but also helps to reveal the ethnic identity of Han bannermen under the Eight Banners system of the Qing Dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of a multifaceted education strategy for Uyghur patients with glaucoma on their anxiety, satisfaction, and comprehension of disease information in rural China. Methods. This study recruited 100 patients who were randomized into two groups: the control group that received a conventional consultation and the intervention group that received a multifaceted education approach. Information comprehension was evaluated using a 15-item questionnaire. A 6-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) score was used to assess patient anxiety levels. Satisfaction was evaluated on the day of discharge. Results. After education, patients in the intervention group scored significantly higher than those in the control group on their knowledge of glaucoma (p ≤ 0.001). Education level, family history of glaucoma, and number of glaucoma clinic visits were independently associated with baseline scores (p = 0.038, 0.002, and 0.017, respectively). The age was negatively correlated with scores (p ≤ 0.001) after education. The STAI-6 score of the intervention group was 28.50 ± 5.13, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (32.50 ± 6.47, p = 0.001). Income levels were negatively correlated and the duration of glaucoma was positively correlated with STAI-6 scores (p ≤ 0.001 and p = 0.003 , respectively). Overall satisfaction was significantly higher in the intervention group (p ≤ 0.001). The knowledge score was positively correlated with overall satisfaction and follow-up probability (both p ≤ 0.001). The STAI-6 score was negatively correlated with overall satisfaction and follow-up probability (p = 0.017 and 0.006, respectively). Conclusions. This new multifaceted educational strategy can enhance patients' knowledge of glaucoma, reduce their anxiety, and improve their satisfaction. ClinicalTrials.gov (No. 2100050926) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present a comprehensive data set of 489 complete mitogenomes (211 of which are new) from four Mongolic-speaking populations (Mongols, Barghuts, Khamnigans, and Buryats) to investigate their matrilineal genetic structure, ancestry and relationship with other ethnic groups. We show that along with very high levels of genetic diversity and lack of genetic differentiation, Mongolic-speaking populations exhibit strong genetic resemblance to East Asian populations of Chinese, Japanese, and Uyghurs. Phylogeographic analysis of complete mitogenomes reveals the presence of different components in the gene pools of modern Mongolic-speaking populations—the main East Eurasian component is represented by mtDNA lineages of East Asian, Siberian and autochthonous (the Baikal region/Mongolian) ancestry, whereas the less pronounced West Eurasian component can be ascribed to Europe and West Asia/Caucasus. We also observed that up to one third of the mtDNA subhaplogroups identified in Mongolic-speaking populations can be considered as Mongolic-specific with the coalescence age of most of them not exceeding 1.7 kya. This coincides well with the population size growth which started around 1.1 kya and is detectable only in the Bayesian Skyline Plot constructed based on Mongolic-specific mitogenomes. Our data suggest that the genetic structure established during the Mongol empire is still retained in present-day Mongolic-speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local Chinese authorities in the Uyghur homeland - officially called the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region - have established tight state surveillance and restricted Muslim religious practice (Byler [2]). Roberts and Tobin bridge the field of International Relations and the Uyghur question in China. Roberts' analysis concludes that Uyghurs outside of China do not pose a credible threat to China's territorial integrity, the state, or people. [Extracted from the article]

When purported economic development failed to improve ordinary Uyghurs' living condition, the state maximized its exploitation of the GWOT narrative and couched its suppression of Uyghur protests in counterterrorist terms. While Roberts took care not to deny outright that ETIM might have sustained some connection with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, he remains suspicious of the PRC's claim that there was an established, robust organizational relationship linking ETIM to Al-Qaeda. He draws on extensive interviews and first-hand Uyghur publications to highlight the extent to which the "terrorist threat" posed by the Uyghurs to the Chinese state is minimal, if at all existent. [Extracted from the article]

In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (People's Republic of China), history is taught according to Chinese nationalistic guidelines and the history of ethnic groups is built around their relationships with the Han majority. In this context of historical hegemony, the paper examines a series of books for Uyghur children on famous historical characters in order to understand how young generations' ethnic consciousness can be shaped. The analysis identifies some trends of the Uyghur ethnic discourse transmitted to children (connections with the history of Central Asia and the Middle East, the focus on elements of identification such as Islam and muqams), as well as the presence of a Chinese paradigm that supports progress, secular education, and the standardization of folklore. Furthermore, the article aims to identify how much leeway is given to the development of a counter-discourse, particularly in the transmission of historical and cultural heritage to the younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some ethnic groups are remarkably resistant to surrounding influences, and only slightly undergo assimilation. What, then, are the most significant factors affecting ethnic assimilation? The foremost is state intervention. The state can support the nationalist tendencies of one group of inhabitants while suppressing the ethnic expressions of non-dominant groups. How do various ethnic groups respond to this kind of support or oppression? In this research note the Baloch minority, a relatively small group in Turkmenistan, have been chosen as a case study to examine the questions raised above. The chosen ethnic group under investigation here does not have a homeland to provide it with support. There are numerous such ethnic groups in non-dominant positions without states that cause tension between minorities and majorities. The tension is often extremely strong, even when such groups have political autonomy (e.g., the Kurds in Iraq and the Uyghurs in China). The aim of this report from the field is to explain how self-aware the Baloch of Turkmenistan are of their identity and the extent to which they have succumbed to modernization and attempts to render them Turkmen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Bimodality in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) distribution has been detected in several populations. However, information regarding this phenomenon among Chinese ethnic groups is minimal. This study aimed to describe and update the distribution of FPG in the Uyghur and Han populations of Xinjiang, China, as well as to estimate the cut points of FPG on the basis of bimodal distribution.Methods and Study Design: A cross-sectional study was performed among the Uyghur and Han populations of Xinjiang, China in 2013. Questionnaire survey and FPG tests were conducted among 5,923 participants aged 20-80 years. We fitted the unimodal and bimodal distributions into the FPG data by ethnicity, age, gender, and location to test whether the FPG values were consistent with a bimodal distribution.Results: The FPG distribution could be described as bimodal, except for the age group of 50 years old and below among the Uyghur and Han populations and the age group of 70-80 years old among the Uyghur population (p<0.01). However, most of the cut points estimated using this method did not fall between the corresponding means of the first and second modes.Conclusions: Although a bimodal distribution of FPG was observed in the Uyghur and Han populations of Xinjiang, China, the cut points estimated using this method were not biologically meaningful, and thus, a bimodal distribution of FPG was not useful for defining cut points to diagnose diabetes in Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hypothesized that the brain structural differences as discovered previously between Westerners and East Asians could also be revealed between Han Chinese and Uyghur, which were genetically related ethnic groups with distinct languages. We conducted a brain MRI structural comparison in terms of cortical thickness and surface area between 15 healthy young Uyghurs and 15 age-matched Han Chinese. Widespread regions with significantly greater cortical thickness were found in the Uyghurs, and their distribution showed strong resemblance to previous “Westerners vs. Asians” findings. While surface area analysis displayed less widespread brain differences. Notably, our detected regions with structural differences contained a large part of language-specific or at least closely language-related brain areas, which may partly be attributable to the brain plasticity respectively driven by Uyghur and Mandarin. Our findings will help to better understand the neurobiological basis of interethnic differences along with the language processing mechanisms of Han Chinese and Uyghur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study finds that the Mandarin proficiency is partially responsible for the gap in socioeconomic inequality between the Han majority and the Uyghur Muslim minority. Multiple sources of evidence show that Uyghur Muslims share equal educational attainment as the Han majority, but are noticeably less fluent in Mandarin than the Han majority. Using data from the 2012 China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we find that Mandarin proficiency can significantly improve occupational attainment and income. In other words, holding other factors equal, if ethnic minorities speak better Mandarin, they would have better chances to improve their socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. CYP1A2is a highly polymorphic gene and CYP1A2 enzyme results in broad inter-individual variability in response to certain pharmacotherapies, while little is known about the genetic variation ofCYP1A2in Uyghur Chinese population. The aim of the present study was to screen Uyghur volunteers forCYP1A2genetic polymorphisms. 2. We used DNA sequencing to investigate promoter, exons, introns, and 3’ UTR of theCYP1A2gene in 96 unrelated healthy Uyghur individuals. We also used SIFT (Sorting Intolerant From Tolerant) and PolyPhen-2 (Polymorphism Phenotyping v2) to predict the protein function of the novel non-synonymous mutation inCYP1A2coding regions. 3. We identified 20 differentCYP1A2polymorphisms in the Uyghur Chinese population, including two novel variants (119A > G and 2410G > A). Variant 119A > G was predicted to be probably damaging on protein function by PolyPhen-2, by contrast, 2410G > A was identified as benign. The allele frequencies ofCYP1A2*1A, *1B, *1F, *1G, *1J, *1M, *4,and*9were 23.4%, 53.1%, 3.7%, 2.6%, 2.6%, 13.5%, 0.5%, and 0.5%, respectively. The frequency of*1F, a putative high inducibility allele, was higher in our sample population compared with that in the Caucasian population (p < 0.05). The most common genotype combinations were*1A/*1B(46.9%) and*1B/*1M(27.1%). 4. Our results provide basic information onCYP1A2polymorphisms in Uyghur individuals and suggest that the enzymatic activities of CYP1A2 may differ among the diverse ethnic populations of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examined the role of the belief in free will on prejudice across Han Chinese and white samples. Belief in free will refers to the extent to which people believe human beings truly have free will. In Study 1, the beliefs of Han Chinese people in free will were measured, and their social distances from the Tibetan Chinese were used as an index of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the more that Han Chinese endorsed the belief in free will, the less that they showed prejudice against the Tibetan Chinese. In Study 2, the belief of the Han Chinese in free will was manipulated, and their explicit feelings towards the Uyghur Chinese were used as an indicator of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the participants in the condition of belief in free will reported less prejudice towards Uyghur Chinese compared to their counterparts in the condition of disbelief in free will. In Study 3, white peoples’ belief in free will was manipulated, and their pro-black attitudes were measured as an indirect indicator of racial prejudice. The results showed that, compared to the condition of disbelief in free will, the participants who were primed by a belief in free will reported stronger pro-black attitudes. These three studies suggest that endorsement of the belief in free will can lead to decreased ethnic/racial prejudice compared to denial of the belief in free will. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To test whether genetic variants of osteoprotegerin gene (TNFRSF11B) affect metabolic traits (body mass index [BMI], glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol) and bone mass traits. Methods: We conducted a population based association study to investigate associations of eight tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) of the TNFRSF11B gene with the aforementioned traits in a Chinese Han population and an ethnic group admixed with Caucasians and Asians - Uyghur. The associations between the tSNPs and bone mass density (BMD) were also tested in Han population. Results: We found that SNP rs3102727, located in the first intron of the TNFRSF11B gene, was significantly associated with triglyceride levels in Uyghur population and Han population simultaneously. T allele of the rs3102727 variant was associated with a 0.10 mmol/L and 0.09 mmol/L lower level of triglyceride than C allele in Uyghur ( p = 0.019) and Han subjects ( p = 0.037), respectively. In addition, the T allele is also associated with a lower level of hip BMD ( p = 0.025) and total BMD ( p = 0.048). Further, we found significant associations between SNP rs11573869 and BMI in Uyghur subjects and SNP rs3134062 with hip BMD in Han sbujects. Rs11573869-T allele was associated with a 0.81 kg/m2 lower level of BMI than C allele ( p = 0.002) and the hip BMD decreases with the copy of rs3134062-T allele increases ( p = 0.002). Conclusion: We detected novel associations between TNFRSF11B polymorphisms and metabolic traits in Uyghur and Han populations. In addition, we found associations between TNFRSF11B polymorphisms and bone mass traits in Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is a vital lubricant that increases the sense of security in social interactions. In this study, we investigated the intergroup trust between the Uyghur and the Han, the two largest ethnic groups in Xinjiang, China, with a Go/No-Go Association Task. Specifically, we instructed Uyghur and Han participants to respond to ethnic faces (Uyghur vs. Han) and trust/distrust words and measured the strength of the automatic associations between the faces and words for both in-group and out-group pairs. As expected, both ethnic groups showed implicit in-group trust and out-group distrust, but the Han group demonstrated stronger in-group trust and out-group distrust toward the Uyghur than the Uyghur group toward the Han. However, the magnitude of distrust of the Han toward the Uyghur was small to medium as compared with that reported by other intergroup relationship research. In addition, participant geographic location was associated with out-group distrust. These findings offer implications for developing effective strategies to encourage trust between conflicting groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most analyses of central government policy in Xinjiang focus on "the Uyghur problem". This article demonstrates the coexistence of a significant "Han problem" in Xinjiang, and thereby throws a different light on relations between center and periphery in China. Central government reactions to the Úrúmqi riots in July 2009 suggest that stability among the Han population of Xinjiang is the center's primary objective, and that this stability is seen to be facilitated by a particular style of development. Furthermore, state--society interactions in the immediate aftermath of the 2009 riots show that Han in Xinjiang perceive themselves to possess collective--if limited and contingent--influence. This perception is the product of the mass frame through which, I argue, the Han mainstream view their relationship with the central government. I call this mass frame "the partnership of stability". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the uses of YouTube by Uyghur nationalist movement activists and studies various ideological codes used by different communities to promote their messages. It argues that several ideological codes are produced in order to challenge the dominant ideologies promoted by the Chinese government, which create a ground for Uyghur 'imagined solidarity' across physical borders. Analysis of the production of audio-visual messages by the dispersed ethnic group provides an important window into how ethnic identity is forged by means of Web 2.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies indicate that the frequency distributions of HLA alleles and haplotypes vary from one ethnic group to another or between the members of the same ethnic group living in different geographic areas. It is necessary and meaningful to study the high-resolution allelic and haplotypic distributions of HLA loci in different groups. Methodology/Principal Findings: High-resolution HLA typing for the Uyghur ethnic minority group using polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based-typing method was first reported. HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 allelic distributions were determined in 104 unrelated healthy Uyghur individuals and haplotypic frequencies and linkage disequilibrium parameters for HLA loci were estimated using the maximum-likelihood method. A total of 35 HLA-A, 51 HLA-B and 33 HLA-DRB1 alleles were identified at the four-digit level in the population. High frequency alleles were HLA-A*1101 (13.46%), A*0201 (12.50%), A*0301 (10.10%); HLA-B*5101(8.17%), B*3501(6.73%), B*5001 (6.25%); HLA-DRB1*0701 (16.35%), DRB1*1501 (8.65%) and DRB1*0301 (7.69%). The two-locus haplotypes at the highest frequency were HLA-A*3001-B*1302 (2.88%), A*2402-B*5101 (2.86%); HLA-B*5001-DRB1*0701 (4.14%) and B*0702-DRB1*1501 (3.37%). The three-locus haplotype at the highest frequency was HLA-A*3001-B*1302-DRB1*0701(2.40%). Significantly high linkage disequilibrium was observed in six twolocus haplotypes, with their corresponding relative linkage disequilibrium parameters equal to 1. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree between the Uyghur group and other previously reported populations was constructed on the basis of standard genetic distances among the populations calculated using the four-digit sequence-level allelic frequencies at HLAA, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 loci. The phylogenetic analyses reveal that the Uyghur group belongs to the northwestern Chinese populations and is most closely related to the Xibe group, and then to Kirgiz, Hui, Mongolian and Northern Han. Conclusions/Significance: The present findings could be useful to elucidate the genetic background of the population and to provide valuable data for HLA matching in clinical bone marrow transplantation, HLA-linked disease-association studies, population genetics, human identification and paternity tests in forensic sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Have workers of minority status suffered labour market discrimination in China? Do all actors in the state sector discriminate against minority workers? What are the rationales for discrimination? To address these questions, I compare two ethnic groups (Han Chinese and Uyghur) with regard to job attainment in the state sector. Data are from a 2005 survey (N= 2,947) conducted in Ürümchi, China. Data analysis shows that controlling background characteristics does not remove the Uyghur-Han difference in job attainment in state firms. However, there is no ethnic variation in employment in redistributive agencies. This contrast is explained with reference to post-1978 market transition and the resulting differentiation in the institutional tasks between state firms and government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generally accepted narrative for the birth of the modern Uyghur nation suggests that a national ideal for the Uyghur people and the use of the 'Uyghur' ethnonym in the modern context were creations of Soviet bureaucrats in the 1920s that were later promoted among Uyghurs in Xinjiang by Chinese authorities with Soviet sympathies. This article challenges this view by drawing on Uyghur language sources, which demonstrate the agency of Uyghur intellectuals in the creation of the concept of a modern Uyghur nation during the early twentieth century. In examining the activities of Uyghur intellectuals in fostering a modern Uyghur national identity, the article emphasizes the role of anti-colonial sentiments in this movement, thus linking the Uyghur example to post-colonial scholarly arguments about the development of modern national consciousness among formerly colonized peoples around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much scholarship and commentary has raised concerns about the fate of traditional Uyghur culture in the context of development and globalization in the twenty-first century, some even predicting its disappearance through assimilation to mainstream majority Han culture. However, by exploring the modern Uyghur culture of consumption - in foodstuffs, entertainment and real estate - this paper shows an opposite phenomenon: the transformation of the traditional Uyghur culture to a distinct cultural, religious and linguistic popular contemporary Uyghur culture that thrives and expands with the aid of globalization and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtle genetic variants in ion-channel genes might be at the origin of less rare forms of hypertension in the general population. To test this hypothesis, we observed the role of several important polymorphisms (T1155547C at exon7, G1155942T at exon8, G1156666A at intron10, and C1163527T at intron14) of WNK4 (with-no-kinase) gene on the prevalence of essential hypertension in a Chinese minority ethnic group—the Uyghur population. We did not find a significantly different distribution of genotype and allele frequency of T1155547C, G1155942T, and G1156666A between hypertensives and controls, but we observed a significantly higher frequency of T allele in hypertensive subjects than controls (8.4% vs. 5.7%) (P = 0.02) of C1163527T polymorphism at intron14. Compared with the individuals with two C allele, individuals with at least one T allele show 55% of excess risk in developing hypertension (OR = 1.56, 95% CI:1.06-2.28). In a further analysis, we did not observe a significantly higher or lower odds ratio of haplotype frequency in the hypertensives than in the controls across haplotype encompassing G1155942T, G1156666A, and C1163527T. Thus, a positive association of C1163527T at intron 14 reveals that the WNK4 gene might be involved in the prevalence of essential hypertension in the Uyghur population. Further study should be conducted to observe the role of this gene on hypertension in other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]