Cited by 3China's Ethnic Minorities and RelationsChinese history and philosophyCentral European national history

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 21 of the 22 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 28 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

A Historical Narrative of Ethnic Conflict and Social Anarchy in Shaanxi: The Muslim Uprising 1862-1873

Open access
Qurrat ul Ain, Ayesha·2022·QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies)

Abstract

Hui rebellion (1862-1873) is depicted generally as the confrontation of Hui with the Qing state but an exploration of the background of the uprising in the Shaanxi province and a keen look into the oral histories and compilations of local narratives of the devastation reveals that the reality was much more complex. The historical account of these rebellions produced the stereotype that Manchus and Hui had been in conflict throughout whereas this paper contends that the Qing reign can be comfortably divided into two distinct phases with respect to the behavior of Manchus towards the Hui minority. The first phase is marvelously peaceful and prosperous whereas the second is equally drastic and catastrophic. How did this sweeping shift occur? The answer to this logical query involves the third and most decisive component of the whole confrontation i.e. Han gentry and militia. We propose that Han officialdom played a crucial role in creating an ambiance of confrontation of Hui with the Qing state. Were it not the ethnic riots and racial bias by the Han gentry, Hui would have never been forced to stand unanimously for the protection of their identity and rights. On the other hand, although the Qing Empire wanted to discriminate between rebels and innocent people yet its efforts remained futile as with the weakening of the central state, the axis of power shifted to local Han authorities who were adamant to exterminate Hui from the area. Thus an uprising against Han discrimination distended into a rebellion against the state on a large scale.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This paper argues that the Shaanxi Hui uprising of 1862–1873 was not simply a Hui revolt against the Qing state but was decisively shaped by Han gentry and militia hostility, which created an atmosphere of confrontation. It contends that Qing policy toward Hui can be divided into a peaceful/prosperous phase (1650–1780) and a catastrophic phase (1781–1912).

Key findings

  • The paper argues that Han officialdom and local gentry/militia played a crucial role in provoking the conflict; Han leaflets circulated slogans such as “extinguish Hui” and “no Hui in Shaanxi,” remembered by Xi’an Hui as *Xi Hui* (“wash away Hui”).
  • Before the rebellion, Shaanxi’s Hui population was estimated at between one-third and three-sevenths of the province’s inhabitants, about 700,000 to one million people; by 1873, after Zuo Zongtang’s “pacification,” it was reduced to a few thousand living in Xi’an. Early twentieth-century official records put Shaanxi’s Hui population at 26,000, with almost 9,500 Muslims in the capital.
  • In 1862, almost 700,000 Gedimu Hui stood against Qing in 18 battalions; Hui *tuanlian* besieged Xi’an in June, lasting a year until fall 1863. Zuo Zongtang arrived in 1868 and had “pacified” Shaanxi, Gansu, and Xinjiang by 1873.
  • The paper states that Qing policy turned harsh after the Salar revolt in Gansu in 1785, when Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah was forbidden, foreign preachers were banned, and permission to build mosques was withdrawn.

Methods

  • Qualitative historical narrative combining historiography and ethnography, based on an extensive literature review of European and local Chinese histories, official archives, and local narrative compilations.
  • Sources include oral histories, personal narratives, and local reports such as *Huimin Qiyi*, *Shaanxi Huimin Qiyi Ziliao*, *Huizu Jianshi*, *Shaanxi Wenshi Ziliao*, and *Dao Xian Huanhai Jianwenlu*.
  • The author also reports frequent personal discussions with local Hui and Hui scholars and personal observation during three years of field surveys in Xi’an and other Chinese localities.

Limitations

  • The paper does not include a dedicated limitations section. It acknowledges that historians differ on the details of the initial 1862 incident and that historical accounts are inconsistent about whether Hui or Han provoked the first clash.
  • It relies heavily on oral histories and local narrative compilations, especially 1950s accounts, which the text itself notes can conflict with written histories and with Xi’an Hui narrators’ memories.
  • Evident from the text: the methodology is not systematically described, and the author’s personal discussions and field observations are not presented with sampling or analytic detail; the source base is also uneven, as the paper notes that some Western scholarship was regionally confined or shaped by biased assumptions.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.21043/qijis.v10i1.8106

Cites

21 of 21 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

61 Own interpretation · 25 No basis given · 20 Sources not found · 11 Not checked yet · 8 Own result · 4 Own method · 3 No full text of the sources

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 60
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 72
101 of 101
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There were no orders from the central Qing government to exterminate the Hui.

    “Although there were no such orders from the central government”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Oral histories and local narratives collected in the 1950s accurately report the historical events they describe.

    “And this hypothesis is supported by the Chinese historians who compiled the oral histories of the rebellion in the 1950s.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The central Qing army was not sufficient to combat the widespread rebellious troops.

    “Because the central Qing army was not sufficient enough to combat the widespread rebellious troops”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The local gentry backed the Han Chinese in local riots.

    “The most disgusting fact was that the local gentry shouldered and backed the Han Chinese in local riots”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Qing Empire genuinely wanted to discriminate between rebels and innocent people.

    “although the Qing Empire wanted to discriminate between rebels and innocent people”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The historical sources consulted (oral histories, personal narratives, local reports) accurately represent the events of the Hui uprising.

    “We have consulted oral histories, personal narratives and local reports published by Hui publishing houses or journals such as Huimin Qiyi, Shaanxi Huimin Qiyi Ziliao, Huizu Jianshi, Shaanxi Wenshi Ziliao, and Dao Xian Huanhai Jianwenlu.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Asian Barometer Survey conducted in 2007 and 2008 is a valid and reliable source for the claim that ethnic minorities in China have grievances.

    “The results of the Asian Barometer Survey of the social behavior of Chinese citizens, conducted in 2007 and 2008 show that ethnic minorities in today's China do have grievances and feel disadvantaged and less privileged than their Han co-nationals.”
7 of 7

Citations

Cites

Show all 22 references

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Guangqi, Ma. (1993). Shaanxi Huijiao Gaikuang [General Situation of Islam in Shaanxi]. in Tongzhinianjian Shaanxi Huimin Qiyi Lishi Diaocha Jilu [Records of Investigation on the History of Hui Uprising in Shaanxi during the Reign of Emperor Tongzhi], edited by M. Changshou. Xi'an: Shaanxi Political Consultative Conference's Committee on Literary and Historical Data, Shaanxi Wenshi Ziliao [Shaanxi's Literary and Historical Data].
  2. Jianbiao., Li. (2011). Changes in Islam's Status in Modern Shaanxi Province. in MUSLIMS AND A HARMONIOUS SOCIETY Selected Papers from a Three-Conference Series on Muslim Minorities in Northwest China
  3. Yizhou, et. al. (1953). Pingding Guan Long Jilue [Brief Records on the Suppression of Shaanxi and Gansu]. in Huimin Qiyi [Uprising of the Hui ethnic group], vol. vol.1. Shanghai Shenzhou Guoguang Chubanshe.
  4. Tse-Tung, Mao. (1959). The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party: Foreign Langusage Press.

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Metadata

Authors
Qurrat ul Ain, A.
Venue
QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies)
Published
2022-08-19
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
109
ISSN
  • 2355-1895 (ISSN-L)
  • 2476-9304
OpenAlex
W4312923395
Cited by
2
References
22
Citations by year
2024: 2
FWCI
0.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Greater South Information System
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Chinese history and philosophy
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Central European national history
Keywords
Shaanxi, Qing dynasty, ethnic conflict, local militias, ethnic riots, oral history, local narratives

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