Hui Students Research Articles

Traditional Dietary Habits and Interprovincial Migration in College Choice: Evidence From Ningxia in China

Purpose: Every September, millions of students—elite human resources—enter higher education in China. This large-scale college-induced migration has substantial impacts on China’s national and local labor markets. This study examines the migration pattern in college choice and admission among the Hui students in China. In doing so, we extend the existing interprovincial migration model by identifying and measuring the role of traditional dietary habits in college migration decisions. Design/Approach/Methods: This study uses college entrance examination ( Gaokao) admission data for 10 high school graduation cohorts from 2001 to 2010 in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. These data are used to study the interprovincial migration of the Hui students following their college entrance examination. Ordinary least squares and logit regressions are used to control for other confounding factors, while the method of instrumental variables and placebo group comparison were used to rule out other explanations. Findings: Results demonstrate that traditional dietary habits produce geographic inequalities in terms of college opportunities for Hui and other minority group students. First, after controlling for variables such as college entrance examination scores and personal characteristics, results show that the Hui students are more likely to choose an institution closer to their hometown and preferred institutions located in Ningxia and the northwestern provinces rather than the Yangtze/Pearl River Delta regions and coastal provinces. Second, this migration pattern is shaped by the dietary habits of the Hui. Third, the Hui students were more likely to choose institutions in underdeveloped areas, resulting in corresponding welfare losses. Originality/Value: This study supplements classic college choice literature by documenting a special impact factor of geography previously overlooked by researchers, demonstrating the need to examine the underlying mechanisms of proximity and its significance in college choice. Moreover, the provision of dietary information may have important policy impacts for improved college choice, as well as for human capital investment and poverty alleviation measures in Northwest China.

Horizontal Spatial Metaphors for Morality: A Cross-Cultural Study of Han Chinese Students and Ethnic Minority Hui Students in China.

Metaphor is a bridge for understanding abstract concepts (the target domain) from concrete concepts (the source domain). This study, with two experiments, aimed to investigate the cultural differences of the horizontal spatial metaphors for morality between two groups of students: Han Chinese, the ethnic majority, and Hui Chinese, an ethnic minority in China. Experiment 1 adopted a spatial Stroop task. It showed that neither Hui nor Han students exhibited horizontal spatial metaphors for morality. Experiment 2 adopted a modified implicit association test paradigm to enhance the association between the moral concepts and the horizontal spatial positions. In Experiment 2, we found horizontal spatial metaphors for morality in Hui students, but not in Han students. These results indicated that the differences of horizontal spatial metaphors between Hui and Han participants were influenced by the different cultures they live in. Moreover, this study also found that the association between the source domain and the target domain was an important factor for metaphor formations.

Religion-based cultural identity and conflicts of migrant Muslim students in Northwest China

ABSTRACTThe Hui (10.6 million) is one of the largest ethnic minority groups in China. Almost 100% of them, along with the Dongxiang, are Islamic, and are migrating from rural to urban areas in Northwest China. After moving to the urban environment conflicts between rural–urban differences, ethnic identity, and religion beliefs and practices frequently occur. This study found that Islam has strong influences on migrant Hui and Dongxiang students’ identity, and cause some notable conflicts with the urban and school cultures. These conflicts penetrate many aspects of their lives such as clothing, dietary restrictions, religious practice and literacy, and schooling. This study also examines the conflict between Islamic culture and modern secular culture, and identify some implications for schooling.

Social distance, ethnicity, and religion in Northwest China: a survey of inter- and intra-group attitudes among Han, Hui, and Tibetan students

Building on existing research concerned with social distance in multi-ethnic states, this study of college students in Gansu Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region provides a picture of social attitudes, intra-group attachment, and inter-group social distance along ethnic and religious lines in Northwest China. The study measures inter-ethnic group fissures in Chinese society as measured in social distance between three ethnic groups: Han, Hui, and Tibetan. Comparative survey methods are used to examine inter- and intra-group relations by mapping dimensions of social distance among 382 university students. Our results indicate only very subtle differences that suggest a closer majority–minority relationship than the previous literature indicates, especially between the Hui and Han. The findings show some clustering and segregating patterns along ethnic lines, specifically when accounting for degrees of trust and tolerance and levels of ethnic and religious attachment. The Hui and Han in Ningxia exhibit closer inter-group relations in comparison to wider measurements of social distance between the Tibetan and Han in Gansu. Where the survey data revealed clustering among ethnic groups, the analysis shows that religious, geographical, and economic differences fail to account for the attitudinal differences between ethnic groups.

Prevalence of visual impairment and refractive errors among different ethnic groups in schoolchildren in Turpan, China.

There is currently limited information about ethnic differences in myopia prevalence within mainland China, especially in rural or semi-rural areas. We examined the prevalence of refractive errors, visual impairment and spectacle coverage in school children of varying ethnicity in Turpan, Xinjiang province. A community eye care service was provided for five schools. Presenting monocular distance and near visual acuity (VA), and ocular alignment were assessed. Retinoscopy and cycloplegic subjective refraction were performed for participants with presenting visual impairment (distance VA worse than 0.3 logMAR; Snellen 6/12 or 20/40) or abnormal binocular vision. Questionnaires administered prior to the eye examinations were used to collect information regarding personal lifestyle and parental myopia. A total of 646 out of 690 (94%) subjects aged four to 19 years (11.9 ± 2.6; mean ± S.D.) completed the eye examination. Three hundred and eighty-two (59%) of participants were of Uyghur ethnicity, followed by Han, 176 (27%) and Hui, 74 (12%). The mean age of Uyghur, Han and Hui students was 12.3 ± 2.7, 11.4 ± 2.6 and 11.4 ± 2.3 years respectively, in which the Uyghur students were significantly older than the Han and Hui students (F(3,631) = 5.58 p < 0.001). In total, 170 (27%) and 85 (13%) subjects failed the screening examination for one eye or both eyes, respectively. The prevalence of presenting visual impairment was not significantly different among the ethnic groups (p = 0.26). After cycloplegic refraction, most subjects' VA (98%) improved to better than 0.3 logMAR (Snellen 6/12 or 20/40). The prevalence of "clinically-significant myopia" (≤-0.50 dioptres) was 27%, 18% and 13% in Han, Hui and Uyghur children, respectively (p < 0.001). In contrast, Uyghur students had the highest prevalence of astigmatism (Uyghur 12%, Han 5%, Hui 4%). The overall spectacle coverage was 36%, while spectacle coverage among ethnic groups were similar (Han, 41%; Uyghur, 32%; Hui, 41%; χ(2) = 2.23, df = 2, p = 0.33). The prevalence of clinically significant myopia varied markedly with ethnicity in school children sampled from a semi-rural region of mainland China (Han > Hui > Uyghur). As reported previously, uncorrected/under-corrected refractive error was the main cause of presenting visual impairment.

Religious Identity and Cultural Refashioning: Educational Constraints for Migrant Muslim Hui University Students in China

This study discusses the educational constraints facing Muslim Hui students and the measures that should be pondered by the Chinese government to address these constraints. Three key research questions are addressed: (1) How does the mainstream Han, Confucian, or the state ideology interact with Hui students’ culture? (2) In what ways do ethnic boundaries and educational uniformity affect the engagement of ethnic minorities in education as well as the larger society? (3) What are the major educational constraints faced by Hui migrant students of Muslim background? Through the mixed-methods research design, I find that the yearning of Muslim Hui Chinese students to achieve educational success and social mobility is limited by social, cultural, and educational factors that regard them as the “other”; they still face issues of marginalization—educationally, socially, and culturally—that delay them from achieving higher educational success.

Hui Students’ Identity Construction in Eastern China: A Postcolonial Critique

In this article, we explored Hui students‘ lived experiences in school in eastern China and the impact of their experiences on their identity construction. We used postcolonial theory as a theoretical framework and narrative inquiry as a research methodology to guide questions that we asked, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation and discussion of the findings in the study. We found that schooling for the two Hui students in eastern China is a process of reproducing mainstream Han ideology; taking away their culture, beliefs, knowledge, and identity; and imposing the mainstream Han culture and knowledge on Hui students as truth. The participants, two Hui students in an elementary school in eastern China, accepted the identity constructed by mainstream Han teachers and were confused about their Hui identity.