Folk Customs of Gansu

The Huis, Yugurs, and Tibetans who live in Gansu have their distinct national cultures and lifestyles. The ancestors of the Huis in Linxia were the Arabs, Persians, and Jews who immigrated into China during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) periods and Moslems who were taken captives in Central and Western Asia by the Mongol Western Expedition Army during the early years of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Linxia was the mosque education center for Chinese Moslems in the northwest and earned the reputation as the lesser Macca of China. Their favorite food and snacks are boiled mutton eaten with fingers, chopped, cooked entrails of sheep, crisp fritters, a gruel of sweeten, fried flour, and tea with longan and other ingredients.They observe the Lesser Bairam and Corban festivals.

The Yugurs, who live in compact communities in Sunan (south of Gansu), number a little over 10,000. They are an ancient ethnic group with a history full of tragedies. Their ancestors were the Huihes (Uygurs) who moved from place to place because of war during the Tang and Song periods.The group settled at last at the foot of the Qilian Mountains in the later half of the 14th century.The Yugurs believe in Buddhism and a primitive religion. They are simple, honest, and hospitable. One of their traditions is to entertain their guests with wine plus song and dance performances.

The Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture has been home to the Tibetans in Gansu since ancient times.Their principal food includes mutton, beef, roasted qingke barley, and other qingke barley products. The area has a flourshing Tibetan Buddhist culture around which the daily life of the Tibetans there is centered.