Xunhua 循化

About Xunhua

Jiezi is particularly associated with stories of migration from Central Asia: Camel Spring commemorates the legendary white camel, while Jiezi Mosque is connected with a treasured handwritten Quran. These traditions add meaning to the architecture and landscape, but access to a religious manuscript should never be assumed. Separate a visit to the county town from an arranged cultural visit in Jiezi.

Ethnic Salars first arrived in the area during the thirteenth or fourteenth century as part of the Mongol army, settling along the Yellow River. The Ming dynasty established control by 1370, placing the area under the jurisdiction of Hezhou in Gansu; Hui settlers from Hezhou then moved into the region, trading with and marrying local Salars. Many Salars originally carried the surname Han, derived from 'khan,' and adopted the surname Ma, derived from 'Muhammad'; intermarriage between Salars and Hui became more common than marriages between Salars and Tibetans, Mongols or Han Chinese.

The county is the site of the Suzhi necropolis (苏志墓地), a Bronze Age burial ground of the Kayue culture. Xunhua is also home to a mosque holding the oldest hand-written copy of the Quran in China, believed to date from between the eighth and thirteenth centuries. Xunhua is the only autonomous county where the Salar form the sole titular minority, and the Salar language holds official status there, as well as in Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County.

Xunhua lies at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, higher in the south and lower in the north, with mountains on every side; the Yellow River runs through the county for 79 kilometres. The county averages about 2,200 metres in elevation, while its river-valley areas average about 1,850 metres.

What to look for

• Camel Spring gives physical form to a Salar migration legend.
• Jiezi Mosque connects the settlement with a continuing religious tradition.
• The Yellow River valley explains the area’s historical movement and settlement.

Location & getting there

Getting to Xunhua

Begin in Xunhua’s Jishi town, then arrange the onward road connection to Jiezi village and the specific visitor site. Ask locally about mosque access and any guided cultural programme.