Crossingcultural Borders

Young Chinese Muslims are reclaiming their traditional role as cultural and commercial go-betweens on the new Silk Road

Thirty-year-old hong Jun, a Chinese Muslim from Yinchuan, capital city of west China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, could not have imagined that his religious heritage and Arabic language skills would lead him to travel across the Arab world and even to establish his own company. “I always saw studying Arabic as a means of communication, a way to build relationships, but never as a profession,” he said.

Hong belongs to the Hui ethnic minority, China’s largest Islamic minority group with a population of 10.5 million, according to China’s population census in 2012, which is equivalent to Tunisia’s population. Hui are found throughout China, and are said to be the descendants of local people and Persian and Arab traders who used to travel along the ancient Silk Road between China and the West, trading and transporting goods like silk, gems and spices, but also manuscripts, artworks and ideas.

As the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming a tangible reality, reinforcing ancient trade routes between China and Europe, young Hui people are reclaiming their traditional role as cultural and commercial “middlemen” between China and the Islamic world, and like Hong, are increasingly called upon to play a key role in trade and cultural exchanges. to his company. His knowledge of Muslim traditions, taboos and customs was useful in ensuring smooth relations with government authorities - a significant advantage in a country where foreign companies must operate in an often unstable, sometime even chaotic, regulatory environment.

After returning to China in 2013, Hong founded his own consulting business - Zhonglian Tuohai Foreign Affairs Consulting Service Co. Ltd. - which mainly focuses on bridging the gap between North African and Middle Eastern companies and Chinese technicians. With a foot in each culture, Hong strives to fulfill the role of cultural go-between along the new Silk Road, allowing Chinese professionals to develop their skills and earn higher wages abroad, while supporting the development of trade and cultural exchanges.

Over the past three years, his company has successfully sent several Chinese technicians on work assignments to Algeria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Even though he faces strong competition from Indian and Bangladeshi workers, Hong is confident that Chinese talents can carve out a niche for themselves in Arab markets.

“Chinese technicians offer better quality work at a reasonable price, and they know how to work efficiently, so they are in high demand, particularly in Arab countries,” he told Chinafrica.