Agenda Item “The Dungan Revolution”

The Dungan Rebellion (1862-1877) was a widespread and bloody uprising in China under the Qing Dynasty, largely caused by religious, ethnic and socioeconomic tensions. The rebellion broke out between the Muslim Hui people, who lived mainly in northwest China, and the Han Chinese. Hui Muslims, also known as Dungans, had been accumulating growing resentment against years of discrimination, economic exclusion and injustices in local governments. The rebellion began in 1862 in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces and eventually spread to Xinjiang. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and the rebellion was crushed in 1877 when the Qing government’s army, led by General Zuo Zongtang, recaptured the region. In the process, however, hundreds of thousands of Muslims either died or were forced to flee, some taking refuge in Ottoman lands. But will the Muslims succeed this time?