| Summary/Abstract |
Qingzhen in Mandarin and musulmanche in Uyghur are two local expressions of halal in China. This article investigates the local meanings of halal from the perspectives of Uyghurs and Hui, who are the major Muslim ethnic minorities in China. It argues that the expressions of qingzhen and musulmanche demonstrate social concerns, anxiety of ethnic identity and ongoing intra-group competitions, which are not exclusively related to religion. The secularisation process since the qingzhen food debate has created tensions between the state and individuals of Uyghur and Hui and has embarrassed people within the same group. This tension between ethnicity and religion is largely the result of clarifying the ambiguity that bears in cultural intimacy, which originally keeps a balance between the state and its ethnic minorities.
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