Living Area: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, south of Mt. Tianshan , Hubei province

Population: over 7.2 million

Language: Uygurs have their own language and alphabet.

Dialect: Zhongxin, Hetian, Buluo

History: in the 3 rd century, Uygurs were originally living in the Baikal Lake area. In 744, Uygur (Huihe) and Tang maintained an intimate relationship of subordination. During the long history, Uygurs melted the culture of Xinjiang , Mongolia , Tibetan and Han into their own.

Religion: Uygurs believe in Islam since the 10 th century. Before that time, Uygurs used to believe in different religions, including Shamanism, Manichaeism, Nestorianism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.

Ethnic Costume: Uygur dress features looseness and sharp color contrast. Men often wear an unbuttoned coat and a square belt tied around their waist. Women wear colored dresses with embroidered skull caps.

Diet: Uygurs favor cooked wheat food, including Nang, Lamian (pulled noodles), Zhuafan and steamed stuffed buns. Zhuafan is rice steamed with mutton, sheep oil, carrots, dried grapes and onions. They also like eating melons and fruits, tea and milk.

Sing and Dance: Uygurs love singing and dancing, especially on the festival occasion and the gatherings. They are able to move their head and neck in a special way by coordinating their shoulder and neck in separate direction.

Festival: Fast-breaking Festival is the most important one for Uygurs. They are not allowed to eat and drink from sunset to sun rise for totally one month. At the end of the fast, all Moslems bathe and hold celebration activities in the mosque.