The Dai Paxi (), also called Dai Hui (Ã¥ÂÂå£), are a small ethnoreligious group in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China. They are an branch of the broader Dai people who converted to Islam through historical contact with Hui Muslims and Muslim traders. The community blends Dai ethnic culture with Islamic religious practices, forming a distinctive identity.
The term Paxi (å¸Â西) refers to Dai who follow Islamic customs, such as abstaining from pork. The alternative name HuàDÃÂi (Ã¥ÂÂå£) combines the Chinese term for Muslims (Ã¥ÂÂ, Hui) with Dai (å£). Historically, "Paxi" may have also referred to "merchant" or "outsider", reflecting the role of Hui traders in the communityâÂÂs origin.
The Dai Paxi emerged in the 19th century when Hui Muslim merchants migrated to southern Yunnan and settled among the Dai. Hui men intermarried with Dai women, creating a community that retained Dai language, clothing, and cultural practices while adopting Islam.
Oral histories identify figures such as Ma JinâÂÂan (马éÂÂå®Â), a Hui merchant, as key founders of villages like Manluanhui (æ¼峦åÂÂæÂÂ) in Menghai County. Over decades, these villages became centers for Dai Paxi identity, balancing Dai customs with Islamic religious life. Unlike Buddhist Dai, the Paxi fully adopted Islamic rituals while preserving Dai social and cultural practices.
The Dai Paxi maintain a distinctive blend of Dai culture and Islamic religious practices.
They primarily speak the Tai Lü dialect of Dai, and are bilingual in Mandarin Chinese. Arabic is taught in islamic schools and mosques for reading the QurâÂÂan.
Traditional Dai clothing is retained, with men wearing caps for prayers and women dressing modestly in accordance with Islamic principles while maintaining Dai embroidery and patterns.
Dietary practices follow Islamic halal laws; pork is strictly avoided. Dai culinary influence remains, including rice-based dishes and local vegetables.
Mosques are the focal points of the community. Sunni Islam is practiced communally, including daily prayers, Ramadan, and festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Buddhist festivals like the Water-Splashing Festival are not observed.
The Dai Paxi preserve traditional Dai arts, including weaving, embroidery, music, and storytelling, sometimes adapted to Islamic norms. Community gatherings occur in mosques or communal halls.
Marriage is often endogamous within the community or with Hui Muslims. Villages are organized around kinship networks and religious leadership from elders and imams.
The Paxi community traces its origins to a Hui trader from Weishan in Dali Yunnan, settled in areas like Manluan Hui () and Mansai Hui () villages, establishing communities that integrated with the local Dai population. The community is also known locally as Paxi Dai Village, meaning "Dai people who believe in Islam." Population estimates are in the low thousands. They are officially classified under the Dai nationality.