The Hui people are a distinct ethnic group in China in terms of their diet and
Islamic religion. In this paper, we examine the divergent residential and economic development
of Niujie and Madian, two Hui enclaves in the city of Beijing. Our analysis is based on
archival and historical materials, census data, and information collected from recent field
work. We show that in addition to social perspectives, geographic factors—location relative
to the northward urban expansion of Beijing, and the character of urban administrative geography
in China—are important for understanding the evolution of ethnic enclaves. Journal of
Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O10, I31, J15. 3 figures, 2 tables, 60 references.