Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox runs The World's language desk. He reports and edits stories about the globalization of English, the bilingual brain, translation technology and more. He also hosts The World's podcast on language, The World in Words.

Where Chinese and Arabic Calligraphy Meet

September 5, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
The calligraphy of Haji Noor Deen (Photo: Haji Noor Deen)

The calligraphy of Haji Noor Deen (Photo: Haji Noor Deen)

Born in China in 1967, Haji Noor Deen is probably better known today in the Arab World and the West. His claim to fame is his mastery of a script that fuses two great traditions of calligraphy: Chinese and Arabic.


Haji Noor Deen is ethnic Hui, which is a bit of a catch-all term. The Hui people are predominantly Muslim, and most speak Chinese as their first language. Although we don’t hear as much about them as about the Uyghurs, the Hui are China’s largest Muslim group. When Beijing sends Muslim musicians abroad to represent the country’s diversity, most are Hui.

Ha Hui is one of the China’s best-known Hui musicians. She sang one of the Beijing Olympics’ official songs, and has represented China culturally in performances in Egypt, Turkey, Israel and the United States. Interestingly, official Chinese media often don’t mention her ethnicity.

Another Hui song:

Many thanks to former Big Show intern Angela Sun (follow her on Twitter here) for her research and interviews for this podcast.

Discussion

3 comments for “Where Chinese and Arabic Calligraphy Meet”

  • http://twitter.com/MarkAMDG Mark Phifer-Houseman

    Way to go Patrick! Really helps me get interested in Muslim and Chinese culture’s positive and not just negative ways of colliding

  • http://www.facebook.com/joshua.cheek.58 Joshua Cheek

    The meeting of Chinese and Islamic cultures is sadly under represented, though largely for political reasons. The primarily Muslim Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region has been a hotbed of political conflict for decades. Interestingly, there was also a significant meeting of Chinese and Jewish cultures in Kaifeng. As for Ha Hui – while she is of Hui ethnicity, she is a professed Christian and has also released an album of her devotional songs (Hymn: If I Speak in the Tongues of Angels). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hdpecbm8Cc

  • http://www.facebook.com/emily.jefferson.54 Emily Jefferson

    If she is an 80 years old lady, I wonder what type of interests or non interests it will generate… I think overall the Hui have assimilated well and since they are non fanatics in general, in general the Commies let them be. In another 500 years Huis will be as today Manchurians, turning Chinese turning Chinese.. I think so…..