Henan's Ethnic Tensions

Nanbei street, a ragged strip of asphalt not far from the south bank of the Yellow River, used to be the embodiment of China's racial harmony. Each day, the Muslim call to prayer from Nanren village, populated with the Hui descendants of Silk Road traders, mixed in with the calls to commerce from the vegetable market in the neighboring Weitang village, inhabited by China's Han majority. As testament to its ethnic tolerance, Nanbei Street is lined with fresh-meat stands catering equally to the dietary preferences of the Han and the Hui. Last week, though, after a traffic dispute between villagers from...