The Dongxiang of China

The Dongxiang of China, numbering approximately 821,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Mongolic people of Gansu, centered in Dongxiang Autonomous County near Linxia, whose origins reflect Yuan-era Central Asian arrivals and admixture with local peoples. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Dongxiang is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Dongxiang

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: East Asian Peoples
Country: China
People Cluster: Chinese-Hui
Primary Language(s): Dongxiang (sce)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 821,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006729
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Dongxiang of China

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

100%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dongxiang
Language Family: Mongolic-Khitan

70%
%
Dongxiang Speakers

Media Resources in Dongxiang:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Dongxiang:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Dongxiang bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dongxiang are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Dongxiang:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Dongxiang of China

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
readPsalm 18:31

As people look to their own efforts for hope, pray they will have the opportunity to learn and believe in the Lord, who is the only Rock worthy of their faith.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
readHebrews 4:12

Pray for God's Word to be accessible to everyone in this people group in a way they will resonate with so that many will engage with it, receive it, and share it with others.

The LORD bless you and keep you.
readNumbers 6:24

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be blessed with God's grace, trusting that He will never abandon them.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
readPsalm 51:2

Pray that God will raise up believers to go and share the gospel with those in this people group who need to be washed of their iniquity and cleansed from their sins.

Dongxiang Across Countries (ROP3 - 114044) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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