Hui people still fondly refer to the area as Hui Fang, and it is home to more than 20,000 members of this community from 13 neighborhoods, Wang said. The oldest mosque in the area can be traced back 1,278 years.

Xi'an has witnessed wars and turbulence, but Hui Fang survived every time and is still thriving today, the professor added.

Modern revitalization

Liu Chao, 38, founder of an e-commerce platform on Huimin Street, said, "The tourist boom in the area is closely related to long national vacations, including the National Day holiday week, which were introduced by the State Council in 1999.

"Tourists often say that if you don't go to the Muslim Quarter first, you have never been to Xi'an. However, for locals like us, it's an area that primarily sells halal food, and in recent years has become a must-visit place."

Sun, the restaurant owner, was born and raised in the neighborhood. Growing up in a Hui family of more than 30 people, he started his own business in the 1990s, supplying clothing and shoes for major department stores in Xi'an.

"At that time, elderly members of my family told me of a saying that when you have been involved in different types of business, it's good to have a restaurant as your final career choice," he said.

"I had been involved in quite a few lines of work, but none of them made me feel as if I wanted them for a lifetime career."