ABSTRACT
This chapter has explores discourses and practices of qingzhen consumption among Muslims and non-Muslims in China. The relationship between qingzhen and halal is deeply contextualized and contested in the interfaces between Islamic/Chinese culture and government policies. Conventionally, qingzhen is an ethnic term and its practical usage is linked to ethnic, religious and cultural understandings of Muslims in China. Qingzhen is inseparable from Hui identity. Following the introduction, the chapter highlights how it contributes conceptually to debates over the regulation of qingzhen/halal food. Next, it discusses government regulation of qingzhen food production before moving on to the way in which these issues are played out in the local context of the research. Then, the chapter explores qingzhen food in everyday life: eating out and halal food distribution. The conclusion ties the findings of the chapter together and reflects on qingzhen/halal as a "global assemblage" in China.
