Introduction

The recording and preservation of Islamic chants derived from an oral tradition of worship, learning, and celebration characteristic of the expressive culture of Chinese Hui Muslim women's mosques. The chants’ legacy and use for future generations were made possible through collaboration with women from various women's mosque congregations in central China's Hui Muslim communities. Together, we recovered, recorded, and transcribed chants of worship and celebration, which had been transmitted orally from generation to generation of believing women.