Positioned as a "newly-arrived" member at the edge of Han Chinses, Hui'an women are regarded as an anomaly among Han Chinese with their extended natal residence marriages, distinctive adornment styles, powerful and demanding same-sex networks, unusual gender labour patterns, peculiar beliefs and religions, and high frequency of mass suicides. This project explores how their femininity has been intertwined with ethnicity in history and current society, interacting with other groups to form the Hui'an women today, arguing that women's gender characteristics play an essential role in the process of ethnic confrontation and integration that distinguishes them from men.
