Some 1.78 million Muslims in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China gathered on January 8 at over 3,000 mosques to celebrate the first fast-breaking festival of the new millennium.

People from all walks of life, including senior officials from the regional authorities, congratulated the Hui people on the opening of the fasting holiday.

The life of Hui Muslims have changed dramatically since the founding of the autonomous region in 1958. The region's gross domestic product (GDP) in 1999 grew by 8.6 percent from the 1998 level. Local grain output hit a record 2.9 billion kilograms.

People living in eight poverty-stricken counties in Xihaigu, one of the poorest areas in the country, have basically solved their feeding and clothing problem. The average per-capita income of farmers in these counties reached 1,150 yuan (about 139 US dollars) last year. The official datum of poverty is about 550 yuan.

More than 17 million people from a dozen ethnic groups in China follow the beliefs of Islam.