Xidaotang

thumb|Machang Mosque in Linxia, [[Gansu, is a mosque of the Xidaotang sect.]] Xidaotang (, "Hall of the Western Dao," i.e. Islam) - originally called Jinxingtang , the "Gold Star Hall"; also called the Hanxue pai , the "Han Studies Sect" - is a Sino-Islamic religious body/special economic community centered in Gansu province. The Xidaotang is mainly distributed in Lintan and Hezheng County in Gansu, and also has followers in Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Sichuan.

== Practices == Its religious practices broadly resemble those of the Qadim (Gedimu), with some Jahriyya elements. Great emphasis is placed on ''shari'a (jiaocheng ), and tariqa (daocheng'' ), "which gradually leads to depersonalization and mystical union with God." Its members organize collectively and work together. One important focus is education. The group observes such holidays as the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Mawlid an-Nabi), the anniversary of his death, and the anniversary of the death of Ma Qixi. However, no mausoleum was built for Ma Qixi.