"We've benefited from selling halal food for many years on the street, and when the outbreak spread across the country, it was time to help local residents," said Sun, who uses crutches because he has problems with his feet－the result of years of running.

Huimin Street dates to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when it was more a neighborhood than a commercial area.

In those days, it was also the seat of the Shangshu Sheng, or Shangshu Ministry, one of the most important central government organs.

Occupying nearly 2.25 square kilometers, the area grew to become a residential community for the Hui people during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Wang Chao, associate professor of history at the Institute for Western Frontier Region of China at Shaanxi Normal University, said that during the Tang Dynasty Arab merchants traveled the Silk Road to Chang'an, now known as Xi'an.

"Since those times, the Hui ethnic people have lived in the neighborhood, which during the Ming Dynasty was named Hui Fang," he said. In Chinese, fang translates as subdistrict.

The Hui people traditionally live near mosques, which are convenient for prayers. Before the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there were seven mosques in Hui Fang. Now, there are 12.