Ma Shenglin was a Hui

Hui people

The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...

 Jahriyya

Jahriyya

Jahriyya is a Sufi order in China that once existed in Persia and the Turkish World. Founded by Hadrat Abu Yaqub Yusuf Hamdani, it was brought to China in the 1760s by Ma Mingxin...

 Sufi rebel who fought against the Qing dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

 in the Panthay Rebellion.

In the late 1860s, when Qing loyalist Muslim General Ma Rulong

Ma Rulong

Ma Rulung was a Chinese Muslim who originally rebelled against the Qing dynasty along with Du Wenxiu in the Panthay Rebellion. He later defected to the Qing side. After officially surrendering in 1862 his forces effectively occupied the capital of Yunnan. He then helped the Qing forces crush his...

 led the reconquest western Yunnan, Ma Shenglin defended town of Greater Donggou against Ma Rulong’s army in a battle of in central Yunnan. Ma Shenglin was aJahriyya order leader in Yunnan and a rebel commander. Mortar fire killed Ma in 1871.

Ma Shenglin was the great uncle of Ma Shaowu

Ma Shaowu

Ma Shaowu was a Hui born in Yunnan, in Qing dynasty China. He was a member of the Xinjiang clique during the Republic of China.- Family history :...

, a descendant of Ma Mingxin

Ma Mingxin

Ma Mingxin was a Dungan Sufi master, the establisher of the Jahriyya Sufi order in China.-Names:Ma Mingxin's religious name was Ibrāhīm. After returning to China from Arabia he started calling himself 'Azīz.He was also called Muhammad Emin.-Life:A Persian-speaking Muslim from Gansu, Ma Mingxin...

, and a relative of Ma Yuanzhang.