On July 10, when Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, one of their biggest festivals, there will be a special link between the festivities and a region in northwest China not many outside China are aware of.

Ningxia, an autonomous region where China's largest Muslim community, the ethnic Hui people, live, is developing its specialized textiles industry to make garments and other cloth items Muslims worldwide use in their every-day life. These include kandoras, the white flowing robes worn by men, embroidered skull caps, exquisitely embroidered abbayas, the black outer robe women wear over their clothes when they step out of the house, head scarves, veils and even prayer mats.

These products are exported to Malaysia, Indonesia, central Asia and the Middle East. At a time when Chinese garments manufacturers are relocating their factories due to rising labor and land costs in China, foreign companies are coming to Ningxia to set up their factories.

Abdul Latif, a 50-year-old master tailor from Pakistan, came to Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, eight years ago from Saudi Arabia, where he was working for a Saudi company making these items.

"The labor-intensive garments industry is facing problems in Saudi Arabia," Latif said. "The workers are mostly expatriates and expensive as the employer has to pay for their accommodation, medical expenses and visa fees. In addition, workers go home every two years and the employer has to bear the air fare. Sometimes they don't come back and then replacements have to be found, which takes time and costs more money.

"In contrast, skilled labor is available in plenty in Ningxia. As they are all domestic employees, companies here can save a lot of money."

Latif was sent by his Saudi employers to Ningxia when they started a factory in Yinchuan. He says he had to start from zero, training new recruits. But now, there is a flourishing industry with new companies coming up. Two years ago, he moved to a local company that has four factories, two in Ningxia and two in Qinghai Province. This year, they plan to start a new factory in a different location.

Ningxia, with a population of nearly 7 million, is estimated to have nearly 3 million Muslims while there are over 20 million Muslims in China.

Latif, who has also worked in Bangladesh and Dubai, feels most at home in Ningxia. In the Gulf, life can be difficult for blue-collar workers. In Riyadh, the Saudi capital where he was working, he was lonely and pined for the company of his countrymen. Then he learned a group of Pakistanis lived nearby.

"One Friday, when they were sure to turn up at the local mosque to pray, I headed towards it, all agog to meet them," Latif narrated the incident sadly. "But I ran into a group of local boys who, realizing I was a foreigner, started throwing stones at me. It unnerved me so much that I turned back. I never met that group."

But in Ningxia, despite the initial language difficulties, he feels appreciated. "The people here are very kind and accommodating," he said. "They treat me with respect and Irespect them, too."

Latif's Eid celebrations are no longer lonely. He married a local girl in Ningxia two years ago. And the couple have been celebrating the festival with their little son.