The eastern commercial district around Dongguan Street is Xining's most culturally distinct neighbourhood: a dense Hui Muslim commercial and residential quarter where the food, the language (though Mandarin-speaking, locals use Arabic-influenced vocabulary for religious and food-related terms), the architecture of the mosques and madrases, and the rhythm of daily life around prayer times all differ noticeably from the Han Chinese parts of the city.
Several smaller mosques besides the Dongguan Mosque operate in this area. The food markets along the side streets sell lamb, beef (no pork), and dairy products; the dried-food stalls are excellent for buying Tibetan-plateau specialities including dried cordyceps (虫草) and yak cheese. The neighbourhood has a morning market (from around 7am) that is particularly worth seeing, when produce vendors and food stalls crowd the lane behind the main mosque.