China has welcomed the start of Ramadan with the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's top official wishing the area's Muslim residents a joyful celebration of the Islamic faith's holy season. 

"Ramadan is about peace and self-reflection, as well as dedication and self-discipline," remarked Zhang Chunxian, the region's highest official during his visit to an Islamic center over the weekend.

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"It also makes people advocate good deeds and lend a helping hand to those less fortunate," he said, as China joined world's Islamic community in officially welcoming the Holy month or Ramadan last Monday.

Zhang made the statement during a meeting with teachers and students at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, the only learning institution in China which uses the Uygur language as the main medium of instruction.

Xinjiang is home to about 51 percent of China's Muslim population.

According to Islamic beliefs, Ramadan is observed by Muslims around the world by fasting for a month to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad.

For this year's celebrations, the holy month runs from Monday, June 6, to July 5.

While speaking to members of the academe at the institute, Zhang said that he hoped Muslims from Xinjiang will help promote their faith righteously, and spread the word that peace and tolerance among families, neighborhoods and society can lead to a harmonious way of life.

Moreover, he also called on the region's Islamic leaders to lead the fight against religious extremism by setting a good example among their people.

It was last year when Zhang shared a meal with Muslims in Urumqi, the regional capital, to celebrate the end of the Ramadan season.

As they fast from dawn until sunset, Muslims must refrain from eating and drinking.

"To accommodate fasting, the 300 students at the institute will only have classes in the mornings during Ramadan," Abudulrekep Tumniaz, the institute's director, said on Sunday.

On the other hand, a spokesman for Arman, a Halal food producer based in Urumqi, China, said that the company expects the sale of its ready-to-eat meals to double during the Ramadan season as people stock up on food items so they can eat at home as soon as fasting for the day is over.

TagsRamadan, china, Xinjiang