[2] As of 2013 there is a Muslim-oriented hospital as well as social services, cafés, shops, restaurants, and schools catering to the Muslim population.

Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan stated that the establishment of the Hui settlement "probably" was related to Muslims joining the army of Genghis Khan, who had conquered Beijing, and that based on some gravestones of imams encountered at the Niujie Mosque, a significant community of Hui people had lived in the Niujie area dating back to the Yuan dynasty.

[9] During the Yuan dynasty Niujie was located in proximity to and outside of the main Beijing city wall, and it had the name Willow River Village.

Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan wrote that the community "was still considered peripheral to the city proper where most Han Chinese lived.

"[3] Gladney wrote that the name may have originated from a concentration of beef butchers during the Qing dynasty or from the homophonic similarity to the Liu River, where pomegranate and willow trees grew.

[3] The China Internet Information Center stated that the street name changed when members of the community began specializing in beef.

[7] In 2002, Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan wrote that Niujie "continues to be a thriving enclave, with a high concentration of Hui residents and economic activities".

[17] As of 2011 the Niujie core area features various buildings decorated in an Islamic Chinese style, including the post office and apartment blocks.

The core area includes a Hui primary school, a supermarket carrying halal products, and several Muslim restaurants.

[10] The Chinese Islamic Association building, located southeast of the Mosque, has Arab architectural flourishes such as parapets and large green domes.

The Huimin Yiyuan (S: 回民医院, P: Huímín Yīyuàn), the Hui hospital, is at the south end of the Niujie street.

In 2002 Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan concluded that based on the re-development plans stating that the Niujie Mosque would remain in its current location with its "centrality" in the community, the administrative office "has played an important role in preserving the Hui character of the enclave, making it possible for the Hui residents to return and live in a setting they are highly identified with, despite urban renovation and redevelopment.

"[7] Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan explained that the economy of the community is focused on "ethnic-specific activities" such as Jade processing, meat trading, and Islamic restaurants.

A survey conducted by Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan in January 2002 concluded that the market and shops on Nanhengxi Street sold about 6,000 kilograms (13,000 lb) of beef and mutton daily.

[18] Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan wrote that Niujie has remained to be an ethnic enclave because it continued to be "peripheral to the city’s core area of economic growth" with much of the expansion occurring in north Beijing instead of the portion of Beijing where Niujie resides.

[19] Wenfei Wang, Shangyi Zhou, and Cindy Fan wrote that "This is evidence that Niujie’s role as a large enclave and major supplier for the Hui people in Beijing has been enhanced as the ethnic economy of Madian gradually declined.