Islam in
China
“We should seek knowledge, may it be as far away as China.”
These words spoken by the Prophet Muhammad not only show the
friendly sentiments he cherished towards the Chinese people,
but also the sentiments of the Arab people at that time
towards China. To them, China was a distant country with a
high level of civilization.
When Islam began to expand outside of the Arab countries,
China was one of the first countries it reached. According
to historical records, China established relations with the
Arabic regions in 139 B.C. when Emperor Wudi of the Western
Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.24) dispatched his emissary Zhang
Qian to the Western Regions (Central Asia). The introduction
of Islam to China saw frequent contacts between China and
the Arab countries. From the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the
Song Dynasty (960-1279), there was a constant stream of
Muslim merchants from Arab lands and Persia came to China by
the sea and the Silk Road. They brought perfume, medicines,
and pearls, and returned home with Chinese silk, porcelain,
and tea. They introduced Chinese inventions such as the
compass, paper, and gunpowder to Europe, while at the same
time, introducing Arab medicine, mathematics, and astronomy
to China, thus promoting economic and cultural exchanges
between East and West.
Many of the Muslim merchants married Chinese women and
settled in China, becoming the ancestors of today’s Chinese
Muslims. With the conquest of Central and Western Asia by
the Mongols in the 13th century, a large number of Arabs,
Persians, and Turks, were conscripted and forced to come to
China by the Mongol Army. These groups eventually settled in
China. Their common religious belief united them into a new
Muslim nationality- the Chinese Hui. Later, ethnic groups in
northwestern China, including the Uygar, Kazak, Ozbek,
Tajik, Tatar, Kirgiz, Salar, Dongxiang, and Bonan, converted
to Islam.
The total population of ten Muslim minorities in China
stands at 20 million. The majority of this population
resides in the Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai
regions, but Muslims generally live throughout the Interior
of China. They build mosques and live around them to form
their own neighborhoods in urban areas and their own
villages in the countryside.
For thousands of years, China’s diligent, brave, and
intelligent Muslims have contributed to the nation’s
construction and participated in fights against foreign
invasions. There were countless famous Chinese Muslims
including Sayid Shams al-din (1211-1270), a politician who
rendered meritorious services in the development of the
country’s southwestern border areas; Chang Yuchun
(1330-1369) and Hu Dahai (?-1366), strategists who
accomplished illustrious military exploits in the
establishment of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); Zhang He
(1371-1435), a world-renowned navigator known for leading
seven voyages between 1405 and 1433, reaching 35 countries
in Asia and Africa in a massive fleet of ships far larger
than Western fleets of the time; Hai Rui (1515-1587), a
Muslim Ming Dynasty official, upheld justice and enforce the
law strictly during his tenure of office. He set an example
as a clean and honest official and his name is still on the
lips of the Chinese people today.
There have been many people of great talent among the
Chinese Muslims. Among them are the Uygur poet Yusof Hase
Hajib (1018-?), who wrote “Knowledge-the Source of
Happiness”; Jamal al-din, an astronomer who invented seven
kinds of astronomical instruments; Zhams (1277-1351), a
scholar well versed in literature, history, philosophy,
astronomy, and geography; the poet Sudo al-lah (1272-1348);
and Ikhtiar al-din, an architect who designed the palatial
complex of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in the city of Dadu
(Great Capital), present day Beijing.
Since the 16th century, many religious writers have emerged
among the Chinese Muslims and left a large number of books.
These include the Four Most Distinguished Scholars: Wang
Daiyu, Ma Zhu, Liu Zhi, and Ma Fuchu. Scholars of the modern
times such as Wang Jingzhai, Ma Liangjun, Pang Shilian, Ma
Jian, and Chen Kelei, have also contributed to the
dissemination of Islamic culture.
Life for the Muslims in China has improved by a big margin
since 1949, the year the People’s Republic of China was
founded. Their religious freedom is guaranteed by the
Constitution and other laws. In 1953, the Chinese Islamic
Association, a national organization for China’s Muslims was
established.
After China adopted the policies of reform and opening, the
Chinese government affirmed anew that the freedom of
religious belief is one of the country’s long-term,
fundamental policies. Religious life for China’s Muslims was
thus restored to normal. Today there are 34,928 mosques,
45,051 Muslims teachers and administrators, and 23,480
disciples studying in the Islamic theological institutes in
various regions. Especially worth mentioning is that in the
past, few Chinese Muslims could afford the pilgrimage to
Mecca because of economic restrictions. Now, with the
improvement of living standards, more and more Muslims can
make the pilgrimage, and the government makes use of every
possible means to help them. At present, more than 5,000
Chinese pilgrims visit Mecca every year, an unprecedented
number.
The China Islamic Association publishes a journal, “Muslims
in China”, and runs nine Islamic theological institutes. The
association takes an active part in helping the Chinese
government implement an all-around policy of freedom of
religion, popularizing Islamic culture, conducting Islamic
academic studies, and carrying out academic exchanges to
promote friendship among Muslims in various countries.
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