Islam in China

Author: Mi Shoujiang, You Jia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: As early as in the middle of the 7th century, Islam was introduced into China. Having spread and developed for 1,300 years, going through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties and the Republic Period (618-1949 A.D.), Islam has developed more than 20 million followers (Muslims) in China. It was called by different names in different historical periods. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), Islam was called "Dashi Jiao" (religion of Dashi. Arabs were called Dashi then); in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), it was called "Tianfang Jiao" (religion of Arabia), or "Hui Hui Jiao" (religion of the Hui Huis. Muslims of various ethnic backgrounds were generally called Hui Hui then); at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911 A.D.), it was called "Qingzhen Jiao" (pure and true religion); in the Republic Period (1912-1949 A.D.), it was called "Hui Jiao".