Chinese Muslims: A History between the Near and the Far East (original) (raw)

Abstract

Muslims have lived in the Chinese Heartland since the earliest years of Islam. During the Tang- and Song periods, Muslim communities existed mainly in the harbor cities at the southeastern coast and along the caravan routes which connected China to central and western Asia. During the Yuan dynasty, more Muslims came into China with the Mongol armies and assisted the nomad in rulers in governing their sedentary population. When the Yuan were overthrown by the ethnic Chinese Ming and later China closed its harbors for long distance trade, Muslims lost connection to their countries of origin and became more closely integrated into China’s majority culture. With its forced opening in the 19th century and with improvements in transport and communication, these connections began to be reestablished and China’s Muslims began to rebuild and re-interpret their relations to the Near East, a process which is ongoing until the present day. This presentation traces the path of China’s Muslims over the longue durée of history and relates it to their closeness or distance to the heartlands of Islam.

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