Islam in China – Teaching Guide

Vocabulary of Note

• Hui – ethnic Chinese (Sinic ancestry) who converted to Islam
• “Foreign” Muslims – Chinese citizens of Turkic ancestry from Central Asia who resided in western territories incorporated into China (Chinese is not their primary spoken language)
• Xinjiang – far western province of China where “foreign” Muslims reside

Names and Places of Note

• Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar al-Bukhari – a Persian Muslim appointed by the Mongols (Yuan dynasty) to be the first governor of the province of Yunnan, after the Mongols conquered it. His policies were well received and his tomb is a pilgrimage site for many Muslims.
• Quanzhou (cooan-joe) – a major port city in Fujian province, on the east coast of China; especially important in foreign trade from the 11–⁠14^th centuries CE. Quanzhou was also called “Zaiton/Zayton” by foreign traders in history, among them Marco Polo who visited the port. Silting of the harbor reduced the importance of Quanzhou as a port for trading – at [12:30]
• “Quanzhou” is not to be confused with “Guangzhou (gooan-joe),” also known as “Canton,” on the southern coast of China, which has retained its importance as a port city.
• Belitung Shipwreck – excavation shows volume and type of trade during the Tang dynasty 9^th c. CE (found off Belitung Island off Indonesia) – at [07:30]

Maps: Teachers are encouraged to display these maps (found in Background Reading and Classroom Material on video page) to help students understand the distinction made among Muslim communities living within the “core,” traditional area of what is today China and those living in western areas incorporated into China in later dynasties.

• China’s Historical Borders
• Maps of Chinese Dynasties
• Silk Road Map & Geography
• Xinjiang as 1/6th of China’s Territory

Teaching Note: There are excellent maps throughout the slides. Students might benefit from a topographical map indicating the Red River (Song Hong) delta as the centerpiece of the northern area of Vietnam today and the Mekong River delta the centerpiece of the southern area. The Annamite mountain chain forms a spine for Vietnam, and comes very close to the ocean in the middle of the country, around Hoi An and Hui. (The Red River originates in the province of Yunnan, China, and the Mekong River originates on the Tibetan plateau.)

There is also a comparative timeline of dynasties in both China and Vietnam on slide #12.

Outline of Presentation – with [Timecode]

Interesting facts:

• The majority of Muslims reside outside of the Middle East
• More Muslims reside in Indonesia than in any country in the world

Muslim population in China: Not really known; 20–25 million in a 1920 census; no official census released since that time (estimate in 2000 was 40 million)

7^th c. CE expansion of Islam: throughout Eurasia brought Muslims to two different parts of China, via two routes of trade [03:30]

• Caravan or land routes of the “Silk Roads” across Eurasia (the “Silk Roads”) brought Muslims to China’s northwest (example given later is mosque Kashgar, Xinjiang – picture of mosque at [34:13]
• Sea routes of the “Silk Roads” brought Muslims to the trading ports in the southeast of China (Quanzhou, Fujian – picture of Muslim tombs [12:16] and mention of mosque in Quanzhou from)

Timeline of Islam in China by Dynasties: After the rise of Islam in the 7^th c CE, Muslims entered China beginning shortly thereafter

• Tang dynasty China (618–906 CE) was extremely cosmopolitan, welcoming many different peoples and religions, including Muslims
  • Chang’an (today, Xian), the capital of China during the Tang, was a terminus of the overland Silk Roads during this period.
  • Muslim traders in the Chinese capital of Chang’an during the Tang dynasty (618–906 CE): “Great Mosque” in Chang’an – image at [19:50] – first built during the Tang; reconstructed (in Chinese architectural style) during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) [20:45]
  • Arab food market in Chang’an – image at [35:50]
  • Islamic communities were allowed to practice Islamic law
  • Tang dynasty employed many Muslims as administrators, particularly in the “horse administration” [05:45]; Muslims from Central Asia had experience with horses, especially very large horses, “Steeds,” that were important to the China in defense of their borders
  • Tang dynasty troops expanded into Xinjiang and beyond into central Asian areas, where they encountered push back from Arab armies in 751 in the battle of the Talas River (on border of what is today Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) [08:40]; the Chinese were defeated and the Arab armies could have pushed the Tang armies back further, if not for the Abbasid revolution of 750 and the change in Arab administration (the An Lushan rebellion against the Tang, 755–763, weakened the dynasty and led to the Chinese withdrawal from Xinjiang
  • Beilitung shipwreck (9^th c. CE) excavation near Indonesia is evidence of the volume of trade along the maritime sea routes during the Tang; ship possibly going from China to Oman [06:50]
• Mongols invade and conquer China, establishing the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368 CE)
  • Mongols, distrusting the Chinese whom they have conquered, recruit Muslims from Persia and Central Asia [14:00]
  • Mongols appoint Muslims to important administrative positions, especially in finance as tax collectors
  • Animosity between Chinese and Muslims begins when the Chinese are confronted by Muslim tax collectors
• Yunnan, an area of many nationalities and ethnic groups that borders Vietnam and Laos in the south of China, is invaded by the Mongols; they establish Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar al-Bukhari as the governor of the area. His burial site is a Muslim pilgrimage site [17:45]
• Ming dynasty (1368–1644) replaces the Mongols and initially imposes some restrictions on Muslims
  • Muslims write treatises showing the similarities between Islam and Confucianism
  • Ming do continue to employ Muslims at court
  • China had very good relations with the Middle East during this period; the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, has one of the most outstanding collections of Ming dynasty “blue and white” porcelain. The porcelain was often decorated with Arabic inscriptions. [25:00–26:00]
  • Ming dynasty Emperor Zhengde (ruled 1505–1521) intrigued by Islam; might possibly have converted [27:25] – lively trade and exchange with Muslim countries
  • Zheng He, admiral who headed the overseas voyages known as the “Ming Voyages” was a Muslim [21:50]
    • 7 voyages between 1405–1433; first Chinese contact with African continent [20:35]
    • One purpose of the voyages was to encourage ambassadors and merchants to come to China; since many lands in SE Asia and Africa would have Muslim populations, the Chinese court favored Zheng He to lead the fleet
    • Zheng He does receive a cordial reception; a statue of Zheng He stands in Indonesia today [24:30]
• Manchus defeat Ming and establish the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) [27:45]
  • Non-Chinese dynasty from Manchuria, in the northeast of China
  • Manchus greatly expand Chinese territory by moving into and incorporating territory beyond the historical Chinese cultural zone: expanded the frontiers of China
    • Mongolia in the north
    • Tibet in the south
    • Xinjiang in the west; Xinjiang’s population is primarily Muslim and made up of various groups of Turkic ethnicities: Uighurs are the largest; Kazaks, Kyrghyz (Kirgiz or Kirghiz) and others; these are people of Turkic origin rather than Sinic, as the Chinese [29:00]
  • Chinese court in Beijing instructed those going out to govern Xinjiang not to interfere with the practice of Islam; Chinese officials, however, resisted postings to Xinjiang as it was far from Beijing, desert, and not conducive to promotion within the Chinese civil service; those who become local government officials, interfere with the practice of Islam and also exploit the local population for their own gain
  • Major Muslim rebellion, the Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) takes place creating lasting fissure between the government and the local population in Xinjiang [31:45]
  • Thereafter, the Chinese government begins to draw a distinction between the Hui (ethnic Chinese converts to Islam) and the “foreign Muslims” of Turkic background in Xinjiang, the Uyghur, Kazaks, and Kyghurs.
    • Hui are allowed to go on pilgrimages to Mecca and have many fewer restrictions imposed on them than do the “foreign Muslims” in Xinjiang – image of Hui [32:45]
• 1912–1949: warlord period in China and period of civil war;
• People’s Republic of China under the Chinese Communist Party (1949–present)
  • Id Kah mosque in Kashgar – image at [34:13] – largest mosque in Xinjiang and in China
  • Restrictions on the “foreign Muslims”; forbidding beards on men and veils on women – seen a possible signs of fundamentalists and extremists
  • Chinese government draws a distinction between the “loyal, Hui Muslims” and the “foreign” Muslims in Xinjiang [35:50]
  • Last 15 years: bombings, assassinations, detentions in Xinjiang
  • 2017: “Reeducation” Camps established in Xinjiang on orders of Xi Jinping, chairman of the CCP [36:00]