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618-907. During the Tang Dynasty, people were traveling through the silk road and the overseas route through the port of Quanzhou. Many of these immigrants stayed to form the basis of the Chinese Muslim population.
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Islam was first brought to China by Sa'd ibn abi Waqqas. He came to China for the third time at the head of an embassy sent by Uthman, the third Caliph. This is said to be the OFFICIAL introduction of Islam to China even though it slightly started being introduced in 618.
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Muslims reached the coast of China and communities began to form. The Silk Route provided a basis of new ideas and goods to develop in these communities as well.
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The Great Mosque of Xi-an was bult in Xi-an, Shaanxi. This mosque is the first official mosque in China. This mosque is over 12,000 square meters and still is open today!
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Arabs learn papermaking from Chinese prisoners of war. This helps advance the culture by forming books.
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960-1279. Many Muslims traveled to China for trading purposes and began to leave a great economic impart and influence on the country. Muslims dominated the foreign trade industry and the port industry.
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The Yuan Dynasty was established in the thirteenth century. The population numbers of Muslims in China continued to increase. This caused science to advance greatly during this time.
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1368-1644. Muslims flourished in China. The capital of China, Nanjing, was the center of Islamic learning. Not many restrictions for religious practices existed.
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Author: Wang Tai-yu. First Chinese work on Islam by a Chinese Muslim.
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Muslims comprise of a lot of the population in China. Today, there are almost 35,000 mosques, 50,000 Muslim teachers/administrators, and about 25,000 disciples studying Islam in various regions. More than 5,000 Chinese pilgrims travel to Mecca every year.
