Muslim in China

schwester wrote: in soviet times not only muslims, but also christians had to forget/hide their faith.

Yes, you are right. China Muslims also experienced a hard and difficult time. But now, the situation is becoming easy for Mulims. Every year there are about 3 to 5 thousand new Hajjs go to Makka from China.

In today's China, there are almost fifty Private Arabic Schools, thousands of Young Muslim are studying there. In addition, there are 7 or 8 Islamic Academy supported by the government, under the administration of China Islam Association.

But what I am worrying about is our next generation. If someone hope his/her children to join the main stream society in the future, he/she has to send his/her children to the public schools, in which Materialism and marxism are taught. Children are losing their faith........

Asalaam alaikum

Meh, are you or your husband fluent in the local Chinese languages? If so, you are more inclined to locate Halal stores/shops in any given city.

According to my Christian mother who recently visited China, should relied some interesting info.  She visited a list of cities with a group. Her guide was in fact a Muslim woman from the Han.  Nothing would have physically revealed this to her since the guide didn't cover with hijab. But apparently my mother was discussing me and my Muslim family to one of her friends and the guide overheard her. In any case, the guide went about the various cities pointing out halal shops/restaurants which were indicated in the various languages.  I don't recall the actual method of revealing this, but certain Mandarin and Cantonese symbols/words indicate "halal".  The guide was a Muslim woman from the Han as was her husband and extended family. She did not cover and thus did not bring attention to herself.  She mentioned that there is a large Han population of Muslims which are otherwise unreported because of the Communist party/govt strategy of underreporting Muslim presence/heritage in China. 

In fact, the large Muslim minority can partially be contributed to the Han Muslim segment which has existed for some time. The Han segment has continued through marriage as well as conversion, which is increasing as traditional Confucian family influence is diminished as the population diaspora and migration increases and traditional family heritage is overcome by economic forces. 

Muslim history in China reaches back 1300 years and many weary nonMuslim Chinese might be encouraged to look more favorably on a Chinese converting to Islam rather than Christianity since Christianity is linked to the British/Western colonization/occupation of China and China's weakest era. This should be identified.

However, the growing capitalization/westernization of China can likely lead to a growing influence of Christianization of the Chinese middle and upper class as those western oriented Chinese look to the west for guidance rather than to Chinese heritage.

Any case, Meh, I hope you read this post and may Allah protect you and your family- fi amana Allah.

According to Chinese records the Persians (Po'ssi) and Arabs (Ta'shish) dominated the maritime trade with China at the height of the Tang Dynasty ^[1].The Persians and the Arabs displaced the trade that was previously dominated by Indians and Malay Merchants ^[2] . They brought goods from Java and Sumatra and spices from the Moluccas. This was confirmed by Masudi in 956 CE (344 AH) in the book Muruj al-Dhahab

The ships from Basra, Siraf, Oman, India, the islands of Zabaj and Sanf came to the mouth of the river of Khanfu (Guangzhou, old Canton China) with their merchandise and their cargo (before AD 877-878). Then the trader went by sea to the land of Killah (Kedah) which is approximately half way to China. Today this town is the terminus for Muslim ships from Siraf to Oman, where they meet the ships which come down from China, but it was not so once... This trader then embarked at the city of Killah on a Chinese ship in order to go to the port of Khanfu.[3]

Large Merchant communities in the 8th century in Guangzhou, Yangzhou.

• 755 CE (137 AH) An Lushan rebellion
• 758 CE (140 AH) Persians and Arabs in Guangzhou pillaged the warehouses and sailed fo with the loot.
• 760 CE (142 AH) Tang army plundered Yangzhou killing thousands of Persian and Arab merchants.^[4]

By 794 traded had recovered until in 878 CE (264 AH) during the Huang Chao rebellion, Huang captured Guangzhou and massacred all of the foreigners, Muslims Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians. According to the Arab geographer Abu Zaid

No less than 120,000 Muslims, Jews, Christians and Parsees Perished [5]

The trade again flourished under the various warlords between the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty who controlled the ports of Guangzhou and Fuzhou

Rise of Quanzhou

Along with Guangzhou and Fuzhou under various warlords at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Quanzhou sprung up. This rise in trade was partially fueled by the cut off of trade through the Silk Road.

various FanFang (foreigners streets) were established and large tracts of land wer allocated by the governmnet for residence of the various foreign communities. These communities were allowed to establish community courts

• 1136 CE (530 AH) Pu Luoxinan Arab merchant was awarded an honarary rank in recognition of his contribution to the Frankinsensetrade.

• 1233 CE (630 AH) Pu Kaizong father of Pu Shougeng recieved an honorary rank
• 1274 CE (672 AH) Pu Shougeng along with his brother gained offical ranks for suppressing pirates.

1276 CE (674 AH) Pu Shougeng given trade superintendancy and millitary command in Fujian and Guangdong as part of the Song initiative against the Mongol. However Pu Shougeng negotiated with the Mongol and set a trap for the Song who sailed into Quanzhou. Suspecting the trap the Song captured 400 of Shougengs ships and left. He reacted by slaughtering around 3,000 members of the Song Imperial family and soldiers who resided in Quanzhou.

• Pu Shougeng an Arab trade was assigned superintendent of Quanzhou.

Quanzhou under the Yuan

The Mongols revived trade. In return for 70% of profit, it reduced tariffs, extended loans and financed shipbuilding. It was during this period that Marco Polo visited

• in 1292 CE (691 AH) Marco Polo described Quanzhou in glowing terms as one of the two greatest harbours in the world (the other being Alexandria). He estimated that ahundred times more pepper was shipped to Quanzhou than to Alexandria.

With the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258 CE (655 AH) and the creation of the Il-Khanate trade flourished between the Islamic World and China.

Decline

• Epidemeics of bubonic plague broke out in Fujian between 1345 CE (745 AH) and 1346 CE (746 AH)
• Increased inflation due to Government printing more and more money.
• Rebellion in the 1330 - 1350 reaching a peak after the flooding of the Yellow River.
• in 1345 CE (745 AH) Ibn Battuta described it as the greates harbour in the world at its time.