About China Islam

Islam was introduced to China as early as the 7th century (during the Tang Dynasty) when merchants from Arabia and Persia came to China to trade via the Silk Road. With the opening of the Silk Road and continuous trade and many travelers brought not only their commodities for trade but also their religion. In AD.651, the third Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan, sent an envoy to call on the reigning Tang Emperor Gao Zong, and since then Islam began to be found in many parts of China.
In the midst of trade and cultural exchanges across the Asia-Europe continent for the next few centuries, streams of Muslim immigrants from central Asia settled permanently in China. They had contacts with local Chinese Muslim converts. They carried on their faith, built mosques and cemeteries and gradually created a unique social unit of their own.
However all these exchanges gradually diminished during the Ming and Qing(Manzu) Dynasties and they came to a stop with the establishment of the Communist government. It was only in the 1980's under the leadership of Deng Xiaopeng that China slowly open up to tourists from all over the world.
Today China has ten Muslim nationalities, numbering more than 30 million Muslims. They are the Hui, Uighur, Kazakh, Dongxiang, Khalkhas, Salar, Tajik, Uzbek, Baoan and Tartar. These nationalities have their own written and spoken languages and cultures and their unique ethnic traditions.
When the Republic of China was formed in 1911, the Muslims were recognised as a Race in China. In 1912, the Chinese Muslim Federation was formed in Nanjing. Similar organization formed in Beijing (1912), Shanghai (1925) and Jinan (1934).
Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese government liberalized its policies toward Islam and Muslims. The legislation gives all minorities the freedom to use their own spoken and written languages, develop their own culture and education, and practice their religion. The Communist Government calls all Muslims as the HUI race. The national constitution testified to the freedom of faith.
Beijing has about 200,000 Muslims, Xian — 60,000, Shanghai – 100,000 and Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, a modest 30,000. Over the course of time, Huaisheng mosque of Guangzhou, Ashab mosque of Quanzhou, Phoenix mosque of Hangzhou and Xianhe mosque of Yangzhou are recognized by Chinese Muslims as the four most famous mosques in southeast China.
The Muslim cuisine in China has inherited the diverse cooking methods of Chinese cuisine, for example, braising, roasting, steaming, stewing and many more. Due to China's multicultural background, halal food retains its own style and characteristics according to regions. In Beijing there is the well renowned Donglaishun hot pot, Yueshengzhai's spiced beef and mutton is also a must try along with famous snacks Tasimi. Lanzhou's Beef Lamian (hand pulled noodles), Xinjiang's lamb kebab and Xian's Yangroupaomo are just some of the representative Muslim dishes in China. Xian muslim tour package and China muslim tour here.