The culture created by Islam

When people talk about the development, evolution and content of China's traditional culture, they often use the statement that Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are one to summarize or emphasize the historical characteristics of each component of China's traditional culture. However, it is easy to overlook that after Islamic culture was introduced into China in the early Tang Dynasty, it also showed distinctive China-like characteristics because of its historical adaptation to localization, and naturally became an integral part of China's traditional culture. The author thinks that it is unfair that Islam and its Muslims in the history of China are left out in the cold in the study of China's traditional cultural history. This not only reflects people's ignorance of Islamic culture in China, but also reveals that the view of "Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism go hand in hand" has great defects, because it does not completely conform to the historical original appearance of 1300 years after the Tang Dynasty. The weight and influence of Islamic culture in China's traditional culture is also something that we must attach importance to when inheriting and sorting out the precious cultural heritage of the motherland.

In the author's view, while Muslim businessmen such as Dashi and Persia entered China, foreign cultural customs also flowed to the people, and then evolved into China's local culture. The establishment of Fanfang and the transformation from "living in Ke Fan" to "native Ke Fan" made it a reality for Muslims to stay in China, and they also participated in the inheritance and creation of China culture. It is these "pilgrims" and their descendants that make the existence and subsequent development of Islam in China more objective.

The great development of Islam in Yuan Dynasty and the formation of Hui nationality not only added new members to China family, but also made the influence of Islamic culture spread all over the country. In the Yuan Dynasty, Islam initiated the process of "China" which was compatible with or even complementary to the traditional Confucian culture in China, and absorbed nutrients from each other's culture. At the same time, it also preserved and developed unique religious beliefs, canons, rituals, prohibitions, customs, and religious languages called Arabic and Persian between mosques and Muslims, and always maintained cultural identity within the Hui people. And the national self-awareness strengthened by the religious beliefs and customs of * * * are the important reasons why Islam characterized by "China" has been able to maintain its centripetal attraction in culture since the Yuan Dynasty, that is, it can unite back to the nation and make it have its own sense of national superiority, and it will not be assimilated into the past in the sea-like encirclement of Han Wang Yang.

In the history of Islamic development in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the spread of Sufism to Xinjiang and the mainland led to the Confucian classic education system, the translation of Chinese classics, sectarian division and the formation of official system, which was the direct result of the continuous collision and intersection of Islamic culture and China traditional culture on the historical basis. This paper points out that the religious discrimination and ethnic oppression policies of the ruling class in Qing Dynasty caused a huge gap among ethnic groups. Muslims' rejection of the attraction of Chinese culture by strengthening the self-isolation consciousness of the nation can certainly increase the cohesion within the nation, but at the same time, it will inevitably weaken the influence of Islam on China's traditional culture and make their own development embark on a narrow road, which is precisely the misfortune in the history of the Chinese nation. It was not until the Islamic New Culture Movement, which arose in the early years of the Republic of China, advocated the new education of bilingual teaching between China and China that Islamic culture in was revived.

Finally, the article points out that because most Muslims abide by Islamic etiquette and customs in their daily lives, this castle, which stands in the heart of the Muslim nation, has ensured Muslims' eternal conversion to Islamic culture during their participation in the creation of Chinese culture for more than 1000 years. All the cultures created by China 10 Muslim people, even the religious culture with strong Islamic characteristics, should naturally be regarded as an integral part of Chinese traditional culture.

This paper won the Scientific Research Achievement Award of the Academy of Sciences (1991-1992).