Islam and the Opening of the Chinese Mind

Abstract

Islam’s impact on China is growing because its external and internal influences are more intertwined than ever. Islamic civilization permeates the New Silk Road, shaping all of China’s efforts to integrate megaregions throughout Afro-Eurasia. At the same time, the development of Islam inside China changes the way Chinese people define themselves as a nation and as members of the human family. The deeper China enmeshes itself in the Islamic world, the more Chinese must ask themselves what it means to be Chinese. When Chineseness is understood more inclusively and universally, China gains greater effectiveness in relating to Muslims everywhere, regardless of nationality. For generations, Chinese scholars from many disciplines have drawn upon Sino-Islamic interchanges to reinterpret Chinese identity in more pluralist and cosmopolitan ways. Especially notable are the contributions of Gu Jie Gang in history and ethnography, Fei Xiao Tong in social science, and Tang Jun Yi in neo-Confucian philosophy.