中国穆斯林分布在全国各地，生活环境丰富多样。他们在坚持伊斯兰原有风貌的同时，又融入了地域文化和民族特色。经过一代又一代的积累、丰富，逐渐形成了中国伊斯兰艺术传统，既体现了伊斯兰的精神，也凝聚了中华艺术文化骨风。中国伊斯兰艺术是伊斯兰文化艺术不可分割的组成部分，也是中华文化艺术不可分割的组成部分。本书从中国清真寺建筑及装饰艺术，道堂、拱北、麻扎与王陵，书法、经书与瓷器以及仪式等四个方面介绍中国伊斯兰教艺术的发展情况。

Preface
Chapter One: Mosque Construction and Decoration Art in China
I. The Four Ancient Mosques
II. The Mosques in North China and the South Region of the Yangtze River
III. Mosques in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia
IV. Mosques in Xinjiang
Chapter Two: Khanqah, Qubbah, Mazar and Mausoleum
I. Khanqah
II. Qubbah
III. Mazar and Mausoleum
Chapter Three: Calligraphy, Scripture and Porcelain
I. Calligraphy
II. Scripture
III. Porcelain
Chapter Four: Ritual

Preface
1. A Brief Introduction to Islam in China
During the mid-7th century, the Arab and
Persian businessmen and diplomats introduced
Islam into China in a peaceful way through the
Silk Road overland and the Spice Route over
sea. After 1300-year development, Islam has
got 23 million believers in China at the
moment, which accounts for 1.6% of the total
Chinese population. 10 minority groups in
China, namely the Huis, the Uyghurs, the
Kazaks, the Dongxiangs, the Uzbeks, the
Salars, the Khalkhas, the Tajiks, the Bao’ans
and the Tatars have taken Islam as their
national religion. Besides them, there are a
small number of Muslims among other ethnic
groups like the Hans, the Tibetans, the
Mongols, and the Dais.
The majority of the Muslims in China live
in the ethnic autonomous regions. Almost the
entire population of the Uyghurs, the Kazaks,
the Khalkhas, the Tatars, the Tajiks and the
Uzbeks are in Xinjiang. Most of these ethnic
groups have their national languages and
letters. The letters they use are based upon
Arabic letters; and their national cultures
bear obvious influence from the Central and
Western Asia. The Bao’ans and the Dongxiangs
concentrate in the Gansu Province; and the
Salars are in Gansu and Qinghai. About 60% of
the Huis live in the northwest region, and the
rest 3 millions are scattered all over China.
The Huis, the Salars, the Dongxiangs and the
Bao’ans do not have their national letters,
and they use Chinese characters. These four
ethnic groups had already accepted Islam
before their ethnicity came into being. Islam
played a critical role in connecting the
people and shaping them into independent
ethnicity. These ethnic groups live together
in some areas with the Hans, the Tibetans and
the Mongols, and are in close touch with them.
Therefore, they are much influenced by the
culture of the peoples around them.
There are about 35,000 Islamic religious
sites in China at the moment, including
mosques, khanqahs, qubbahs and mazars. They
are scattered all over the Muslim populated
places of the country. Every religious site
has an administrative committee elected by the
local Muslims. There are over 40,000 Islamic
religious persons all over the country,
including Imams and Mawlas, who master rich
Islamic knowledge and are in charge of
religious activities. A good number of them
are elected as the members of the People’s
Congress and the People’s Political
Consultative Conference at all levels. They
take an active part in the political affairs
and enjoy an admirable social status. There
are more than 400 Islamic associations in the
entire country, from the national level to the
grassroots level. There are 13 Islamic
institutes located in Beijing, Yinchuan,
Lanzhou, Xining, Urmuqi, Kunming, Zhengzhou,
Shenyang and some other cities. Mosque
education is conducted everywhere as a
tradition to educate the successors of
religious work.
More than 90% of the Chinese Muslims are
of Sunni, while only 1.3% of them are of
Shiah. Sufism has a considerable influence
upon the Muslims in the northwest region.
There are some local and imported sects and
schools existing in China, like Qadim, Ikhwan,
Xidaotang (also known as the Western Khanqah)
and Salafiyyah. All the Islamic sects and
schools in China have always been in good
mutual relationship. They respect each other
and coexist peacefully. Islam in China keeps
good relationship with other religions as
well.
2. Islamic Art in China
As we mention the Islamic art, the first
images coming to our mind would be the grand
Holy Mosque in Mecca, the extraordinary
Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, the magnificent
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the elegant
Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the splendid Damascus
Mosque in Syria…In the history of Islam, the
caliphs of Umayyad and Abbasid, the sultans of
Mamluk, the emperors of Ottoman,

中国穆斯林分布在全国各地，生活环境丰富多样。他们在坚持伊斯兰原有风貌的同时，又融入了地域文化和民族特色。经过一代又一代的积累、丰富，逐渐形成了中国伊斯兰艺术传统，既体现了伊斯兰的精神，也凝聚了中华艺术文化骨风。中国伊斯兰艺术是伊斯兰文化艺术不可分割的组成部分，也是中华文化艺术不可分割的组成部分。本书从中国清真寺建筑及装饰艺术，道堂、拱北、麻扎与王陵，书法、经书与瓷器以及仪式等四个方面介绍中国伊斯兰教艺术的发展情况。