Islam During The Qing Dynasty - Culture

Culture

In the Qing dynasty, Muslims had many mosques in the large cities, with particularly important ones in Beijing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and other places (in addition to those in the western Muslim regions). The architecture typically employed traditional Chinese styles, with Arabic-language inscriptions being the chief distinguishing feature. Many Muslims held government positions, including positions of importance, particularly in the army.

Sufism spread throughout the Northwestern China in the early decades of the Qing Dynasty (mid-17th century through early 18th century), helped by somewhat easier travel between China and the Middle East. The most important Sufi orders (menhuan) included:

  • The Qadiriyya, which was established in China through Qi Jingyi (祁静一), also known as Hilal al-Din (1656–1719), student of the famous Central Asian Sufi teachers, Khoja Afaq and Koja Abd Alla. He was known among the Hui Sufis as Qi Daozu (Grand Master Qi). The shrine complex around "great tomb" (Da Gongbei) in Linxia remains the center of the Qadiriyya in China.
  • The Khufiyya: a Naqshbandi order, established in China by Ma Laichi (1681–1766).
  • The Jahriyya: another Naqshbandi menhuan, founded by Ma Mingxin (1719–1781).

In the 19th century, Chinese Muslims also became the first Muslims in New Zealand (See Islam in New Zealand). They came as golddiggers to work in the Dunstan gold fields in Otago in 1868.

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