The historical contributons made by Chinese Muslims
Since
the advent of Islam to China 13,00years age, Muslims of all nationalities
have worked and lived together with the Han and other peoples, making their
own contributions to the rejuvenation and development of our motherland. The
Holy Prophet Muhammad took China as a model of knowledge and civilization;
he encouraged his fo1lowers to pursue knowledge there. Instructed by the
Holy Prophet, Chinese Muslims got the inspiration and courage to
continuously introduce to China the excellent fruits of the Arab
civilization of the Middle Ages in medicine, mathematics, astronomy and the
calendar. In the well-known Chinese herbal medicine encyclopedia the
"Compendium of Materia Medica," are recorded many medicines and
prescriptions, together with their functions, brought by Middle Eastern
Muslims. The
government of the Yuan Dynasty utilized the knowledge of Muslims about
Arabian and Persian astronomy, to establish the", Hui Observatory"
which was in charge of observing astronomical phenomena and drawing up the
calendar. The great Muslim astronomer Jalal al-Din invented and used the
Location Apparatus゚¢Parallel
Latitude Apparatus゚¢globe
and many other astronomical instruments. His "Perpetual Calendar"
has always been an important basis for drawing up the calendar in our
country. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Chinese Muslims produced a galaxy
of talented persons in the adds of astronomy, mathematics and Physics. Their
fruitful achievements did a great deal to promote the development of science
and technology in China. Most of the extant ancient mosques in our country
were built around the time of the Yuan Dynasty. Muslim architects made a
profound study of ancient Chinese courtyards and gardens, so the mosques
designed by them not only had the characteristics of ancient Chinese
architecture but also absorbed the features of Arab Islamic architecture and
ornamentation. This kind of Chinese-Arabian combination in architecture
enriched the art of world Islamic architecture.
Ihidierddin was a celebrated architect in the Yuan Dynasty; the layout of
the capital of the Yuan Dynasty and the design of the Forbidden City, one of
the grandest ancient building complexes in the world, came from his inspired
pen.
In the history of Chinese navigation, Zheng He, a Yunnan Muslim, sailed the
oceans seven times, reaching Western Asia and Africa. He was the first
Chinese ever to visit the southeast coast of southern Africa. His voyages
were pioneering undertakings in the history of world navigation. Chinese
Muslims are very proud of him and his exploits. The
Muslims of all nationalities living in our country have also made great
contributions to literature. Muslims have
lived in the northwest and southwest border areas of our motherland for
generations. They are gifted at singing and dancing, and have a rich
artistic imagination and creativity. The music and dances of the Uygurs and
Kazaks, and the " flower" folk songs of the Hui, Dongxiang and
Sala are all colourful flowers in the garden of arts in China. The famous
Uygur narrative poem "Wisdom of Happiness," the musical work"
Twelve Mukams" and other art works have been spread widely among
Chinese Muslims for centuries. In the field of philosophy, the outstanding
16 century Muslim scholar Li Zhi put forward an advanced theory of history,
which made a great impact at the time. In the fields of literature, poetry
and painting in ancient times, a lot of Muslim scholars appeared too, like
the great poets Ding Henian and Sad111a,and Mists Gai Qi and Gao Kegong.
They made great contributions to traditional Chinese culture. The
northwest region is a place where Muslims of various nationalities work and
live. Together with other peoples, they exploit the area's agricultural,
pastoral and water resources. They learn advanced science, improve
production tools and working techniques, cultivate the land and construct
water-conservancy works. Their generations of hard work have turned the
deserts and barren land into green pastureland and fertile fields. Xinjiang
is located at the edge of the great Central Asian desert. Together with the
Han and other nationalities, the Muslims of Xinjiang, with their, diligent
work, have built grand irrigation projects all over the region. The
invention of the Karez, which is an irrigation system of wells connected by
underground channels, in Xinjiang provided useful experience for irrigation
in the northwest region of our country and has been extended to other
drought-stricken areas. This historic contribution of the people of Xinjiang
still has practical use. Kazak Muslims mainly engage in animal husbandry.
They are also experienced in wool textile processing. Chinese
Muslim scholars have also made great contributions in the fields of Islamic
philosophy and history. From the 17th century on, they began to
write Islamic works in the traditional Chinese style, and translated Arabic
and Persian writings on Islam into Chinese. Wang Daiyu was the first scholar
in China to write Islamic works in Chinese.
His "Right Answers for Truth-Seekers', is a book of basic Islamic
knowledge. Yusuf Mazhu completed "A Guide to Islam" in
1682;Liuzhi's "Islamic Institutions" and "Arabian
Thought" are works explaining Islamic philosophy in Chinese. Ma Dexin
was an erudite master of the scriptures and a writer. He lectured in
mosques, and wrote a large number of Islamic works. His
studies covered Islamic dogmatics, Islamic law, Arabic grammar, rhetoric,
astronomy and geography. He translated the Holy Quran into Chinese. These
four scholars were of great importance for the spreading and development of
Islam in China. In
the fight against imperialism and feudalism, Chinese Muslims showed great
courage. During the yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, they took part many times
in peasant uprisings against feudal oppression and exploitation, dealing
heavy blows to the corrupt r111e of these feudal dynasties. In the fight
against imperialist invaders, Chinese Muslims, together with other
nationalities, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, fought
persistently. Ma Benzhai(1901-1944)headed the central Hebei Huimin troops to
fight bravely against the enemy in the War Against Japanese
Aggression(1937-1945).His army was an important Muslim force, which won
itse1f the name of the Iron Army. The celebrated revolutionaries Ma Jun and
Guo LongzheI1,who were of the Hui nationality, were two of the organizers of
the early Communist movement. With Zhou Enlai, Deng Yingchao and other
Communist revolutionaries of the older generation, they launched and
organized revolutionary movements against imperialism and feudalism in
Beijing and Tianjin. The Uygur revolutionary leader Ahematijiang Hasmu was
an early Xinjiang democratic revolutionary soldier. Inspired by the
teachings of the Holy Prophet" to love one's country is a part of one's
belief, "Chinese Muslims inherited and developed the good Islamic
traditions and became a very important force in every revolutionary period
of China. Chinese
Muslims will continue to study the Quran, Hadith and Islamic culture, learn
advanced science and technology, develop the spirit of conscientiousness of
the older generation of Muslims in pursuing knowledge, and scale the heights
of science for the prosperity, advancement and development of our motherland
and the happiness of the people. Islamic Education Historical Contribution 10 minority Groups believing in Islam |
最後更新日期:2001年11月22日