Introduction

The mainland China, from the farthest reaches of Turkistan to the shores of the China Sea, though never considered as part of the Islamic world, has, over the last thirteen centuries, been home to a considerable Muslim population, and the Islamic element has remained a distinct aspect of the Chinese history. According to ancient Chinese traditional sources, as well as other historical evidence, Islam was introduced to China ever since the early Islamic centuries. This was mainly carried out through the activities of merchants who entered the country from the southern and northern regions, though the southern sea route must have had precedence over the northern land access.

* source: Pakatchi , Ahmad "Islam Entry" The Great Islamic Encyclopedia. Ed. Kazem Musavi Bojnourdi.Tehran: The Center of Great Islamic Encyclopaedia , 1989-, V.8 , pp.555