Islam in Sichuan
The long history of the co-existence and social contact among the Han and Hui immigrants, and the indigenous peoples creates the largely diverse cultural and religious landscape of Sichuan.
"[2] Although being a minority religion in Sichuan, Islam is not a recent arrival, its presence can be traced back to the 10th century, albeit on a small scale.
[6] In the early 13th century, the Mongol Empire conscripted Muslim soldiers from various ethnic groups in Central Asia and incorporated them into the tammači [ja] troops during the reign of Ögedei Khan.
The genealogy book of the Mas of Shaguoying, Xichang states that in 1392, their ancestor Ma Gang (馬綱), a military commander, led his troops to Sichuan to fight the rebellion of Yerutömör [zh].
[10][11] A mosque was also erected by Ma Wensheng [zh] in Chongqing in the middle of the Ming dynasty, to cater to the spiritual needs of 100-odd Muslim families settled in the south of Yuzhong District.
This period also saw a mass migration of Muslims from Baoqing Prefecture (modern-day Shaoyang, Hunan), most of whom settled in southern and western Sichuan.
[7] As reported by Su Dexuan (蘇德宣) in his 1934 article "A Brief Introduction to Sichuanese Muslims": "Chengdu is the cradle of Islamic education, most of Sichuan's respected akhunds have been taught in this city.
[7] James Hutson (1869–1929), a British missionary of the China Inland Mission, lived in Dujiangyan (formerly known as Kwan Hsien [Guanxian]) during the early 20th century.
Those living in this district of Kwan Hsien say that they migrated from Turkistan, and many of them still speak of Turkey as their country, and Sultan as their Spiritual Head and religious potentate.
The physiognomy of this people is distinctly foreign and quite different from that of the Chinese, many of them being tall in stature with oval faces, aquiline noses and dark skins.
[...] They arrived in this city during the reign of the Emperor Kien-long and an old gentleman with whom I talked recently can trace his descent on Chinese soil for forty generations.
[...] They are expert dealers in live stock, such as sheep, cattle, goats, and horses and control the beef and mutton trade, also the milk market.
There is a kind of fellow feeling with the Christians on account of their being monotheists, but, whilst agreeing with our simple forms of worship, the Mullah told me they differed about the crucifixion of Christ.
[...] The patrons of each mosque invite and pay their own Mullahs; a sum is set apart from the general fund for his work of teaching, and besides he gets fees for reading the Koran at births, marriages and deaths.
