An Introduction
Written by John Lawton
Photographed by Nik Wheeler
In China today, the Islamic faith seems to be not only surviving, but gradually reviving:
• Bin Lanzhou (Lanchow), on the banks of the Yellow River, cradle of Chinese civilization, a Muslim mosque and madrasa seminary stand side by side with Buddhist shrines in White Pagoda Park. And in the park each morning, hundreds of rhythmically twisting Chinese do their daily Tai Ji workout - daily gymnastics - just as devout young Muslim clerics begin a day of study and prayer.
• At Xian (Sian), formerly Ch'ang-an, "City of Eternal Peace" and capital of 11 dynasties, the Great Mosque, the largest mosque in China, is proudly displayed to visitors as part of China's national heritage - along with the life-size terra cotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang-Ti.
• At Turpan oasis, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, teenagers turn their Mao-style peaked caps back-to-front to pray - foreheads to the ground, facing Makkah (Mecca) - in a mosque resembling a Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty pavilion.
This unusual mixture of Islamic religious practice, ancient Chinese culture and modem Communist dedication may seem incongruous at first. But Islam, in fact, has been practiced in China since the seventh century when Arab traders, riding the monsoon winds across the Indian Ocean, began to introduce the new faith in the coastal cities of China. In the next 200 years, Islam spread through the interior too as other Muslim traders traveled along the old Silk Road. Today, it is the religion of 10 of China's 55 minority nationalities: the Uighur, Kazakh, Kirgiz, Uzbek, Tatar and Sala, all Turkic peoples; Tungxiang and Paoan, of Mongol origins; the Iranian Tajit and the Chinese Hui.
Government statistics for these minorities add up to about 14 million people - but some unofficial outside tallies put the Muslim population of China much higher. And while figures of all religious minorities in China are somewhat questionable, since they are usually computed based on ethnic origin rather than religious affiliation, there is no doubt that there if a substantial Muslim population in the Peoples Republic. Muslims, furthermore, along with other minorities living in China, seem to have regained a certain measure of religious and secular freedoms. Since 1966, when the Cultural Revolution began, mosques were often defaced, destroyed or closed, but today mosques have not only been reopened, but also renovated or rebuilt - partly at government expense - and copies of the Koran once destroyed by the rampaging Red Guards who spearheaded the revolution, have been reprinted and distributed, also with government help.
Last summer, for example, in the northwest provincial capital of Urumqi, three of the city's 20 mosques were being painstakingly restored and copies of the Koran - old and new - were on sale at a stall in one of its main squares. Lanzhou today boasts two new mosques, while China's oldest mosque - the Great Mosque in Xian - is currently undergoing major repairs, the first stage of which, renovation of the min-bar, will cost about $179,000.
Under China's current leadership, in fact, Islam appears to be undergoing a modest revival. Religious leaders report more worshipers now than before the Cultural Revolution, and a reawakening of interest in religion among the young.
Imam Dawud Shi Kunbin, for example, says 500 to 600 worshipers attend Friday prayers at Niu Jie, the largest of the 40 mosques that serve Beijing's (Peking) 180,000-strong Muslim community. "At festivals we get over 2,000," he adds, proudly showing visitors around his recently repainted mosque - its ceiling decorated with pictures of fruit and flowers, its pillars lacquered in red and gold, and its walls covered with a mixture of Arabic and Chinese motifs.
Elsewhere, there are similar reports. Throughout China's vast Xinjiang (Sinkiang) region, the muezzin's call to prayer echoes in such desert oases as Kashi (Kashgar), Aksu, Kuga (Kucha), Hami, Turpan and Hotan (Khoton). Mosques too are well filled in the cities of the Gansu Corridor, (Kansu), once vital links in the old Silk Road between China and the West, while, in the walled city of Xian, Chinese guides respectfully detain tourists at the main gate of the much-visited Great Mosque until the numerous faithful finish one of the five daily prayer sessions.
Imam Dawud Shi Kunbin also says that "more and more" people - over 1,000 in 1983 - are making the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah, despite normally severe restrictions on overseas travel for individual Chinese. He also reports a new influx of young men into the Islamic studies. At the Lanzhou madrasa, last summer, for example, all 20 places were filled, and at an Islamic college attached to Beijing's Dong Si mosque another 17 high school graduates were studying to be imams.
Muslims have also gained a measure of toleration from other religious practices. In areas where Muslims are a majority, the breeding of pigs by non-Muslims is forbidden in deference to Islamic beliefs. Muslim communities are allowed separate cemeteries; Muslim couples may have their marriage consecrated by an imam; and Muslim workers are permitted holidays during major religious festivals.
Recently, even the official organ of the Chinese Communist Party took up the cudgel on behalf of Muslims. Prompted by complaints from Muslim visitors, Renmin Ribao (People's Daily) urged the authorities to solve the problem of "getting a Muslim meal" in Beijing, where, it said, the 240 Muslim restaurants were no longer enough because "more non-Muslim residents are switching from a diet of pork to beef and mutton." The highlight, in fact, of a recent visit by one normally-chopstick-wielding Chinese to the Alpine-like Tian Shan (Celestial Mountains), was a hand-eaten mutton meal shared with Muslim herdsmen.
As well as religious gains, Muslims have also won significant secular concessions from China's Communist rulers; they are, for example, playing an increasingly important role in regional and local administration. In the Xinjiang region, which covers 16 percent of the total land area of China, Muslims now hold a majority of government posts; four of the seven members of the regional government and 26 of the 37 members of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xinjiang are members of national minorities who mostly practice Islam. In the capital, Imam Dawud Shi Kunbin serves as a member of the Standing Committee of Beijing's Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, and says "Muslims head all administrations in the street" where mosques are located.
Muslims, most of whom are farmers or herdsmen, seem to be prospering economically too since the Chinese government introduced more liberal agricultural policies and stepped up industrial investment in the under-developed - and relatively autonomous - outlying areas where they live. Capital investment by the central government in such autonomous regions - including the predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region - has totaled about $9.2 billion since 1978, and in 1983, when agricultural production peaked in China, farmers in the autonomous regions produced 39.7 million tons of grain and 180 million head of livestock.
The result of this increased prosperity was clearly visible last summer at Turpan, where Muslim farmers said they earned far more than the average city dweller and the sight of motorcycles parked in the vine shaded courtyards of their walled, mud-brick homes wrung looks of envy from visitors from Beijing.
Culturally too, Muslims seem to have gained more freedom. Newspapers and books, television programs and films are being printed and produced in their own languages; the Xinjiang Daily, for example, is published in Uighur and Kazakh as well as in Chinese. Minority students are able to go to school in their mother tongue and are also allowed to take university entrance examinations in their own language. At the same time, the government is taking special pains to preserve and promote the colorful folk dances and songs of the Muslim minorities of Xinjiang.
Most of these already-practiced privileges were recently confirmed in the "Law of Regional Autonomy for Minority-Nationalities" adopted by the Sixth National People's Congress. The law stipulates that the administrative head of an autonomous region, prefecture or county -previously a member of the majority Han Chinese - should be picked from one of the nationalities exercising regional autonomy in the area.
The newly enacted legislation also, allows autonomous areas to develop their economies independently - within the framework of state plans, of course - and formulate their own laws according to the characteristics and needs of their locality. It also gives all minorities the freedom to use their own spoken and written languages, develop their own culture and education, and practice their own religion.
Such policies represent a dramatic reversal since the days of the "Great Leap Forward" and the Cultural Revolution, when, for example, the government attempted to dilute the Muslim population of Xinjiang by settling masses of Han Chinese there, and by replacing Muslim leaders.
This turnaround in policies probably reflects a more realistic attitude by China's government towards minorities who may make up no more than 10 percent of the population, but who occupy over 60 percent of the land of China - much of it strategically important and rich in natural resources. Predominantly Muslim Xinjiang, for example, borders the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and is rich in minerals, including oil. While Yunnan on the southwest frontier, which has a substantial Muslim population, borders Burma, Laos and Vietnam and has some of China's largest timber reserves. For the government it may seem wiser to keep minorities there happily within the Chinese fold.
This, to be sure, may be a kind of tug-of-war for the hearts and minds of the Muslim minorities, but it cannot be denied that the Chinese Muslims are benefiting; whatever the motives, the new political realism translates into official tolerance. Those who lived through the repressive days of the Cultural Revolution are understandably skeptical about the future. But for the moment, at least, Islam is very much alive among peoples who have managed to practice their faith, sometimes against great odds, since the seventh century.
This article appeared on pages 4-9 of the July/August 1985 print edition of Saudi Aramco World.
See Also: CHINA, ISLAM—CHINA, MUSLIMS—CHINA, UIGHURS
Check the Public Affairs Digital Image Archive for July/August 1985 images.
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198504/muslims.in.china-an.introduction.htm
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/index/Subjects.aspx#ISLAMCHINA
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Xian...China
Xi'an is one of the most famous ancient capitals in China.
It has been capital city of several dynasties in history.
The world-famous Mausoleum of the First Emperor of' the Chin Dynasty and the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses is just in Xi'an and it is called "the 8th wonder in the world".Many foreign tourists say that not having been to Xi'an means not having been to China;not having been to Mausoleum of the First Emperor of' the Chin Dynasty and the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses means not having been to Xi'an.After a long time underground,it has been shown to the whole world.All of Chinese feel proud of it.
Xi'an is one of the human civilization cradles in the world.There were "Lantian ape men" over 1 million years ago,"Dali men" over 200,000 years ago, "Banpo men" over 6000 years ago.From Xizhou dynasty in 11th century BC,there have been over 10 dynasties who chose Xi'an as its capital.During these more than 1000 years,it has created and accumulated effulgent civilization of ancient times.
During Warring States,the emperor Shi Huangdi chose Xianyang(=Xi'an) as the capital.He consolidated characters,coin and metrology and he also created a new country.After that,he ordered lots of builders to build mausoleum for him.The whole project lasted 40 years.More than 700,000 builders worked on this project and the mausoleum covered 250,000 square meters.To the east of the mausoleum about 1.5 kilometers,it was the pit of the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses which is "the 8th wonder in the world".
There are 3 pits and No.1&No.2 pits have been shown to the tourists.
Pit No.1 is rectangular in shape, 230 meters long and 62 meters wide. There are five doorways and a long aside on each side. Between the two aisles are nine corridors running from north to south, Separated by walls made of rammed earth.
There is a rectangular formation of chariot soldiers and infantry soldiers with the former as the main body. On each side of the pit a row of warriors were placed facing outside. They are presumed to be the flank guards and backguards. The warriors in the three rows on eastern side are considered the vanguard. In the nine corridors, chariots soldiers and infantrymen were placed in alternate lines, forming the main body of the huge battle formation. In each corridor, there are four rows of warriors, some in battle robes, other with armor. Chariot are placed between the warriors, each followed by a charioteer and two chariots soldiers.
The front five corridors, covering an area of 2000 sq. meters, including 1087 terracotta figures, 8 battle chariots and 32 horses are now on display. It is estimated that as many as 6000 terracotta figures and more than 180 chariot horses will be found in Pit No.1 when the pit is completely excavated.
Pit No. 2 is L-shaped, covering an area of 6000 sqm. it is formed by 4 sections: first, the eastern end, in which are 172 archers in kneeling position along the corridors in the middle; second, the southern part, formed by eight corridors in each row followed by two to four chariot soliders(No infantrymen are found here), third, the central part in which three rows of chariots are placed in three corridors, six chariots in each row, each followed by infantry soldiers and cavalrymen, forming a battle formation of chriots, infantrymen and cavalrymen; fourth, the L-shaped northern part. In its three corridors, there are two battle chariots placed in the east, followed by eight teams of cavalrymen, each team being arranged in four rows. These four sections are both independent from and closely connected with each other. Differrent kinds of soldiers are combined to form one integrated battle formation. which can also be described as an independent formation composed of four smaller ones.
Pit No. 2 is estimated to house 1300 warriors of different kinds, 89 battle horses, 356 chariot horses and 100 saddled horses.
Pit No. 3 is in the shape of a Chinese character, covering an area of 520 sq meters, Unearthed here are one battle chariot, four chariot horse and 68 warrior figures, The warriors in this pit were arranged face to face, suggesting that Pit No. 3 is the command headquarter of the Qin terracotta amrmy.
History of China... Ming Dynasty
How it all started in China...
Miyawaki Junko, a historian and an author, explains China's history and China's notion of territory.
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Facts about China:
The name China came from Qin, which was the first imperial dynasty founded in 221 BC. Qin became Sina then China. Chinese civilization is 2200 years long. China has been occupied by northern races since 600. Han race is almost despaired or assimilated into northern races. China (ROC) was founded in 1912 with only 14 states. Mongol, Manchu, and Taiwan were independent nations. History according to the Chinese perspective: What the Chinese say or what their made-up records show becomes history. The Chinese ignore historical facts. Territory according to the Chinese perspective: China is the center of world so the occupier's land becomes part of China. If China says that part of land is theirs, it will become theirs because China owns all lands. China wants to recover the biggest territory and expand more. Sinocentrism: China is the center of civilization and superior to all other nations. Must Read Book: "Ways that are dark: the truth about China" by Ralph Townsend
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The last three imperial dynasties to rule China:
the Yuan (Mongol), the Ming and the Qing (Manchu).
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........
Facts about China:
The name China came from Qin, which was the first imperial dynasty founded in 221 BC. Qin became Sina then China. Chinese civilization is 2200 years long. China has been occupied by northern races since 600. Han race is almost despaired or assimilated into northern races. China (ROC) was founded in 1912 with only 14 states. Mongol, Manchu, and Taiwan were independent nations. History according to the Chinese perspective: What the Chinese say or what their made-up records show becomes history. The Chinese ignore historical facts. Territory according to the Chinese perspective: China is the center of world so the occupier's land becomes part of China. If China says that part of land is theirs, it will become theirs because China owns all lands. China wants to recover the biggest territory and expand more. Sinocentrism: China is the center of civilization and superior to all other nations. Must Read Book: "Ways that are dark: the truth about China" by Ralph Townsend
.....
The last three imperial dynasties to rule China:
the Yuan (Mongol), the Ming and the Qing (Manchu).
Ancient Chinese Inventions
Europeans often claim they are superior based on "their" inventions.
But as this Discovery Channel documentary shows, Europeans merely copied many inventions that originated in The East.
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But as this Discovery Channel documentary shows, Europeans merely copied many inventions that originated in The East.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Dr.Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal Plastic - Surgeon - England
D. Sharif palm Ghaza 's born in Syria, he studied medicine and graduated from the University of Damascus in 1983, then earned a master's degree in general surgery in 1988. began his training in plastic surgery, hand and burns in Ireland in 1990, where he earned a fellowship from the Royal Academy of Surgeons in Ireland He then moved to Britain in 1994, where authorized in the jurisdiction of Plastic Surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons in London in 1997. has received
also a PhD in plastic surgery from the University of Nottingham in Ankltraam 2000 .
and received a Masters degree in medical law and medical ethics from the Department of Law at the University Huddersfield in Britain in 2006. he still lives and works in Britain, West Yorkshire, a consultant in plastic surgery and hand and is a member of the Board of Medical Ethics to monitor the research university in Bradford, England.
which is a Staz Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Leeds in Britain
also a PhD in plastic surgery from the University of Nottingham in Ankltraam 2000 .
and received a Masters degree in medical law and medical ethics from the Department of Law at the University Huddersfield in Britain in 2006. he still lives and works in Britain, West Yorkshire, a consultant in plastic surgery and hand and is a member of the Board of Medical Ethics to monitor the research university in Bradford, England.
which is a Staz Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Leeds in Britain
Performed and participated in more than 30 papers in Altb surgery have been published for most of them in a number of specialized international magazines.
D. Sharif palm of deer is a member of a number of international associations, led by the British Association of Plastic Surgeons,
and the British Society for Surgery microstructure, and the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the World Association for burns, and the Academy of Science in New York, and others.
his name was included in the global list of doctors for excellence in publication Who's Who American in 2000.
and the British Society for Surgery microstructure, and the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the World Association for burns, and the Academy of Science in New York, and others.
his name was included in the global list of doctors for excellence in publication Who's Who American in 2000.
D. Sharif, his interests and several research in the field of Islamic Medicine
, a founding member of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine and a member of its executive and one of the editors of International Journal of the Society. a member of the consultant in the International Institute of Islamic medicine in the United States
is also a member of the editorial board of Arab physician by published in Europe and in Arabic-speaking on behalf of the Union of Arab Doctors in Europe . And Member Editorial Board of Encyclopedia of Arab Doctors
also a member in institutions and other associations interested in the history of medicine and medical ethics
, a founding member of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine and a member of its executive and one of the editors of International Journal of the Society. a member of the consultant in the International Institute of Islamic medicine in the United States
is also a member of the editorial board of Arab physician by published in Europe and in Arabic-speaking on behalf of the Union of Arab Doctors in Europe .
also a member in institutions and other associations interested in the history of medicine and medical ethics
Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal was born in Syria
He graduated from Damascus University Medical School in in 1983
Obtained his Master Degree of Surgery in 1988 in
Trained in Ireland & England in Plastic Surgery
Certified by the Royal College of Surgeons in England in 1997
Obtained "Doctor of Medicine "- MD - postgraduate degree in plastic surgery from Nottingham University in two thousand
Also obtained "Master of Arts" - MA - in Medical Law & Ethics from Huddersfield University in the UK in 2006
He is still living and working in the UK as a Plastic Surgeon H e is member of Bradford Research Ethics Committee Also he is Honorary Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds (UK).
He has published many articles and papers in plastic, Reconstructive & hand surgery He is a member in many professional associations
British Association of Plastic Surgeons British Society for Surgery of the Hand British Microsurgical Society Royal Society of Medicine International Society for Burn Injuries New York Academy of Sciences
Dr.. Sharif has developed a significant interest in Islamic Medicine
He is one of the founders and executive members of the International Society for History of Islamic Medicine (ISHIM)
and one of the editors of the Journal ISHIM .
He is Advisor Member for the Council Board of the International Institute of Islamic Medicine (IIIM) in Florida - USA
He is also a member of the scientific editorial board of the Arab Physician Journal (The official journal of The Arab Physicians Union in Europe ) And he is one of the editors of theProminent Arab Physician's Encyclopaedia He is also member of many other Islamic medical and professional associations
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