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| Introduction-Islamic
Presence Strong in Quanzhou |
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This
woman is in charge of sweeping Beidi Temple, where business
people go to pray before heading abroad on business
trips.
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During its height, Quanzhou was a veritable
showcase of religious tolerance. Apart from Buddhism and Hinduism,
Islam, Nestorianism, Manichaeism and Taoism all made their
mark in this city.
Near Quanzhou's east entrance, there are two graves known
as the Sacred Tombs of Islam, where two disciples of the Islamic
prophet Mohammed are buried. Mohammed founded Islam in the
early 600's, and during that time sent four of his disciples
to China. The first disciple went to Guangzhou, the second
to Yangzhou, and the third and fourth to Quanzhou.
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The
origin of this stone pillar in the Xinmen area is uncertain:
some believe it to be a large Shiva lingam (the male
reproductive organ) as is commonly worshipped in Hinduism;
while others claim it is the 'fengshui' rock for Quanzhou.
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Some people wonder why, if
Islam was only just established, the
prophet would send four disciples to China. This is actually
very simple to explain. When Islam was first founded it was
declared illegal in the prophet's own homeland, therefore Mohammed
tried to spread his beliefs abroad first. When he learned that
Tang-dynasty China was both large and prosperous, and that there
was a maritime route there, he made the decision to send his
four followers to the Orient. Therefore China was one of the
world's first countries to receive the teachings of Mohammed.
One of the earliest Islamic mosques in China is located in Quanzhou,
on Tushan Street. It was built in 1009, and is an imitation
of a mosque in Syria's city of Damascus. The main parts of the
structure include the entrance gate, Fengtian Altar, Mingshan
Chamber and Prayer Hall. During an earthquake in 1607 the dome
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The
square in front of the main hall of Kaiyuan Temple has
many stone carvings which show the influence of Hinduism
on Chinese architecture.
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of the tower on Fengtian Altar collapsed,
but the four walls remain intact. The entrance gate is the most
well-preserved part of the compound. It is 20 metres high and
in the centre of the vaulted ceiling is an architectural design
called a "caisson". As this is a design common to ancient Chinese
buildings, it is clear that architecturally, the mosque
is a combination of Chinese and Islamic styles.
In Quanzhou one can also see a large number of tombstones with
Arabic writing, or sometimes both Arabic and Chinese words.
These tombs obviously belong to Muslims and many of them bear
the words Fanke Mu, literally meaning "foreign guest's tomb".
This indicates that Muslims from abroad who settled in Quanzhou
used the word "fanke" to refer to themselves. The interesting
thing is that these words were in Arabic but were written like
Chinese calligraphy! |
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