As early as in the middle of the 7th century, Islam was introduced into China. Having spread and developed for 1300 years, going through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and the Republic Period (618-1949 A.D.), Islam has developed more than20 million followers (Muslims) in China. It was called by different names in different historic periods. In the Tang Dynasty (618-
907 A.D.), Islam was called “Dashi Jiao” (religion of Dashi. Arabs were called Dashi then); in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), it was called “Tianfang Jiao” (religion of Arabia), or “Hui Hui Jiao” (religion of the Hui Huis. Muslims of various ethnic backgrounds were generally called Hui Hui then); at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1616-
1911 A.D.), it was called “Qingzhen Jiao” (pure and true religion); in the Republic Period (1912-1949 A.D.), it was called “Hui Jiao” (religion of the Huis, which is a Muslim ethnic group in China)? After New China was founded in 1949, the State Council issued “Notice Concerning the Name of Islam” in 1956, pointing out: “Islam is an internationalized religion, and the term of "Islam‘ isthe internationally used common name for this religion.“ ”Do not use the term of "Hui Jiao‘ for Islam henceforth, simply call it Islam.“ Since then, the term of Islam was commonly used on the mainland of China, while it was still called ”Hui Jiao“ in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Among the 56 ethnic groups in China, there are 10, namely the Huis, the Uighurs, the Kazaks, the Dongxiangs, the Khalkhas, the Salas, the Tajiks, the Uzbeks, the Bao"ans and the Tatars, that take Islam as their national faith. There are a small number of Muslims among the Mongolians, the Tibetans, the Bais and the Dais as well.
Islam exerted great influence on the social life of China, especially on the social development and ethnic traditions of the10 minority groups that take Islam as their national faith. Muslims in China have and are still making great contributions to the development of politics, the economy, and the culture of China as well.