Chapter 5 - The Sinicization of Islam in China

Summary

The dynastic change from the Yuan dynasty to the Ming dynasty in 1368 had a lasting impact on Islam and the Muslims in China. The Muslim ethnic groups crossed over to uncharted territories and their future was full of uncertainties. On the one hand, it signified the end of the golden age of Islam as they had lost the political patronage of the Mongol emperors and all the privileges attached to it. On the other hand, the founding Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang reinstated Han Chinese rule and the Chinese concept of world order. Within China, the vision and mission set by the Ming emperors demanded Chinese influence in all aspects of life among the Han Chinese and all minority groups such as the Hui Muslims. In other words, the Ming emperors set to Sinicize all non-Chinese ethnic groups within China. Why was the Sinicization policy conceived? How was it implemented? How did the Hui Muslims react to such a Sinicization move? How did they redefine their faith and position in the Chinese empire and Chinese society? These are some of the key questions this chapter will try to answer. In short, this chapter will explore the conception of the assimilation policy, the Sinicization process and the response of the Hui Muslims.

THE FOUNDING OF THE MING DYNASTY AND ITS SINICIZATION POLICY

In the beginning of the 1300s, the Yuan Dynasty began to face financial crisis caused by over-spending on the building of a majestic palace in Dadu (Beijing), construction of Buddhist monasteries, and incurring large military expenditures. The treasury was virtually empty. The flooding of the Yellow River in the 1340s and 1350s which caused severe famine was the last straw that led to the fall of the Yuan dynasty. In 1351, the Yuan government conscripted thousands of men to work on rerouting the Yellow River and dredging the Grand Canal. The forced labour measures provoked the outbreak of the large-scaled Red Turban rebellion. Within a year, the rebellion had swept across the Yangtze Valley.

The founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was caught in this period of social unrest. He was born in 1328 in Anhui, an area which was affected by the re-routing of the Yellow River project. After his father's death in the famine, he became destitute.