Chinese Muslim Tradition and Liu Zhi’s Legacy

Abstract

This chapter provides Liu Zhi's background in the historical development of the Chinese Muslim intellectual tradition. It further examines his sources and influences, as well as his legacy, including the recognition (after Liu Zhi's death) of the Tianfang dianli in the Siku quanshu, the official compendium of state-accepted literature under the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736–1796). As they reconciled the two sides of their dual heritage, Chinese Muslim scholars struggled to maintain a sense of honoring tradition even as they embarked on an enterprise that required significant innovation. Both the Chinese and Islamic traditions have long histories of syncretizing foreign elements, though both Islam and Confucianism assert a pristine transmission of tradition and dogmatically reject the introduction of innovative thought to the teachings of their founders. Examining this internal paradox from two sides, the chapter shows how Chinese Islamic syncretism is an exponentially complicated reality.