Western and Central Asians in Fukien Region under the Yuan: Solid and complex Religious Traditions

• In Event: Conflicting Identities: Negotiating Ethnicity and Religion in Mongol China and Beyond

Abstract

: The Mongol empire is characterized by the intertwining of a variety of religious traditions, which can be observed in both contemporary sources and a range of religious remains, including Islamic, Christian, and Hindu stone inscriptions. The frequent use of the words of the prophet Muhammad, “whoso hath died a stranger hath died a martyr,” in Arabic inscriptions on graves found in Quanzhou, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou suggest that immigrants from the former Khwarazm empire shared a solid “diaspora identity.” However, one’s religion cannot be said to have decided one’s identity, and people of the same religion were by no means a homogeneous group. For example, the inscription for the “localized” foreign merchant Pu Shougeng 蒲寿庚 from the late Southern Song to early Yuan period represents this complex situation. The stone inscription, currently in the Daoism site of Qingyuantong 清源洞 on Mt. Qingyuan, tells us that Pu Shougeng and his elder brother Pu Shoucheng assisted in building a Daoism shrine in 1281, when Pu Shougeng was engaging in vigorous trade under the guise of official overseas missions. In contrast to the stereotypical view that emphasizes the conflict between Western and Central Asian people and native Chinese during the Yuan period, a number of accounts indicate that the Western and Central Asians were admired by local people for their contributions to the local society, which included giving loans or donations to help poor people.

Author

• Masaki Mukai, Doshisha University