Islam arrived in China during the Tang and Song dynasties (618 BC-AD 1279) through trade links. From the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Islam became an independent religion in China, and many of its followers came from ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. There are now about 20 million Chinese Muslims. There are more than 40 mosques in Beijing that are open to the public.

(Source: Beijing This Month, china.org.cn August 27, 2007))