A 600-year history of Islamic merchants operating in southern Chinese ports (750–1400 AD)

For 600 years, from the mid-8th century to the late 14th century, from the Tang to the Ming, Song, and Yuan dynasties, the ports of southern China were the inner courtyard of the Muslim maritime community.
They cultivated a maritime trading diaspora thousands of miles from their native West Asia.
Considering the distance and danger of the sea voyage between the two ends of Asia, it is remarkable in world history.
They were numerous enough to organize multi-generational communities of considerable size for centuries.
The trade they conducted varied over time, reflecting the composition of their communities, their competitors, their settlements, and their relationships with Chinese authorities.
Although records of them are extremely scarce, the material examined in this book demonstrates the crucial role played by Muslim merchants in China's port cities and in China's maritime trade with Asia.