Transnational Shi’ism in Southern China and the Party-state’s “Hawza” Diplomacy

Transnational Shi’ism in Southern China and the Party-state’s “Hawza” Diplomacy by Mohammed Turki Al-Sudairi

This article seeks to transcend the Sunni-centered narratives that often inform the discussions on Islamicate interactions with China. Following a cursory historical view of Shi’ism’s influences on Chinese expressions of Islam, the article presents a rough sketch of the contemporary transnational Shi’ite communities that have emerged over the past few decades in southern China, most notably those of Guangzhou (Guangdong) and Yiwu (Zhejiang). It then considers the simultaneous and closely-linked phenomenon, dubbed “hawza diplomacy,” of the Chinese party-state’s growing engagement with the custodial authorities of the Shi’ite shrines of Iraq.

-- From the Middle East-Asia Project (MAP) series All About China --