The exchanges of embassies, trade and culture between China and Arabia was becoming increasingly frequent by the 7th century. Many Arabian merchants became integrated into central China and along the Slik Road due to business or inter-marriage. The traders and their descendants would become the earliest Muslims in China.

Trade on the Silk Road all but ceased during the Song dynasty due to wars; this led to the creations of the Maritime Silk Road that departed from China's coastal cities down to the coast of Southeast Asia then onto Arabia. Many mosques built in the Song dynasty still survive in Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Yangzhou.

Ethnic immigration is another factor that contributed to the introduction of Islam to China. A major wave of immigration took place during the An Lushan and Shi Siming rebellions duing the Tang dynasty. The Tang emperor had to recruit soldiers from the Arabia in order to crush the revolt and after the war, many of the Muslim soldiers settled in China. Another mass influx occurred after Genghis Khan established his enormous empire across Asia and Europe. He encouraged a large number of people from Central and Western Asia to immigrate to China, most whom were Muslims. This later migration formed the basis of the Hui nationality and today the Hui continue to practice Islam with their own unique traditions. After the 10th century, ethnic minorities in China's northwest began turning to Islam. In the late 15th century, it spread to the Uyghurs living in Xinjiang and it became the dominant religion in the region by the 17th century with the mojority of Chinese Muslims following the Sunni branch.

Beliefs and Features of Muslims
The founder of Islam Mohammed is believed to be a great prophet and the scripture is the Koran. Allah is the god of Islam. Imam is the worship leader of the mosque as well as a Muslim community who in charge of the religious works and leads Islamic worship services; Iman plays an important role that gives names to newborn babies, conducts marriages and funerals and so on.

Muslims prefer wheaten food and eat beef and mutton; while pork and meat of non-ruminants, animal blood and dead animals are forbidden in their diet. Almost in every city in China, a Muslim restaurant can be found with kinds of Halal (the legal food of Muslims), and the Lanzhou Lamian (noodles) restaurants run by Muslims are common almost in every street in cities.

The costume of Muslims is the style of the central Asia people. The distinctive feature is their headwear. Males prefer white or black caps with exquisite embroidery, while females wear hijabs, and different colors are chosen for different ages