The congress on “China and the Muslim World: Cultural Encounters” was organized jointly by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS, Beijing) and IRCICA in 2012. It was the first congress on the subject, aimed at encouraging research and studies on the long and rich history of cultural contacts and exchanges between two great civilizations, the Chinese and the Islamic. The organizers emphasized the scholarly importance of the congress as well as its significance for further fostering the existing relations between China and the Muslim world in various sectors of trade, investment, tourism, and education. The congress was addressed by the Chinese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Zhai Jun. The high-quality scholarly sessions received valuable research papers dealt with diverse, often multidisciplinary, topics. Thus, an important set of studies carrying new information and new analyses were contributed to scholarly literature. The congress also generated research findings concerning the ways and channels of exchanges and their trends in different contexts, such as interactions in philosophy and sciences, mutual influences in arts and architecture; travels and missions for diplomatic, educational and other motives, among others. In addition to historical topics, the congress also generated a discussion on present cultural relations and future perspectives. The inaugural and the closing sessions recorded observations and recommendations of academic and practical relevance. It was recommended among others that the congress be given a periodical character. The book begins with the texts of the opening speeches. Then 25 articles, either in English or in Chinese with English abstracts, are grouped under headings corresponding to the congress’ session themes: “Historical Processes of Relations between China and the Muslim World”, “Communication and Interactions on Art”, “Cultural Interactions through Literature and Language”, “Cultural Encounters in Science, Religion and Thought”, “Relations between Modern China and the Muslim world”.
