This book investigates how Muslim scholars in 17th and 18th century China adapted Islamic traditions to their local context. It surveys 1400 years of Islam in China, examining why early translations into Chinese were predominantly Persian Sufi texts. The author focuses on key Chinese Muslim authors Wang Tai-yu and Liu Chih, detailing their assimilation of Confucian, Neo-Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies into Islamic thought.

The book is a scholarly examination of a specific historical and cultural intersection. Its focus on the adaptation of Islamic thought within a Chinese philosophical framework suggests a text aimed at specialists in religious studies, Asian history, and Islamic scholarship. The detailed analysis of key figures and texts indicates a work that contributes to a nuanced understanding of religious syncretism and intellectual history in China.