After Arab Islam was introduced into China, it was bound to be influenced by Chinese traditional culture, especially by Han culture. The famous Hui scholar Ma Zhu (1640-1711), who claimed to be the "Sage of Tianfang", advocated: "The saint is not stagnant in all things but can move with the world." Liu Zhi (about 1660-1730), another Hui scholar in the Qing Dynasty, also advocated: "It doesn't matter if the time is appropriate, so just follow it." These traditional Chinese cultures include regional, ethnic, linguistic, and pagan cultures. Culture affects various sects of Chinese Islam to varying degrees.

For example, the leaders of many sects have the highest religious authority and are considered to be "supermen" who preach on behalf of Allah and the Holy Prophet. They implement the hereditary system of eldest son. We know that "passion from father to son" was the main social and political form of feudal society. In China, the orthodox view of the hereditary throne as the basic content of the eldest son has a long history and is deeply rooted. Those sects that carry out direct lineage inheritance of religious rights cannot be said to have nothing to do with the ideological influence of "family world" in China's feudal society. In addition, many members of the Menhuan sect and the Yishan sect practice kneeling and worshiping the leader; when asking for a call or a tu'a from the leader, they must kneel down and place the "Haihaiye" at the leader's feet to show their loyalty. . Obviously, this kind of kneeling is not in line with Islamic teachings, but it did exist in the history of Mufti Menhuan, Zhequanlin Yemenhuan and other sects after Ma Yuanzhang. This is a ceremony for the emperors of feudal China to meet with each other, and is the result of the influence of Confucianism.

Xidaotang is more obviously influenced by traditional Chinese culture and is known as the "Sinology School". Its founder, Ma Qixi (1857-1914), studied Confucianism at a young age, studied the "Four Books" and the "Five Classics", and read hundreds of schools of thought. He was a Confucian scholar. In the seventeenth year of Guangxu (1891), he set up a private school in his hometown, advocating teaching Confucian classics. He worked hard to study the works of Nanjing Hui scholar Liu Zhi (Jie Lian), who was highly Confucian, and vigorously promoted Liu Zhi's teachings. In the brief rules of Xidaotang formulated by him himself, he clearly stated: "This Daotang summarizes Islamic orthodoxy based on Islamic teachings to promote Jinling Jielian's doctrine, and promotes Islamic doctrine based on national culture to ensure that our compatriots understand Islam. "The purpose of teaching is to teach the teachings of Islam." Only Xidaotang founded by Ma Qixi has such a clear declaration of using traditional Chinese culture to promote Islamic teachings. Fan Changjiang (1909-1970), a famous Chinese journalist, made some reports on Xidaotang in his book "The Northwest Corner of China" and believed that this sect "has great influence in philosophy, religion, and social movements." , all deserve serious attention." The main reason is that Xidaotang "focuses more on the cultural aspect" and "uses Chinese culture to promote the teachings of Islam." This is indeed very insightful.