On Divin Hill (Lingshan)in the eastern suburbs of Quanzhou are the graves of two Arab Muslim saints. It is said that they came to Quanzhou as missionaries in the early Tang Dynasty (618-907) and were buried here after their deaths. At night, their graves gave off a mysterious glow, so the people of Quanzhou referred to them respectfully as the Graves of the Saints, and to the hill as Divinity Hill. This is one of the eatrliest historical sites related to the transmission of Islam to China, and also one of the earliest Islamic graves in China.
In the open space in front of the Graves of Saints stand an enormous upright stone atop a flat rock. Because the stone can be made to rock, it has been called the'stone which Moves in the Wind', a name to which poets have added the phrase “Biyu Qiu”, for greater elegance. This natural wonder gives the Graves of the Saints an even more mysterious air. |