Jews and Judaism in China have had a long history.
Jewish settlers are documented in
China as early as the 7th or 8th century
CE. Relatively isolated communities developed through the
Tang and
Song Dynasties (7th to 12th centuries CE) all the way through the
Qing Dynasty (19th century), most notably in the
Kaifeng Jews (the term "Chinese Jews" is often used in a restricted sense to refer to these communities). By the time of the establishment of the
People's Republic of China in 1949, few if any native Chinese Jews were known to have maintained the practice of their religion and culture . In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, however, some international Jewish groups have helped Chinese Jews rediscover their heritage.