Chang's religion and ethnic background is a controversial issue in Chinese historian circles. According to Bai Shouyi, Fu Tongxian, Jin Jitang, Ma Yiyu and Qiu Shusen (they are all Hui people except Qiu), Chang was from the Hui ethnic group. Tan Ta Sen and Dru C. Gladney also identified him as Hui or Muslim.[3][4][5] Wen Yong-ning argued that Chang might not be Hui, based on Chang's family traditions and offspring and the status of the Semu in the Yuan dynasty.[6] In a later paper, Li Jianbiao mentioned that Wen's work was speculative and not convincing.[7]