Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The Beijing-Fengtian Railway signal station and a small preserved section of track. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



The Beijing-Fengtian Railway signal station and a small preserved section of track. This signal station was designed and built in 1901 by British railway engineer Claude W. Kinder, just like the Qianmen Railway Station. The Beijing-Fengtian Railway opened fully in 1912, and this small section of track was discovered in 2002 during the construction of the Beijing Ming City Wall Ruins Park.





Then I went to the Wen Tianxiang Shrine. After his resistance against the Yuan dynasty failed in 1279, Wen Tianxiang was imprisoned in the Bingmasi jail in Dadu, and he was executed in 1282 at Chaishi, which is now Jiaodaokou. In 1376, the Ming Dynasty built the Wen Tianxiang Shrine on the former site of the Bingmasi prison.







Next to the Wen Tianxiang Shrine is my alma mater, Fuxue Hutong Primary School. During the Yuan Dynasty, this site was the Bao'en Mosque. It became the Daxing County School in 1368, was renamed Shuntian Prefecture School in 1403, and became the modern primary school Shuntian Prefecture Higher Primary School in 1903.

The picture below shows the classroom where I went to school. The ground floor is very high, and there are three more floors underground.



School gate



The Lingxing Gate (lingxingmen) that we sketched in our art class



The Dacheng Gate (Dachengmen), Dacheng Hall (Dachengdian), and Pan Pool (Panchi) where we used to run and play.



In the afternoon, we went to the Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling. During the Kangxi reign, this place was the garden of Mingzhu's mansion and the home of the poet Nalan Xingde. It became a villa for Heshen during the Qianlong reign, the garden of Prince Cheng's mansion during the Jiaqing reign, later the garden of the Prince Chun mansion belonging to the father of the Guangxu Emperor, and finally the garden of the Prince Regent's mansion belonging to the father of Puyi.







The surface of Houhai Lake after leaving the Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling.





We strolled along Shichahai and the Yu River to Dongbuyaqiao Bridge. This is the site of the Chengqing Middle Sluice of the Grand Canal from the Yuan Dynasty, built by the Yuan Dynasty water conservancy expert Guo Shoujing.



I went to the Duo Zhuayu bookstore in the evening and bought a very interesting book for 3 yuan called In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale, which is about a trip to 12th-century Egypt. I read a hundred pages in one sitting. The author is an Indian anthropology PhD who graduated from Oxford University. He learned about the story of a 12th-century Arab Jewish merchant and his Indian slave from some documents, so he went to Egypt in the 1980s to conduct research himself. The book mentions that a synagogue in Cairo had a manuscript storage room comparable to the Dunhuang library cave. In the 19th century, the British took hundreds of thousands of precious Jewish documents from it, including Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible that had never been discovered before. It also talks about the author's life while doing fieldwork in Cairo in the 1980s, and some of the descriptions, like those during Ramadan, are very interesting.









March 6, taking a walk.

The Dongsi Hutong Museum on Dongsi Fourth Alley is a classic three-courtyard traditional house (siheyuan) near my home. It was renovated a few years ago and is now a community space for the Dongsi area.











Next to the museum



After leaving, I went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre Museum at the Capital Theatre.



The restored desk of Cao Yu



A wooden makeup box handmade by the theatre during its early years



Sketches of characters from the play Teahouse (Chaguan) with an inscription by Lao She, drawn by Ye Qianyu.





Props used in the play Teahouse (Chaguan).



A scale model of the Teahouse (Chaguan) stage set.



Costume design sketches for the play The Top Restaurant in the World (Tianxia Diyi Lou).



March 7, Indonesian Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum.

I visited the Tsinghua University Art Museum to see the Indonesian modern and contemporary art exhibition. It features a rich collection of works from various art groups and artists spanning from the 1930s to the present day. It is well worth a visit.

The first section displays representative works by early Indonesian contemporary artists. In the first half of the 20th century, the first contemporary art movement in Indonesia was called Sanggar, which means studio. At that time, different groups of artists formed many art studios across the islands of Java and Bali. The earliest of these was the Pita Maha studio, established in 1936 on Bali by artists including the Russian-German painter Walter Spies and the Dutch painter Johan Rudolf Bonnet. They combined traditional Balinese painting with modern European painting to create a new style of Balinese art.



The painting "Balinese Beauties Weaving and Sewing" by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur. Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur was born in Belgium in 1880 and moved to Bali in 1932. In Bali, he met a 15-year-old dancer named Ni Nyoman Pollok. He used her as a model for many paintings, which became a big success after being shown in Singapore in 1933. Le Mayeur married Ni Pollok in 1935 and continued to use her as his model for his work from then on. Le Mayeur passed away due to illness in 1958. Ni Pollok handed over all of her husband's property to the Indonesian government and turned his former home into a museum.



The painting "Buffalo and Herdsman" by Lee Man Fong in 1959. Lee Man Fong was born in Guangzhou in 1913 and moved to Singapore with his father for business when he was young. After his father died in 1930, he made a living by painting advertisements. He moved to Jakarta in 1932 and was imprisoned for six months in 1942 for opposing Japanese colonial rule. After Indonesia gained independence, Lee Man Fong held a solo exhibition in Jakarta in 1946 and exhibited his work abroad many times. In 1955, he founded the Yin Hua Art Association for ethnic Chinese painters in Jakarta and organized many exhibitions. In 1956, the association was invited to visit China, where they held exhibitions for five months.



The second part explains that after the Bandung Higher Education Center for Art Teachers was established in 1947 and the Indonesian Academy of Arts in Yogyakarta in 1949, Indonesian modern art shifted from studio-based work to an academic model. Art courses in Bandung were set up by European painters and leaned toward European and American modern art standards, especially abstract formalism, while the Yogyakarta art academy system inherited the style of early art studios and leaned more toward social realism. In 1965, the military purged realism as communist art, and some artists were brutally massacred.



The 'Another Urban' theme introduces a group of Indonesian artists who became famous between the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their work mostly points directly to key issues in social development, such as social identity, marginalization, historical trauma, discrimination against women, and political corruption. Against the backdrop of international art focusing on multiculturalism in the 1990s, their work received high regard from the international art community.



The 'Post-Reform and Globalization' theme introduces the post-Suharto era that began in Indonesia in 1998. Political reform brought gradually relaxed censorship, and the internet brought the spread of information. Indonesian artists born in the 1970s became trendsetters in the early 21st century, and their work became more international.



Six young Minangkabau artists from West Sumatra established the 'Kelompok Seni Rupa Jendela,' or 'Window Art Group,' in Yogyakarta in 1996. They love to break down stereotypes and use visual images to create strange-looking symbols.



Indonesian curator Rain Rosidi coined the term Jogja Agro Pop to describe how young artists in Yogyakarta blended daily life with global pop culture in the early 21st century. They draw inspiration from everyday rural life in Yogyakarta as well as subcultures like sci-fi comics and graffiti.



I visited All Saints Bookstore (Wansheng Shuyuan) at noon and bought a book about early Arab ceramics. To be honest, I prefer the new book selection at All Saints Bookstore (Wansheng Shuyuan) over Sanlian Bookstore.







March 16, the Algerian film Papicha.

I attended the French Film Panorama hosted by the China Film Archive and the French Embassy, which was the first film exhibition in Beijing in 2021. In late 1990s Algeria, extremists used religion to carry out violence and oppression. Strong and brave Arab girls used a fashion show to resist, but it ended in tragedy. This is a film from a female perspective. After watching it, Zainab felt very depressed and could not pull herself out of it for a long time.



March 19, the Malaysian Chinese film The Story of Southern Islet (Nan Wu).

The opening film for the Southward Ambiguity exhibition, The Story of Southern Islet (Nan Wu), premiered on March 19 at the Yu She art space. This is a brilliant Malaysian film. It is not just about the Chinese community, but also about the diverse, blended cultures of Malaysia. Set in the rice fields (dao tian) beneath Mount Keriang on the border of Malaysia and Thailand, a Hokkien-descended Chinese person is cursed with black magic, and a Malay shaman performs rituals to break the spell. I was very excited to see Malay shadow puppetry (piyingxi) on the big screen for the first time; it was performed beautifully. After the screening, the director joined us for an online Q&A. He spoke very well and mentioned his next film, Snow in Midsummer (Wu Yue Xue). It tells the story of a Malaysian Chinese Teochew opera troupe struggling through the changing times from the 1950s to the 1990s. I am really looking forward to it.





March 20, Daliushu Second-hand Market and Panjiayuan Antique Book Market.

I went to Daliushu Second-hand Market on Saturday. It has been a long time since I last visited! I heard it was closed for a while, but it is lively again now. Beyond the market itself, the roadside by the entrance is full of informal stalls. The atmosphere is great and much more interesting than Panjiayuan.













While browsing the Panjiayuan Antique Book Market, I bought a copy of the Ningxia Pictorial from January 1988 for 5 yuan. I really enjoy looking at old pictorials.





In 1987, Najiahu had a mosque, fried dough twists (sanzi), carpet making, and a market.



A Hui Muslim bride in Linxia in 1987.



Autumn and winter fashion in Yinchuan in 1987.



April 9, walking through the alley in the evening.

After dinner, I took a walk through the alleyways. Beijing at night feels just like it did when I was a kid.



Beihai Bridge



Beihai Round City (Tuancheng)





City God Temple (Chenghuangmiao) on Daxing Alley



April 16, Nandouyacai Mosque





April 17: Panjiayuan Antique Book Market, Daliushu Second-hand Market, and Xinqiao Market.

I picked up some ethnic picture cards at the Panjiayuan Antique Book Market today, published by the Central Institute of Nationalities research department in the late 1970s. They really capture the style of that era. I was surprised to find cards of the Salar people; it would have been hard to identify them without checking the back.







I bought a 1984 issue of Nationalities Pictorial (Minzu Huabao) that features an article about halal meals served on the T43/44 train between Beijing and Lanzhou in the 1980s.



Kazakh people hunting with eagles.



I went to browse the Daliushu Second-hand Market again.



I spent the afternoon at the Xinqiao market and bought three world music records from documentary director Cong Feng. One was East African Zanzibar music, one was Pakistani devotional music, and one was Bosnian music. He had many other great records, like Azerbaijani mugham and Javanese gamelan, but I managed to stop myself from buying more.













April 18, Book market at Langyuan.

The book market at Langyuan was so crowded this afternoon! I bought three books at half price. They were A Brief History of Iran by Post Wave, Ibn Khaldun by Social Sciences Academic Press, and A Study of the Samanid Dynasty in Central Asia (Revised Edition) by The Commercial Press. It was a great deal.











April 23, Taoranting Park and Panjiayuan Ghost Market.

The weather in Beijing is so nice today.





The Panjiayuan Ghost Market is open from 7:00 PM on Friday until 4:00 AM on Saturday. Zainab said she has never seen so many Beijingers with stronger accents than mine all at once.









April 28, Dos Xinjiang Art Festival.

The Dost Xinjiang Art Festival features art exhibits, a market, and film screenings. It runs until May 4 at the Aotu Space in Beixinqiao.



















I watched three Uyghur short films. "Alex" is a dark comedy about Uyghur people in Yining, and it is quite fun.

"My Choice" tells the story of a Uyghur girl who dropped out of school to marry and have children early. She wants to take the college entrance exam and go to university, but she ultimately faces a life she cannot escape. The film shows many vivid details of daily life. What impressed me most was the story the main character tells her son about a little tiger who loved eating instant noodles and ended up with a stomach illness.

"Crossing the Calm River" is set in snow-covered fields. It follows a Uyghur father and son on their way home after buying pomegranates, as their memories begin to intertwine. The overall tone is quite dark, using empty shots, blurred focus, and close-ups. It is interesting to see the small emotions of young boys and girls. Last year, I also walked and talked in the snow in Xinjiang with someone I liked.



The art festival has places to read books and soak up the sun, with some books about Xinjiang art.





The place where they show movies has Uyghur calligraphy hanging up.





Paintings by Uyghur artists Reshidan Aili and Najimiding Aizezi.



I bought a cloth bag illustrated by Haidi, which shows an uncle at the bazaar.



May 13, Eid al-Fitr.

In the morning, we attended the Eid prayer at the Nandouyacai Mosque.







After the prayer, we gathered on the rooftop of the century-old Jianzhai shop on Yangmeizhu Xiejie street outside Qianmen for a buffet. The 21st-generation descendant of Wang Huihui from Jiantang personally fried the deep-fried dough (youxiang) for us. It was super delicious, with a chewy texture that was not hard at all. We also ate beef stew and sugar-rolled fruit (tang juanguo), which are traditional specialties of the Hui Muslims in old Beijing. The beef is brought in from Niujie street every morning and stewed fresh, never kept overnight. The sugar-rolled fruit is made by steaming yams, dates, and raisins, then stir-frying them in caramelized sugar, which is a very time-consuming process. Besides traditional old Beijing specialties, there was chicken curry, tomato pasta, fried cod fillets, fruit salad, and small cream cakes. It was a very satisfying meal.









May 23: Climbed the Drum Tower and visited the former residence of Mei Lanfang.

I took Zainab up to the top of the Drum Tower to look at the view.









Then we visited the former residence of Mei Lanfang. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The Beijing-Fengtian Railway signal station and a small preserved section of track. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



The Beijing-Fengtian Railway signal station and a small preserved section of track. This signal station was designed and built in 1901 by British railway engineer Claude W. Kinder, just like the Qianmen Railway Station. The Beijing-Fengtian Railway opened fully in 1912, and this small section of track was discovered in 2002 during the construction of the Beijing Ming City Wall Ruins Park.





Then I went to the Wen Tianxiang Shrine. After his resistance against the Yuan dynasty failed in 1279, Wen Tianxiang was imprisoned in the Bingmasi jail in Dadu, and he was executed in 1282 at Chaishi, which is now Jiaodaokou. In 1376, the Ming Dynasty built the Wen Tianxiang Shrine on the former site of the Bingmasi prison.







Next to the Wen Tianxiang Shrine is my alma mater, Fuxue Hutong Primary School. During the Yuan Dynasty, this site was the Bao'en Mosque. It became the Daxing County School in 1368, was renamed Shuntian Prefecture School in 1403, and became the modern primary school Shuntian Prefecture Higher Primary School in 1903.

The picture below shows the classroom where I went to school. The ground floor is very high, and there are three more floors underground.



School gate



The Lingxing Gate (lingxingmen) that we sketched in our art class



The Dacheng Gate (Dachengmen), Dacheng Hall (Dachengdian), and Pan Pool (Panchi) where we used to run and play.



In the afternoon, we went to the Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling. During the Kangxi reign, this place was the garden of Mingzhu's mansion and the home of the poet Nalan Xingde. It became a villa for Heshen during the Qianlong reign, the garden of Prince Cheng's mansion during the Jiaqing reign, later the garden of the Prince Chun mansion belonging to the father of the Guangxu Emperor, and finally the garden of the Prince Regent's mansion belonging to the father of Puyi.







The surface of Houhai Lake after leaving the Former Residence of Soong Ching-ling.





We strolled along Shichahai and the Yu River to Dongbuyaqiao Bridge. This is the site of the Chengqing Middle Sluice of the Grand Canal from the Yuan Dynasty, built by the Yuan Dynasty water conservancy expert Guo Shoujing.



I went to the Duo Zhuayu bookstore in the evening and bought a very interesting book for 3 yuan called In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale, which is about a trip to 12th-century Egypt. I read a hundred pages in one sitting. The author is an Indian anthropology PhD who graduated from Oxford University. He learned about the story of a 12th-century Arab Jewish merchant and his Indian slave from some documents, so he went to Egypt in the 1980s to conduct research himself. The book mentions that a synagogue in Cairo had a manuscript storage room comparable to the Dunhuang library cave. In the 19th century, the British took hundreds of thousands of precious Jewish documents from it, including Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible that had never been discovered before. It also talks about the author's life while doing fieldwork in Cairo in the 1980s, and some of the descriptions, like those during Ramadan, are very interesting.









March 6, taking a walk.

The Dongsi Hutong Museum on Dongsi Fourth Alley is a classic three-courtyard traditional house (siheyuan) near my home. It was renovated a few years ago and is now a community space for the Dongsi area.











Next to the museum



After leaving, I went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre Museum at the Capital Theatre.



The restored desk of Cao Yu



A wooden makeup box handmade by the theatre during its early years



Sketches of characters from the play Teahouse (Chaguan) with an inscription by Lao She, drawn by Ye Qianyu.





Props used in the play Teahouse (Chaguan).



A scale model of the Teahouse (Chaguan) stage set.



Costume design sketches for the play The Top Restaurant in the World (Tianxia Diyi Lou).



March 7, Indonesian Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Tsinghua University Art Museum.

I visited the Tsinghua University Art Museum to see the Indonesian modern and contemporary art exhibition. It features a rich collection of works from various art groups and artists spanning from the 1930s to the present day. It is well worth a visit.

The first section displays representative works by early Indonesian contemporary artists. In the first half of the 20th century, the first contemporary art movement in Indonesia was called Sanggar, which means studio. At that time, different groups of artists formed many art studios across the islands of Java and Bali. The earliest of these was the Pita Maha studio, established in 1936 on Bali by artists including the Russian-German painter Walter Spies and the Dutch painter Johan Rudolf Bonnet. They combined traditional Balinese painting with modern European painting to create a new style of Balinese art.



The painting "Balinese Beauties Weaving and Sewing" by Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur. Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur was born in Belgium in 1880 and moved to Bali in 1932. In Bali, he met a 15-year-old dancer named Ni Nyoman Pollok. He used her as a model for many paintings, which became a big success after being shown in Singapore in 1933. Le Mayeur married Ni Pollok in 1935 and continued to use her as his model for his work from then on. Le Mayeur passed away due to illness in 1958. Ni Pollok handed over all of her husband's property to the Indonesian government and turned his former home into a museum.



The painting "Buffalo and Herdsman" by Lee Man Fong in 1959. Lee Man Fong was born in Guangzhou in 1913 and moved to Singapore with his father for business when he was young. After his father died in 1930, he made a living by painting advertisements. He moved to Jakarta in 1932 and was imprisoned for six months in 1942 for opposing Japanese colonial rule. After Indonesia gained independence, Lee Man Fong held a solo exhibition in Jakarta in 1946 and exhibited his work abroad many times. In 1955, he founded the Yin Hua Art Association for ethnic Chinese painters in Jakarta and organized many exhibitions. In 1956, the association was invited to visit China, where they held exhibitions for five months.



The second part explains that after the Bandung Higher Education Center for Art Teachers was established in 1947 and the Indonesian Academy of Arts in Yogyakarta in 1949, Indonesian modern art shifted from studio-based work to an academic model. Art courses in Bandung were set up by European painters and leaned toward European and American modern art standards, especially abstract formalism, while the Yogyakarta art academy system inherited the style of early art studios and leaned more toward social realism. In 1965, the military purged realism as communist art, and some artists were brutally massacred.



The 'Another Urban' theme introduces a group of Indonesian artists who became famous between the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their work mostly points directly to key issues in social development, such as social identity, marginalization, historical trauma, discrimination against women, and political corruption. Against the backdrop of international art focusing on multiculturalism in the 1990s, their work received high regard from the international art community.



The 'Post-Reform and Globalization' theme introduces the post-Suharto era that began in Indonesia in 1998. Political reform brought gradually relaxed censorship, and the internet brought the spread of information. Indonesian artists born in the 1970s became trendsetters in the early 21st century, and their work became more international.



Six young Minangkabau artists from West Sumatra established the 'Kelompok Seni Rupa Jendela,' or 'Window Art Group,' in Yogyakarta in 1996. They love to break down stereotypes and use visual images to create strange-looking symbols.



Indonesian curator Rain Rosidi coined the term Jogja Agro Pop to describe how young artists in Yogyakarta blended daily life with global pop culture in the early 21st century. They draw inspiration from everyday rural life in Yogyakarta as well as subcultures like sci-fi comics and graffiti.



I visited All Saints Bookstore (Wansheng Shuyuan) at noon and bought a book about early Arab ceramics. To be honest, I prefer the new book selection at All Saints Bookstore (Wansheng Shuyuan) over Sanlian Bookstore.







March 16, the Algerian film Papicha.

I attended the French Film Panorama hosted by the China Film Archive and the French Embassy, which was the first film exhibition in Beijing in 2021. In late 1990s Algeria, extremists used religion to carry out violence and oppression. Strong and brave Arab girls used a fashion show to resist, but it ended in tragedy. This is a film from a female perspective. After watching it, Zainab felt very depressed and could not pull herself out of it for a long time.



March 19, the Malaysian Chinese film The Story of Southern Islet (Nan Wu).

The opening film for the Southward Ambiguity exhibition, The Story of Southern Islet (Nan Wu), premiered on March 19 at the Yu She art space. This is a brilliant Malaysian film. It is not just about the Chinese community, but also about the diverse, blended cultures of Malaysia. Set in the rice fields (dao tian) beneath Mount Keriang on the border of Malaysia and Thailand, a Hokkien-descended Chinese person is cursed with black magic, and a Malay shaman performs rituals to break the spell. I was very excited to see Malay shadow puppetry (piyingxi) on the big screen for the first time; it was performed beautifully. After the screening, the director joined us for an online Q&A. He spoke very well and mentioned his next film, Snow in Midsummer (Wu Yue Xue). It tells the story of a Malaysian Chinese Teochew opera troupe struggling through the changing times from the 1950s to the 1990s. I am really looking forward to it.





March 20, Daliushu Second-hand Market and Panjiayuan Antique Book Market.

I went to Daliushu Second-hand Market on Saturday. It has been a long time since I last visited! I heard it was closed for a while, but it is lively again now. Beyond the market itself, the roadside by the entrance is full of informal stalls. The atmosphere is great and much more interesting than Panjiayuan.













While browsing the Panjiayuan Antique Book Market, I bought a copy of the Ningxia Pictorial from January 1988 for 5 yuan. I really enjoy looking at old pictorials.





In 1987, Najiahu had a mosque, fried dough twists (sanzi), carpet making, and a market.



A Hui Muslim bride in Linxia in 1987.



Autumn and winter fashion in Yinchuan in 1987.



April 9, walking through the alley in the evening.

After dinner, I took a walk through the alleyways. Beijing at night feels just like it did when I was a kid.



Beihai Bridge



Beihai Round City (Tuancheng)





City God Temple (Chenghuangmiao) on Daxing Alley



April 16, Nandouyacai Mosque





April 17: Panjiayuan Antique Book Market, Daliushu Second-hand Market, and Xinqiao Market.

I picked up some ethnic picture cards at the Panjiayuan Antique Book Market today, published by the Central Institute of Nationalities research department in the late 1970s. They really capture the style of that era. I was surprised to find cards of the Salar people; it would have been hard to identify them without checking the back.







I bought a 1984 issue of Nationalities Pictorial (Minzu Huabao) that features an article about halal meals served on the T43/44 train between Beijing and Lanzhou in the 1980s.



Kazakh people hunting with eagles.



I went to browse the Daliushu Second-hand Market again.



I spent the afternoon at the Xinqiao market and bought three world music records from documentary director Cong Feng. One was East African Zanzibar music, one was Pakistani devotional music, and one was Bosnian music. He had many other great records, like Azerbaijani mugham and Javanese gamelan, but I managed to stop myself from buying more.













April 18, Book market at Langyuan.

The book market at Langyuan was so crowded this afternoon! I bought three books at half price. They were A Brief History of Iran by Post Wave, Ibn Khaldun by Social Sciences Academic Press, and A Study of the Samanid Dynasty in Central Asia (Revised Edition) by The Commercial Press. It was a great deal.











April 23, Taoranting Park and Panjiayuan Ghost Market.

The weather in Beijing is so nice today.





The Panjiayuan Ghost Market is open from 7:00 PM on Friday until 4:00 AM on Saturday. Zainab said she has never seen so many Beijingers with stronger accents than mine all at once.









April 28, Dos Xinjiang Art Festival.

The Dost Xinjiang Art Festival features art exhibits, a market, and film screenings. It runs until May 4 at the Aotu Space in Beixinqiao.



















I watched three Uyghur short films. "Alex" is a dark comedy about Uyghur people in Yining, and it is quite fun.

"My Choice" tells the story of a Uyghur girl who dropped out of school to marry and have children early. She wants to take the college entrance exam and go to university, but she ultimately faces a life she cannot escape. The film shows many vivid details of daily life. What impressed me most was the story the main character tells her son about a little tiger who loved eating instant noodles and ended up with a stomach illness.

"Crossing the Calm River" is set in snow-covered fields. It follows a Uyghur father and son on their way home after buying pomegranates, as their memories begin to intertwine. The overall tone is quite dark, using empty shots, blurred focus, and close-ups. It is interesting to see the small emotions of young boys and girls. Last year, I also walked and talked in the snow in Xinjiang with someone I liked.



The art festival has places to read books and soak up the sun, with some books about Xinjiang art.





The place where they show movies has Uyghur calligraphy hanging up.





Paintings by Uyghur artists Reshidan Aili and Najimiding Aizezi.



I bought a cloth bag illustrated by Haidi, which shows an uncle at the bazaar.



May 13, Eid al-Fitr.

In the morning, we attended the Eid prayer at the Nandouyacai Mosque.







After the prayer, we gathered on the rooftop of the century-old Jianzhai shop on Yangmeizhu Xiejie street outside Qianmen for a buffet. The 21st-generation descendant of Wang Huihui from Jiantang personally fried the deep-fried dough (youxiang) for us. It was super delicious, with a chewy texture that was not hard at all. We also ate beef stew and sugar-rolled fruit (tang juanguo), which are traditional specialties of the Hui Muslims in old Beijing. The beef is brought in from Niujie street every morning and stewed fresh, never kept overnight. The sugar-rolled fruit is made by steaming yams, dates, and raisins, then stir-frying them in caramelized sugar, which is a very time-consuming process. Besides traditional old Beijing specialties, there was chicken curry, tomato pasta, fried cod fillets, fruit salad, and small cream cakes. It was a very satisfying meal.









May 23: Climbed the Drum Tower and visited the former residence of Mei Lanfang.

I took Zainab up to the top of the Drum Tower to look at the view.









Then we visited the former residence of Mei Lanfang. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Jianshui Old City — Yunnan History, Mosques and Food is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Jianshui Travel, Yunnan Travel, Muslim Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Author: Zainab

On October 5th at noon, we left Najiaying in Yuxi for Jianshui. We passed by the Guanyi Mosque in Qujiang, which houses the Awakening Dream Pavilion (Xingmeng Lou) built during the Qing Dynasty. The Awakening Dream Pavilion was first built in 1687 (the 26th year of the Kangxi reign) and was originally called the Awakening Heart Pavilion (Xingxin Lou). It was renamed the Prayer Pavilion (Bailou) after being rebuilt in 1752 (the 17th year of the Qianlong reign).











The mosque also keeps several stone lions in the local style, along with a plaque inscribed with the words "Vast, Refined, and Subtle" (Guangda Jingwei) erected in 1917 by Yunnan Army Major General Ma Wenzhong and Army Major Na Fuxing.









We traveled south from Guanyi to the Jianshui Ancient City and stayed at an old house inn called Xianting. It was very quiet and unique, and it had not been overdeveloped.



















In the evening, we went to the famous Zitao Street for a late-night snack. There were so many halal stalls on Zitao Street! The main items were grilled tofu, grilled potatoes, and grilled meat skewers. Of course, there were also various types of cattail shoot rice noodles (caoya mixian), tilapia, and pounded chicken feet. There was just too much to eat! We started with a fruit bowl, then had grilled skewers, grilled tofu, and grilled potatoes. Having lived in Beijing for a long time, it had been ages since I visited such a lively night market.

Actually, the area around Xiaogui Lake outside the Chaoyang Tower in Jianshui Ancient City is also very lively at night, with many halal restaurants. If you stay near Chaoyang Tower, you don't really need to go all the way to Zitao Street to have a great night out.



















At the Zitao Street night market, we drank pomegranate juice and ate local clay pot rice (guanguan fan) and corn cakes (yumi baba).















On the morning of October 6th, we ate the local specialty, cattail shoot bridge-crossing rice noodles, on Mashi Street near the Chaoyang Tower in the old city of Jianshui. We also bought beef jerky mooncakes (niu ganba yuebing) and purple rice lion cakes (zimi shizi gao) to eat on the road.



















According to the inscriptions inside, the Jianshui Ancient City Mosque was first built during the Huangqing era of the Yuan Dynasty and is the oldest mosque in southern Yunnan. The existing main hall was rebuilt in 1730 (the 8th year of the Yongzheng reign) and features a simplified hip-and-gable roof typical of the Jianshui region.



















The beam structure of the east-facing hall of the Jianshui Ancient City Mosque is simple and sturdy, and it is believed to be original woodwork from the Yuan Dynasty. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Jianshui Old City — Yunnan History, Mosques and Food is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Jianshui Travel, Yunnan Travel, Muslim Heritage while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Author: Zainab

On October 5th at noon, we left Najiaying in Yuxi for Jianshui. We passed by the Guanyi Mosque in Qujiang, which houses the Awakening Dream Pavilion (Xingmeng Lou) built during the Qing Dynasty. The Awakening Dream Pavilion was first built in 1687 (the 26th year of the Kangxi reign) and was originally called the Awakening Heart Pavilion (Xingxin Lou). It was renamed the Prayer Pavilion (Bailou) after being rebuilt in 1752 (the 17th year of the Qianlong reign).











The mosque also keeps several stone lions in the local style, along with a plaque inscribed with the words "Vast, Refined, and Subtle" (Guangda Jingwei) erected in 1917 by Yunnan Army Major General Ma Wenzhong and Army Major Na Fuxing.









We traveled south from Guanyi to the Jianshui Ancient City and stayed at an old house inn called Xianting. It was very quiet and unique, and it had not been overdeveloped.



















In the evening, we went to the famous Zitao Street for a late-night snack. There were so many halal stalls on Zitao Street! The main items were grilled tofu, grilled potatoes, and grilled meat skewers. Of course, there were also various types of cattail shoot rice noodles (caoya mixian), tilapia, and pounded chicken feet. There was just too much to eat! We started with a fruit bowl, then had grilled skewers, grilled tofu, and grilled potatoes. Having lived in Beijing for a long time, it had been ages since I visited such a lively night market.

Actually, the area around Xiaogui Lake outside the Chaoyang Tower in Jianshui Ancient City is also very lively at night, with many halal restaurants. If you stay near Chaoyang Tower, you don't really need to go all the way to Zitao Street to have a great night out.



















At the Zitao Street night market, we drank pomegranate juice and ate local clay pot rice (guanguan fan) and corn cakes (yumi baba).















On the morning of October 6th, we ate the local specialty, cattail shoot bridge-crossing rice noodles, on Mashi Street near the Chaoyang Tower in the old city of Jianshui. We also bought beef jerky mooncakes (niu ganba yuebing) and purple rice lion cakes (zimi shizi gao) to eat on the road.



















According to the inscriptions inside, the Jianshui Ancient City Mosque was first built during the Huangqing era of the Yuan Dynasty and is the oldest mosque in southern Yunnan. The existing main hall was rebuilt in 1730 (the 8th year of the Yongzheng reign) and features a simplified hip-and-gable roof typical of the Jianshui region.



















The beam structure of the east-facing hall of the Jianshui Ancient City Mosque is simple and sturdy, and it is believed to be original woodwork from the Yuan Dynasty. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: 2021 was a year spent stuck in Beijing, so I managed to visit many places and join many activities. I hope in 2022 I can spend less time wandering around Beijing and travel further afield, insha'Allah. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

2021 was a year spent stuck in Beijing, so I managed to visit many places and join many activities. I hope in 2022 I can spend less time wandering around Beijing and travel further afield, insha'Allah.

Historical visits: Beijing Zoo, the former site of Sino-French University, the residence of Duke Cheng'en Zhijun, the Chengqing Middle Sluice and Lower Sluice ruins of the Grand Canal, the Lao She Memorial Hall, the Shijia Hutong Museum, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park, the Hengchang Ruiji shop on Dongsi Fourth Alley, Ritan Park, the Beijing Folklore Museum, the Southeast Corner Tower of the Inner City, the Wen Tianxiang Shrine, the Soong Ching-ling Former Residence, the Dongsi Hutong Museum, the Beijing People's Art Theatre Drama Museum, the Drum Tower, the Mei Lanfang Former Residence, the Huanghualing Great Wall, the old Ma Yinglong Eye Medicine shop building, the Lugou Bridge, and the Qianmen Gate Tower.

Performances: traditional music by Syrian Kurdish and Iranian Isfahan musicians, the Uyghur fusion band JAM, the Beijing People's Art Theatre production of "Teahouse" starring Liang Guanhua, Pu Cunxin, Feng Yuanzheng, Yang Lixin, and Wu Gang, folk musicians Xiao Liu and Zhou Yunpeng, the rock band SUBS, and the Zhihua Temple Music Culture Festival featuring Wuyin Dagu drums from Caijiawa in Miyun, Zhihua Temple Buddhist music, and Zhonghe Shaoyue music from the Temple of Heaven's Shenyueshu. I also saw the Xibe rock band Ajias and Wang Yuebo's storytelling of "Water Margin".

Film festivals: the Iranian film "The Salesman" at the China Film Archive, the Algerian film "Papicha," the Malaysian Chinese film "The Story of Southern Islet" as the opening film for the Ambiguous South exhibition, the Pakistani film festival featuring "Motorcycle Girl," "I Am Not Going to Punjab," and "Where is My Heart," and the Beijing International Film Festival screenings of the Moroccan film "Casablanca Beats," the Turkish film "The Cemil Show," the Iranian Kurdish film "The Outsider," and the Bosnian film "Quo Vadis, Aida?" The VR short film from Javanese Indonesians 'Change', the Iranian immigrant film 'This Is Love', the Malaysian film 'Year Without a Summer', the Abbas Kiarostami film exhibition from Iran including 'Close-Up', 'Taste of Cherry', 'The Wind Will Carry Us', 'Where Is the Friend's Home?', and 'Life, and Nothing More', and the Uyghur short films 'Alex', 'My Choice', and 'Crossing the Calm River'.

Exhibitions: The National Art Museum of China's New Year exhibition and Ming and Qing dynasty portrait exhibition; the National Museum of China's ancient clothing culture exhibition, Shenyang Imperial Palace exhibition, Grand Canal exhibition, ancient musical instruments exhibition, and Inner Mongolia cultural relics exhibition; the Tsinghua University Art Museum's Indonesian modern and contemporary art exhibition; the China Overseas Chinese History Museum; the Palace Museum's Wuying Hall ceramics gallery and Dunhuang exhibition; the Cultural Palace of Nationalities' collection exhibition; the China Millennium Monument's Egyptian mummy exhibition; and the Natural History Museum's reindeer and ethnic culture exhibition.

Shopping: At the Dongzhimenwai morning market, I found a porcelain plate from the state-run Beijing Enamel Factory, two bookshelf dividers made by the Beijing South Suburb Xihongmen Primary School factory, four enamel plates, three small glass plates, a 1983 wallet from the Beijing No. 3 Leather Goods Factory, a Deer brand thermos, a piece of fabric with a pattern of the Kaaba in Mecca (Kaba), several religious booklets (jiaomen cezi), a soap box from the Beijing Great Wall Plastic Factory, and a felt hat.

At the Daliushu market, I found a late 1980s White Antelope brand six-piece tableware set, a 1990s clock made in Taiwan, a Pakistani copper plate with silver Arabic calligraphy inlay, a badge from the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and a 1990s water kettle and cup set for drinking boiled water.

At Panjiayuan, I found an early porcelain plate with calligraphy by Li Wencai from the Tangshan Crescent Porcelain Factory, a 1990s door-hanging scripture scroll (mentou jingdu), and a Republic of China-era Zhengxingde tea canister.

An Afghan rug bought at the Aotu Space market in Beixinqiao.

Record hunting: At director Cong Feng's stall at the Xinqiao market, I found music from East African Zanzibar, Pakistani devotional music, Bosnian religious music, Zanzibar dance music, Ottoman military bands, Algerian music, Azerbaijani tar music, Egyptian musicians, North African Algerian and Moroccan bands, and North Indian music.

January 1, Tongzhou Mosque.

On Jumu'ah, I went to the Tongzhou Mosque. Tongzhou Mosque and Dongsi Mosque are the only two mosques in Beijing that use the corbeling technique to build their prayer hall domes. Since the Qing Dynasty, all prayer hall roofs have been changed to wooden pavilion-style structures.













The Arabic calligraphy brick carvings are beautiful and rare.





These are early stone carvings that the mosque has managed to preserve.



January 23, Beijing Zoo.

I walked around the zoo and took photos of some science education boards from my childhood.











January 31, Iranian traditional music performance.

The first explosive performance of 2021! At Fruit Space on Meishuguan East Street, it was such a thrill to hear traditional Persian and Kurdish music performed by Arian, a Kurdish musician from Syria, alongside Persian musicians Majid, Massoud, Camellia, Mohsen, and Mahdis from Isfahan.

The instruments used in the show included the oud, daf drum, santur hammered dulcimer, nay flute, sitar, and tombak drum.

The concert featured powerful pieces composed by a late master from Isfahan. The high-pitched santur and mid-range sitar echoed each other against the rhythm of the daf and tombak drums, all perfectly complemented by the deep tones of the oud.

The group sang "Sit Beside Me," a poem by the famous Persian Sufi poet Rumi. In Sufi poetry, the songs are not actually about worldly love, but a way to express deep love for Allah. Lyrics:

My beloved comes to sit by my side

You are just like my own heart

I hold my soulmate in my arms

We hold hands and talk.

You are far away.

I watch and wait for you.

You gave me life.

I will stay with you forever.

What a beautiful day, yet what can I do?

I would not trade this for half the world.

I wish to be the ball under your polo mallet.

Staying with you forever in both stillness and motion.

Yalong sang a Kurdish folk song while playing an Iraqi lute (oud). The lyrics mean:

I have a flower.

It comes from the garden in my heart.

I water it with my tears.

I picked this one from a garden full of flowers.

Oh my dear, you are my hope.



February 4, Iranian film

The first Iranian film of 2021, I watched "The Salesman" (Forushande) at the film archive. It felt like a movie about the suffering of women, and Zeinab was much more upset than I was after watching it. My feeling after watching is that the film is very professional and shows the standard of Iranian realist cinema, but the plot feels a bit forced, as if it is being pushed forward step by step.



February 6, daily walk

The alleyways (hutong) around Dongsi.



The south wall of Jingshan Park.





The east wall of Jingshan Park.





The former site of the Sino-French University, located at Donghuangchenggen.



The mounting stone at the residence of Duke Cheng'en Zhijun on Dafo Mosque East Street.



The Chengqing Lower Sluice site of the Grand Canal, built by Guo Shoujing during the Yuan Dynasty.





Nearby alleyways (hutong).



The northeast corner tower of the Forbidden City.



February 12, shopping and visiting exhibitions.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, I kept eating dumplings (jiaozi), then took a walk to see the New Year exhibition at the National Art Museum of China. From January 9 to March 27, 2021, the National Art Museum of China hosted the exhibition Beauty in Cultivation: The National Art Museum of China 2021 New Year Exhibition Welcoming the Auspicious Ox. It featured paintings in many different styles and was well worth seeing.

I was very lucky to see the famous painting Muqam by the renowned artist Ghazi Ahmed. Countless Uyghur restaurants across the country hang this painting, and it has become an important symbol for the Uyghur people.













The painting Holiday of a Kazakh Young Woman, created in 1982 by Kang Shuzeng, the dean of the Fine Arts College at Xinjiang Normal University, has a very distinct style of that era.



After leaving the art museum, I wandered over to the Lao She Memorial Hall.











After leaving the Lao She Memorial Hall, I went to the Shijia Hutong Museum.







When I was little, my grandmother pushed me and my cousin around in a bamboo cart (zhuche) every day.









In the afternoon, I went to the Hall of Imperial Longevity (Shouhuangdian) in Jingshan Park. When I was a child, this place was the Beijing Children's Palace, and I spent many years there learning how to draw. The Children's Palace moved out later, and it only opened as a tourist site two years ago. I haven't been inside Shouhuang Hall for over 20 years, but I still have a faint memory of what it looks like. I loved running around the courtyard when I was a kid.





The classroom where I learned to draw as a child looks very desolate inside now.



The lions at Shouhuang Hall are beautiful. They look very different from the round, chubby style common to Qing Dynasty lions. The little lion's hair is so smooth. It is rare to see a little lion like this that doesn't have curly hair.





The bronze deer even has plum blossom patterns carved into it in great detail.



Next, I walked around Beihai Park. In Beijing, colorful glazed tile roofs were only allowed on Tibetan Buddhist buildings.









After leaving Beihai, I strolled home and saw the sign for the old grain store in Huanghuamen Hutong.



The Zongli Yamen (the office for managing foreign affairs) in Dongtangzi Hutong.



The storefront at the east entrance of Lishi Hutong.



The mounting block (shangmashi) in Lishi Hutong.



Hengchang Ruiji on Dongsi Fourth Alley



February 14, Wangfujing Department Store and Heping Guoju

I visited the Wangfujing Department Store and Heping Guoju. I followed the trend and took a vintage-style photo at Dabeizhao with Zainab and my father-in-law.



















February 15, National Museum of China

The most popular exhibit at the National Museum is the ancient clothing culture exhibition.

Sun Ji, an expert in ancient Chinese clothing history, led the restoration of the Yuan dynasty gugu crown (guguguan), summer veil hat (xiajimanli), and braided robe (bianxianpao).



The National Museum of China holds Ming dynasty portraits of Kublai Khan (Yuan Shizu) and Khayishan (Yuan Wuzong). Kublai wears a winter ermine hat and braided hair loops while dressed in a zhusun robe, while Khayishan wears a summer cymbal-shaped hat (bolì) and braided hair loops while dressed in a zhusun robe.





At the Shenyang Imperial Palace exhibition, the Shenyang Palace Museum displays a helmet used by the Qianlong Emperor.



The Shenyang Palace Museum holds a mink fur winter hat for women from the Qianlong era.



The Canal Exhibition features the Qing Dynasty painting of the Tianhou Palace procession in Tianjin from the National Museum collection, showing the scene during the traditional parade of the Menfan Laohui association.



Ancient musical instrument exhibition. The Qing Dynasty thirteen-string zither (zheng) in the collection of the Chinese National Academy of Arts once belonged to the Peking Opera artist Mr. Cheng Yanqiu. In 1958, Mr. Cheng donated his entire collection of over one hundred traditional musical instruments to the state for free.



The Ming Dynasty lute (huobusi) in the collection of the Chinese National Academy of Arts is made of redwood, covered in python skin, and features a bamboo bridge. The huobusi is a transliteration of the Turkic word Kopuz. It is an ancient Inner Asian musical instrument used widely by both Turkic and Mongolian peoples. According to Volume 71 of the History of Yuan, Records of Rites and Music, the huobusi is shaped like a lute (pipa). It has a straight neck, no frets, and a small sound box. Its belly is round like half a bottle, the face is covered in skin, and it has four strings made of skin stretched over a single post. During the Ming Dynasty, the huobusi was popular in Mongolia and Central Asia. The Veritable Records of the Ming Yingzong state that the Oirat leader Esen, who captured Emperor Yingzong, played the huobusi and sang for the emperor himself. Shen Chongsui’s Notes on Singing from the Ming Dynasty records that the zither (zheng) and the hunbusi were among the instruments used to accompany northern melodies.



After the exhibition, I visited the National Museum of China’s gift shop. The creative designs and elements of the accessories all come from the museum's artifacts. I bought a pair of earrings for Zainab, modeled after the Qianlong-era sacrificial blue glazed gold-painted vase with sea and river patterns (haiyanheqing zun).









Qianmen Mosque

After leaving the National Museum, I took a walk outside Qianmen. I took a few photos of the beautiful interlocking roof structure (goulianda) of the Qianmen Mosque, where you can also see the roof ridge ornaments (chiwen) replaced by scrolling vine patterns.











The alleys (hutong) outside Qianmen





February 16, Uyghur band JAM performance

I went to Jianghu Bar for a show tonight. I first saw a folk music performance here in early 2009, and now 12 years have passed in the blink of an eye.



One of the acts was the Uyghur fusion band JAM, which sounded great. It featured the master Aijieke player Adilijan. It reminded me of seeing him perform with the Dastan band at Jianghu Bar six years ago. The band JAM performed an original song using the unique Uyghur 8/7 time signature. The lyrics were very sufi, describing life as being in heaven one day and hell the next, or living in luxury one day and as a beggar the next. They also played some Uyghur folk songs and segments of Muqam.



I won a copy of 'Beijing Customs Illustrated' (Beijing Fengsu Tupu) from the organizers by answering a trivia question during the show. I looked through it when I got home and really liked it. Japanese sinologist Masaru Aoki planned this book while studying in Beijing from 1925 to 1926 and hired local Beijing artists to draw it. Coincidentally, Masaru Aoki lived in Dongsi at the time, at an address then known as the Honganji Mosque (Honganji) on Dongsi Liutiao. This collection of illustrations sat in a library for a long time, and it was only published decades later after another Japanese sinologist, Michio Uchida, wrote the commentary. The content of these illustrations is very precious.





February 17, near the Temple of the Sun (Ritan).

I passed by the North Korean Embassy.







I walked around Ritan Park.







I visited the tomb of the martyr Ma Jun.







Then I went to the Beijing Folklore Museum at Dongyue Temple. It currently has two Ming dynasty porcelain exhibits, a traditional Chinese medicine exhibit, and a Year of the Ox zodiac exhibit.











February 20, Panjiayuan Antique Market.

The weather in Beijing is great, but I didn't find anything worth buying after spending the whole morning at Panjiayuan. I'll just count it as a nice day out in the sun.



February 24, Canran Bookstore

The Canran Bookstore next to the Commercial Press has actually reopened. It was closed for about ten years because of subway construction, and I really missed it. Visiting the China Bookstore, Sanlian Bookstore, Hanfenlou Bookstore, and Canran Bookstore around Dongsi all in one go takes at least half a day.





February 25, second visit to the art museum's New Year exhibition

Visiting the National Art Museum of China's New Year exhibition for the second time. I saw Tang Bohu's 'View of Lakes and Mountains,' Zheng Banqiao's 'Orchids and Bamboo,' and Shitao's 'Visiting a Friend by the River.' The museum put together a great collection that lets you experience famous paintings in all kinds of styles.











Daily food walk through the alleyways (hutong).



February 27, taking a stroll.

I went for a walk on Saturday and visited the Southeast Corner Tower of the Inner City. The Southeast Corner Tower of the Inner City was built in 1439. It was saved from demolition in the 1960s because the subway line was rerouted around Beijing Railway Station. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I went to the early morning market (xiaoshi) by the Liangma River waterfall in Xiangheyuan, outside Dongzhimen, Beijing. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.





May 28, Changying Blue.















June 3, team building at Huanghualing Water Great Wall.







June 15, evening stroll at Beihai Park.







June 21, evening stroll near Jingshan Park.







June 28, morning market at Xiangheyuan, outside Dongzhimen.

I went to the early morning market (xiaoshi) by the Liangma River waterfall in Xiangheyuan, outside Dongzhimen, Beijing. I arrived after 3:00 a.m. and many stalls were not set up yet, but there were more by 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. This morning market is really authentic. It reminded me of visiting the dawn markets (tianguangxu) in Guangzhou and the old days of visiting the Daliushu market years ago.





I picked up an enamel plate made by the state-run Beijing Enamel Factory and two book dividers made by the school-run factory of Xihongmen Primary School in the southern suburbs of Beijing. There were not many stalls here on Monday, so I will go back again on the weekend.









June 30, Xiangheyuan Morning Market outside Dongzhimen

I arrived a little after four o'clock, just as it was getting light.







July 2nd, the first day the Panjiayuan Friday night market reopened.









After dinner, I walked around the Panjiayuan Ghost Market again.



July 4th, the morning market at Xiangheyuan outside Dongzhimen.

I found these at the Liangma River morning market in Xiangheyuan outside Dongzhimen: two small enamel plates, three small glass plates, and a wallet made by the Beijing Third Leather Goods Factory in 1983. Enamel plates and glass plates are perfect for serving dried fruits at a gathering.













July 9, the start of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah.





July 11, Panjiayuan Antique Market.

At the Panjiayuan Antique Market, I found a picture book of Iranian fables called The Story of the Parrot and the Merchant. It was organized by Vahid Farmand, the acting consul general of the Iranian Consulate in Shanghai. It uses a very special Iranian tea house painting (ghahveh-khaneh) style, which is rarely seen in China.

Tea house painting (ghahveh-khaneh) became popular in Iran during the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, people loved listening to a storyteller (naqqal) in tea houses share traditional Iranian fables, religious stories, and epic tales. After hearing these stories, some artists would draw them on walls, bricks, or stones, which is how this painting style began. As tea house paintings became popular, some owners hired artists to paint right inside their tea houses. These artists painted and displayed their work on the spot, which was very well received.

Since modern times, the role of tea houses has changed. Tea house paintings have moved away from the tea houses themselves to become an independent art form, mostly used to show historical scenes and religious themes. Tea house paintings are not limited by classical Persian painting techniques. Artists paint from their hearts, though some elements still come from the art of miniature painting.











On July 13, I watched the play Tea House at the Capital Theatre.

I came to see the play Tea House, featuring Liang Guanhua, Pu Cunxin, Feng Yuanzheng, Yang Lixin, and Wu Gang.







July 16, the opening performance at 24D.

I came to see the opening performance at 24D, the new venue of my neighbor Duoyun. It was really good.



July 20, Eid al-Adha and the Daliushu Tuesday night market.

Attending the Eid prayer (Erde huili) in Changying.







The Daliushu night market is open every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the items there are pretty decent.













I found a set of White Ant brand plum-blossom-shaped six-piece high-end stainless steel tableware made by the Guangdong Maoming Metal Rolling Factory. It was a commemorative product for the 1990 Asian Games, so I guess it was made in the late 1980s. It was cheap when I bought it, and it was still wrapped in oil paper and never used, so it felt like a great deal!













July 31, Xiangheyuan Morning Market outside Dongzhimen and Panjiayuan Antique Market.

I went to the Liangma River morning market at Xiangheyuan outside Dongzhimen this morning. I bought a Deer brand thermos, two enamel plates, and a tiny little keyboard. Everything was very cheap. The Deer brand thermos factory is in Nankou, Beijing. It started production in 1962 and was the first generation of thermos independently produced in China. Almost every family in Beijing had one in the 70s and 80s.













After wandering the dawn market (xiaoshier), I went home for a quick nap before heading out to explore Panjiayuan. I found a porcelain plate made by the old Tangshan Crescent Muslim Porcelain Factory, featuring the work of the famous calligrapher Li Wencai.







I picked up a massive, thick official photo album from Uzbekistan at Panjiayuan; it is very well made.











August 5, Pakistan Film Festival featuring "Motorcycle Girl" and "I Am Not Going to Punjab."

I attended the opening ceremony of the Pakistan Film Festival at the China Film Archive and watched the opening film, "Motorcycle Girl." People from the Embassy of Pakistan in China all came. The ambassador could not make it because he was in quarantine in Chengdu last week, so his wife attended on his behalf. The deputy ambassador gave the opening speech. His South Asian-accented English sounded so familiar and friendly, haha. There was a small incident. We had grabbed the best seats earlier, but the ambassador's wife needed them at the last minute, so we had to move. In the bottom right corner of picture 1, you can see someone taking photos of the ambassador's wife.

Motorcycle Girl is a very rare road movie about equal rights for Muslim women. It is quite special to be able to see this kind of subject on the big screen. The film is based on a true story. The main character finally tires of the restrictions placed on women by her conservative family and workplace, so she decides to ride her motorcycle alone from Lahore to the Khunjerab Pass. The Kashmir in the film is so beautiful that it feels like it must be close to the Valley of the Wind. I really wanted to travel there, but now I have no idea when I will be able to go, so I have to experience it through the movie instead.









The second film in the Pakistan Film Festival is 'I Am Not Going to Punjab.' I thought it would just be a musical, but it has a strong Sufi influence and focuses more on encouraging people to be loyal in love. The movie compares love to fasting, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which is the first time I have seen that on the big screen. The singing and dancing were great, too. A long part featured Sufi whirling dances inside the gongbei, which was so exciting, and some of the Sufi poetry was beautiful to listen to.



August 7, morning market (xiaoshier) at Liangma River near Xiangheyuan outside Dongzhimen, and the Pakistani film screening of 'Where Is My Heart'.

The morning market has moved to a large area where the North Moat and Liangma River meet, and it is much bigger than before. Zainab bought a pair of shoes for just a few dozen yuan. They are brand new, super comfortable, and very cheap. I bought a piece of fabric with a pattern of the Kaaba (Kaba) for the price of a bottle of cola.











At the third screening of the Pakistan Film Festival at the China Film Archive, I watched the youth musical 'Where is the Heart'. I am really growing to love Pakistani song-and-dance films! Pakistani music is a massage for the soul. The three-hour runtime did not feel boring at all. It is worth noting that the first song at their wedding scene was Sufi music. It mentioned the South Asian Sufi master Nizam and his close friend Khusrau. Khusrau is the founder of South Asian Sufi music and the father of Urdu literature. I once visited their shrine (gongbei) and enjoyed beautiful Sufi music there. Hearing it again in the movie brought back so many memories.

Watching these Pakistani films over the past few days, I found that Urdu and the Hui Muslim dialect share many similarities because they both borrow words from Persian and Arabic. It feels very familiar. For example, they both use 'Khuda' for exclamations, 'dua' for blessings, and 'dosti' for friends. In the middle of the film, the band sings a song in the recording studio about dosti, haha.



August 14, Xiaoshi Market at Liangma River in Xiangheyuan, outside Dongzhimen, and the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China.

I picked up a few Islamic religious booklets (jiaomen cezi) at the Liangma River morning market outside Dongzhimen this morning. They started calling for vendors to pack up at 5:30, but everyone was moving so slowly that they still weren't finished by 6:00. People say if nobody stops them, some stay open until 8:00.







I visited the Overseas Chinese History Museum of China. The exhibits are very rich. Interestingly, they recreated a Nanyang Chinese street in the basement. It is not as big as the one at the Peace Museum, but it is still fun because it has both artifacts and descriptions. From the early days of rubber tapping to opening small tailor shops, restaurants, and pharmacies, then moving on to hotels, newspapers, and finally returning home, you can see that the step-by-step development of Nanyang Chinese was truly difficult.







August 19, Ceramics Gallery at the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian) in the Forbidden City.

The Ceramics Gallery in the Hall of Martial Valor (Wuyingdian) at the Forbidden City reopened on May 1st after a renovation. I visited last weekend and arrived early enough to experience the gallery without any crowds.







The collection includes a Ming Dynasty Yongle period blue-and-white porcelain vase with Arabic calligraphy (wudangzun) from the Jingdezhen imperial kilns. Both its shape and patterns mimic 14th-century Middle Eastern brass vessels inlaid with silver.



After the recent renovation, the gallery now displays a comparison photo of this vase alongside a 14th-century Egyptian Mamluk dynasty brass stand inlaid with silver from the British Museum. The shapes are truly identical.



There are blue-and-white porcelain candlesticks with Arabic calligraphy and white-glazed iron-red porcelain plates with Arabic and Persian calligraphy from the Ming Dynasty Zhengde period (1506–1521). The imperial court during the Zhengde reign really loved using porcelain featuring Arabic and Persian script.





A classic piece is the Ming Dynasty Tianshun period (1457–1464) blue-and-white porcelain three-legged cylindrical incense burner (sanfutongshilu) inscribed with Persian poetry and the 'Tianshun Year' mark. The outer wall features verses from the famous Persian poet Saadi’s 'The Orchard' (Bustan), and the new display thoughtfully includes a translation of the poem. I admired Persian poetry fired onto ceramics over 500 years ago at the Forbidden City, which really boosted my Inner Asian travel experience.







The newly renovated Ceramics Gallery has opened the Yude Hall on the west side of Wuying Hall as a space for export porcelain. The most interesting part of Yude Hall is the beamless hall behind the outer chamber, which looks just like a Turkish bath. Its ceiling and walls are covered in white glazed tiles that are perfectly clean and bright. Behind it, there is an iron fireplace for heating water, which was piped into the room through copper tubes.

In his article A Study of Yude Hall at Wuying Hall in the Forbidden City, Shan Shiyuan suggests that Yude Hall is a relic from the Yuan Dynasty imperial palace. He believes it was an Arabic-style bathhouse for the garrison located outside the southwest corner tower of the Yuan capital's palace city. During previous repairs at the Forbidden City, workers dug up white glazed tiles from the Yuan Dynasty near Yude Hall. These tiles have a glaze very similar to the ones in the bathhouse, which is quite different from the yellow and green glazed tiles commonly used in the Ming and Qing Dynasty sections of the Forbidden City. Before the War of Resistance, the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture identified this domed bathhouse as looking very much like the Hagia Sophia (Shengsuofeiya Si) in Constantinople, suggesting it might be a Yuan Dynasty structure.

It is a pity that only the outer hall of the Ceramics Museum was open this time. The Turkish bath (tuerqi yushi) in the back was closed to visitors because the passageway is too narrow. I could only see part of the dome from the outside, and it really looks just like the traditional bathhouse domes I saw in Turkey.







August 21: A stroll around Shichahai and a visit to the cultural relic exhibition at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities.





I went to the Cultural Palace of Nationalities to see the exhibition of fine cultural relics, and there were many great pieces.



Iron armor gifted to the Sakya Pandita of Tibet during the Yuan Dynasty.



A satin-lined robe once worn by the Dalai Lama during the Qing Dynasty.



Tibetan official clothing from 1720, dating to the Qing Dynasty period of pacifying the Dzungars and stabilizing Tibet.



A dragon-patterned official robe (longgua) gifted by the Qianlong Emperor to the Pacification Commissioner of Cheli, who was the local chieftain ruling the Xishuangbanna region at the time.



August 28, Baihujian in the Beijing Back Garden, Changping.

I spent the afternoon exploring the Beijing Back Garden Baihujian scenic area in Changping, and the scenery at the 81 Caves to Heaven (tongtian 81 dong) is truly beautiful.











Climb past the babbling stream and towering boulders to the top of the mountain for a view over the entire city of Beijing. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I visited the Egyptian Mummy Exhibition at the China Millennium Monument at night. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.





September 3: Night visit to the Egyptian Mummy Exhibition at the China Millennium Monument.

I visited the Egyptian Mummy Exhibition at the China Millennium Monument at night. It is usually only open during the day, but they occasionally host a 'Night at the Museum' event, which I found quite interesting. The collection comes entirely from the Manchester Museum in the UK, and most of the mummies are from the Greco-Roman period.









September 4: Morning market on Dongzhimen Outer Slanting Street.

The early morning market outside Dongzhimen has moved again. I spent nearly half an hour searching for it with a vendor near the triangular area in Xiangheyuan, and only found it after following an old man driving a motorized tricycle. It turns out it moved to Dongzhimen Outer Slanting Street.

I found a soap box made by the Beijing Great Wall Plastic Factory. It is quite unique, right?







September 5: Reindeer and Ethnic Culture Exhibition at the Natural History Museum.

I went to the Natural History Museum in the afternoon to see the 'Reindeer and Ethnic Culture Exhibition.' Most of the items are from the National Museum of Ethnology of China. I was very lucky to see the roe deer skin paintings and oil paintings created between 2016 and 2020 by Weijia, the 'spokesperson' for the Ewenki people. He is the main character in the documentary 'The Last Moose of Aoluguya' (Hadahan). One of the paintings had a note he wrote:

'Animals are sometimes servants, sometimes friends, and sometimes enemies; animals are the mythology of human art.' "









September 11: Xiangheyuan morning market, Panjiayuan Antique Market, and the reopening of the Daliushu Dongpeng Saturday Night Market.

I visited the Xiangheyuan morning market early and picked up a felt hat for 5 yuan.









At noon, I found an old door knocker (mendu'er) from the last century at the Panjiayuan Antique Market. I compared it to the new one at my house, and the craftsmanship is definitely different.









The Daliushu Dongpeng Saturday Night Market has reopened. It is so lively! I found some more good things.





Here are photos of the clock I bought after unboxing it. I installed the dome and minaret myself, and the details are pretty good! It says 'Made in Taiwan' on the bottom, and also mentions England and Hong Kong, so it was likely produced before 1997.













September 14: Daliushu Tuesday Night Market.

I found a Pakistani copper plate with silver Arabic calligraphy at the Daliushu Night Market. It says, 'Where there is a will, there is a way.'





September 17: Beijing Film Festival screenings of the Moroccan film 'Casablanca Beats' (Gao'ang Xiangliang) and the Turkish film 'The Cemil Show' (Jiemier Biaoyanxiu).

After work today, I watched two Beijing Film Festival movies back-to-back at the Beijing Theater—one Moroccan and one Turkish. I quickly biked to grab a bowl of hand-pulled noodles (lamian) in between. It felt very fulfilling!

The first was an Arabic-language film about Moroccan rap music called 'Casablanca Beats.' It tells the story of an art center in a small town near Casablanca. It was a wonderful surprise; it is a rare film that directly explores Islam and modern art. As Muslims, how should we view and participate in modern art and youth subcultures? Can rap music use religion as a topic, or should modern art set artificial boundaries when it involves religion? The film shows this by having the young rappers discuss it directly, and I think this format is quite good.

The second film was 'The Cemil Show,' a tribute to classic Turkish cinema from the 1960s. The story takes place in a large supermarket in Istanbul and the old town by the Golden Horn. It made me miss Istanbul so much! The film is about a movie fanatic who lives his life like a film. The way it seamlessly connects the 'film within a film' is really impressive!



September 18: Came to 24D to see Xiao Liu and SUBS.

Came to 24D for a show. This is the famous folk musician Xiao Liu, known for his hit song 'Sou'.



I love the band SUBS!



September 18: Daliushu Dongpeng Saturday Night Market.

I found an ISAF (International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan) badge at the Daliushu Dongpeng Saturday Night Market tonight. ISAF was established by a UN resolution in 2001, with members rotating between NATO and EU forces. After 2011, security responsibilities were gradually handed over to the Afghan army, and the mission was officially completed after 2014.

In the center of the badge is the national emblem of the Republic of Afghanistan, which is a mosque (masjid) featuring a dome (gongbei), a prayer niche (mihrab), and a pulpit (minbar). Above the mosque are the Shahada and the Takbir, and below is the year 1298 (in the Hijri calendar), which is 1919 AD, the year Afghanistan broke free from British rule.









September 19, the Duo Zhuayu market in Sanlitun.

I visited the Duo Zhuayu market in Sanlitun in the evening. It was extremely crowded and there were not many books, mostly the same ones you find in the Duo Zhuayu bookstore. I just treated it as a post-dinner stroll.







September 20, seeing the Dunhuang exhibition at the Forbidden City and the old Ma Yinglong eye medicine shop building.





I was very lucky to see the Yuan Dynasty Syriac Nestorian 'Holy Scripture' and the Song Dynasty Nestorian cross from the Dunhuang Academy collection! The 'Travels of Marco Polo' once recorded that in Shazhou, Gansu, more than half of the population were Buddhists, and there were also Nestorian Christians. These two artifacts are the proof.

The Yuan dynasty Syriac Nestorian Bible (Shengajing) was found in 1989 in Cave 53 of the Mogao Caves' northern area. It is a four-page, double-folded manuscript written on white hemp paper. Because a Chinese document dated to the 30th year of the Zhiyuan reign (1293) and a Yuan dynasty Phags-pa script seal were found at the same time, it is believed to date back to the Yuan dynasty. The first page on the left is written in alternating lines of Syriac and Old Uyghur. The Old Uyghur text is unrelated to Christianity and may be a Buddhist hymn or scripture, while the Syriac text contains fragments of the Psalms from the Old Testament of the Bible (Shengajing). Pages 2 and 3 are on the back, and the right side is page 4. All of these contain fragments of the Syriac Psalms.





After seeing the Dunhuang exhibition at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City, I rode my bike to Qianmen Xiheyan to see the old storefront building of the Ma Yinglong Eye Medicine shop. In 1875 (the first year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty), Hui Muslim Ma Wanxing from Dingzhou, Hebei, moved his family eye medicine shop from Dingzhou to Beijing. He opened the Beijing Ma Yinglong Eye Medicine Shop on Xiheyan Street in Qianmen, naming it after his father, Ma Yinglong.

In 1923, Ma Wanxing's third son, Ma Liting, took over the shop and built the current storefront in the Republic of China style on Xiheyan Street in Qianmen. The storefront features a plaque that says Ma Yinglong, with the words eye medicine (yanyao) visible on the right, though partially blocked by an air conditioner. The plaque was inscribed by Ma Liang, a Beiyang warlord and Hui Muslim from Qingyuan, Hebei (now Qingyuan District, Baoding).











September 21: Zhihua Mosque Beijing Music and the Iranian Kurdish film The Outsider at the Beijing International Film Festival.

I took Zainab to listen to Zhihua Mosque (Zhihuasi) Beijing music.



The third film I saw at the Beijing International Film Festival was The Outsider, a movie about Iranian Kurds. It was excellent! The Bakhtiar family are Kurds living in Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province. It was interesting to hear Kurdish, Persian, and Azerbaijani spoken in the film. The film starts with a scene of a small Iranian shop that I know very well, with a big stack of stone-baked flatbread (shizi nang) sitting by the door. The small shops I saw on the streets when I visited Tehran looked exactly like this one.

The film also features Kurdish music. Beyond the Kurdish pop songs playing in the car, the main character, Bakhtiar, surprises us by playing a hand drum and singing a Kurdish folk song at a family gathering.

The film uses a car parked on the side of the road, which seems to be watching the whole neighborhood, to reflect the social state of the Kurds in Iran and the entire country. People live in fear of unknown surveillance, constantly hiding, yet they cannot escape.





September 22, Beijing International Film Festival, Bosnian film Quo Vadis, Aida? "

The fourth film at the Beijing International Film Festival, a heartbreaking masterpiece! A film worth remembering forever! In 1995, the largest massacre in contemporary Europe took place. Over 8,000 unarmed Bosnian Muslim civilians were killed by Serbian forces outside a United Nations base. There were no survivors, no one spared them, only endless despair. Yesterday they were your neighbors and classmates, but today they are the people killing your entire family. When the main character Aida recognized the remains of her husband and sons and sobbed uncontrollably, I broke down in tears too.

The director is a Bosnian Muslim woman from Sarajevo. The film uses a female perspective to capture the main character's love for her husband and son perfectly.

September 24, Beijing International Film Festival, Indonesian VR short film "Transition".

For my fifth screening at the Beijing International Film Festival, I watched four VR short films. The most interesting one was "Transition," which tells the story of how a small alley in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia, changed from 1980 to 2020. This short stretch of alley vividly reflects 40 years of change in Jakarta and all of Indonesia, covering the economy, politics, culture, social ecology, and urbanization. I think it is excellent.

At the start of the film, this area is a traditional Javanese community filled with wooden houses. You can see the multi-layered pyramid roofs unique to traditional Javanese mosques, Javanese-style gates passed down from the pre-Islamic era, and elderly people wearing traditional Javanese clothing. Life was very relaxed back then. People ate and chatted while children ran through the alleys.

In the second phase, traditional wooden houses were rebuilt into brick and tile homes, and dirt roads became concrete. Ads for pop music appeared, but life remained quite relaxed. Later, as urbanization progressed, Jakarta kept expanding, and high-rise buildings began to surround the alley. People from all over Indonesia poured into Jakarta. Many new houses were built here, along with snack shops and fried rice (nasi goreng) stalls. The traditional Javanese mosque added a metal roof and a minaret, replacing the old practice of beating a drum to call for namaz.

Eventually, the traditional Javanese families disappeared and were replaced by modern convenience stores. A new-style mosque was built across the street, and the area became completely integrated into the Jakarta metropolis.









On September 25, the 10th Zhihua Mosque Music Culture Festival took place, along with the Beijing International Film Festival screening of the Iranian-Finnish film 'At This Moment, This Love'.

The five-tone drum (wuyin dagu) of Caijiawa in Miyun, Beijing. Before the 1960s, Miyun County had several groups performing the five-tone drum, but they all disbanded after the 'Four Clean-ups' movement in the 1960s. By 1978, only the Caijiawa group remained. This style of drum music once died out, until the Miyun Cultural Center rediscovered it in Caijiawa Village in 1998.

In 1998, only five elderly people in Caijiawa Village could still perform it; the oldest was 80 and the youngest was 60. Twenty-three years have passed. The oldest brothers of the Caijiawa Wuyin Drum troupe, Qi Dianming and Qi Dianzhang, have passed away, joining the drum and clapper storyteller Huang Qingjun and the qin player Qi Chuntong.

Among the instruments used in the Caijiawa Wuyin Drum, the tile zither (waqin) is rarely used in drum music. It was originally passed down by Chen Zhenquan’s great-grandfather, Chen Diangong. The tile zither (waqin) is also called the rolling zither (yaqin) or tooth zither (yaqin). The Old Book of Tang (Jiu Tang Shu) records that the elegant zither (yaqin) is an ancient instrument played by rubbing the end of a bamboo strip against it. The four-stringed fiddle (sihu) was originally made by Qi Dianzhang in 1951. He used shell casings he found when Miyun County was liberated in 1948, cutting them down to build it. The zither (qin) was originally traded by Qi Dianzhang in 1949 for two and a half dou of millet from the home of Li Lianmo, a relative of the imperial family in Miyun. It is over one hundred years old. The daqin is similar to the hammered dulcimer (yangqin), but it has a smaller sound box. Because the yangqin is too loud, the daqin is better suited for accompanying drum storytelling. These old instruments are now kept in the Miyun Museum, and a musical instrument factory has made replicas for performers to use.

The first teacher of Caijiawa Wuyin Dagu was Liu Yukun, a famous Wuyin Dagu performer from Anci (Langfang), Hebei, during the late Qing Dynasty. This style of drum storytelling appeared in the rural areas of Anci, Chengde, and the outskirts of Beijing during the Daoguang period. Guan Xuezeng, a master of qinshu, learned this style as a child before it eventually developed into Beijing qinshu. During the Republic of China era, veteran Caijiawa Wuyin Dagu performers would travel to nearby lantern sheds (dengpeng) to perform drum stories during the winter off-season. A three-day, four-night performance was called a "peng." They mainly performed long stories like "The Hu Family Generals" (Hu Jia Jiang), "The Legend of the Five Women Rising to Tang" (Wu Nu Xing Tang Zhuan), "The Legend of the Qing Dynasty Bandits" (Qing Chao Xiang Ma Zhuan), "The Return of the Yang Family" (Yang Jia Gui Xi), and "The Velvet Story" (Si Rong Ji).



The hosts, who are inheritors of Zhihua Mosque Beijing Music, teamed up with the Traditional Music Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. The group is now much larger, making the overall performance fuller and more powerful. It is a shame that while I enjoyed their Buddhist music chants a few years ago, the Zhihua Mosque now seems limited by its status as a museum and only plays instrumental music without the chanting.

Zhihua Mosque Beijing music began in the Ming Dynasty. In 1955, all the monk musicians at Zhihua Mosque returned to secular life, and the mosque was taken over by the Cultural Relics Bureau engineering team. The key figure in the modern revival of Zhihua Mosque Beijing music is the 26th-generation monk musician, Benxing. Benxing became a monk at Guangji Nunnery in 1932. He spent four years learning Beijing music at Zhihua Mosque starting in 1938. He was skilled at playing the flute and also managed the drums, cloud gongs (yunluo), and Buddhist chanting. In 1951, Benxing answered the call to return to secular life and became a materials clerk for a construction company. He retired in 1984. It was not until 1986, when Benxing and other monk musicians formed the Beijing Buddhist Music Ensemble and caused a sensation during a tour of Europe, that Benxing began performing the Zhihua Mosque Beijing music again.

In 1991, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage invited 26th-generation monk musicians like Benxing, Fuguang, and Huiming back to Zhihua Mosque to pass on the music. That same year, ancient music inheritors Hu Qingxue, Qu Bingqing, Qu Yongzeng, Yao Zhiguo, Lin Zhongcheng, and Hu Qingyou from Gu'an, Hebei, came to Beijing to perform. Benxing and the other monk musicians chose them to become the 27th-generation inheritors. The good times did not last long. Because of financial hardship, the six inheritors could not make a living and decided to leave Zhihua Mosque after much thought. In 2004, the project to save the Zhihua Mosque Beijing music began. The six inheritors returned to the mosque and have continued to pass on the music ever since. They perform at Zhihua Mosque every day at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.



The performance of Temple of Heaven Ritual Music (Zhonghe Shaoyue) was just named a fifth-batch national intangible cultural heritage this May. Zhonghe Shaoyue is the court music used for sacrifices, morning assemblies, and banquets during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Divine Music Office (Shenleshu) was established in 1420 to manage the music and dance for royal ceremonies at the Temple of Heaven. It was officially named the Divine Music Office in 1743 (the eighth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty) and had nearly 500 musicians and dancers.

The Divine Music Office at the Temple of Heaven was occupied after the Republic of China period. It was renovated and opened in 2004. The Divine Music Office Elegant Music Troupe was officially formed in 2005. They restored the instruments and musical scores using ancient documents and began performing in 2006.

Before the performance starts, the most eye-catching thing is the robes they wear. Figure 12 shows the rather unique golden sunflower rank badge (buzi). According to the Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Qing Dynasty, the robes for civil dance performers during rituals were made of silk. The color was stone blue for the Southern Suburb Altar and black for the Northern Suburb Altar. Red was used for the Altar of Prayer for Grain, the Altar of Land and Grain, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of the Sun, the Temple of Emperors, the Confucius Temple, the Altar of Agriculture, and the Altar of Taisui. Moon white was used for the Altar of the Moon. All robes featured gold-printed sunflower patterns on the front and back borders. The belts for civil dance performers during rituals in this dynasty were made of green silk. "





The performers holding shields and axes in the front wore martial dance robes. Actually, the martial dance performers at the Temple of Heaven should also wear red. Only the Fangze Altar and the Altar of Earth in the north use black. I suspect the orchestra might have switched to black for better stage effect.



The sixth film at the Beijing International Film Festival, 'Any Day Now' (Cishi Ci'ai), tells the story of an Iranian family seeking asylum in Finland. The lead actress is truly beautiful! It reminds me of how I felt when I first watched Once Upon a Time in America over a decade ago. The whole movie is warm and relaxing, full of family, friendship, and growing up. It is great to finally see a movie that portrays the lives of Muslim immigrants in such a positive way. The final line of text after the movie ends is so moving: If you do not know where you will be tomorrow, please cherish the love you have right now. "





September 26, Xibe rock band Ajiyas.

I saw the Xibe rock band Ajiyas at Jianghu Bar. 'Derwenchiake' is my favorite song. It is so cheerful. Zainab and I kept singing it on the way back. It is stuck in our heads! Manchu-Tungusic value +10086.



September 29, Malaysian film 'Year Without a Summer'.

The seventh film at the Beijing International Film Festival. It features a Malay village by the tropical sea, where people hunt during the day and fish at night, along with childhood memories and legends. The whole movie is filled with the sounds of ocean waves and birds chirping. It has a very slow pace and very little dialogue, making it both sleep-inducing and immersive.



October 12, Daliushu Tuesday Night Market.

At the Daliushu Night Market tonight, I found a set of water pitcher and cups for drinking plain boiled water. This is exactly the kind we used at home when I was a kid! The only difference is that the one at my house was beige. When I bought it, the old man was just about to close up. He had already put the set in his cart to push away, but I spotted it right away. I feel like using this set to host guests in the future will be quite impressive.











October 13, Zhou Yunpeng Jianghu special show.

Coming to Jianghu to see Zhou Yunpeng. In March 2009, I first saw a Jianghu event on Douban City. I rode my bike over from Dongsi to watch a folk music show for the first time. It featured Zhou Yunpeng, Wu Tun, and the Traveler Band with Wu Junde, and I have loved them ever since.

Twelve years have passed now. Jianghu is still the same Jianghu, and Zhou Yunpeng is still the same Zhou Yunpeng, only this time I rode my bike over from Dongsi with Zainab to see the show. Listening to Zhou Yunpeng sing September, I felt like I was back in middle school over a decade ago. Back then, I had endless dreams for the future. Those were such wonderful times. Now I have a family and a stable life. Even though many of my old wishes didn't come true, I feel happy with where I am.



October 23: Shangfang Mountain, Doudian Mosque, and Lugou Bridge.

I went hiking at Shangfang Mountain in Fangshan District on Saturday. The terrain is so steep and rugged, exactly how people imagine the Taihang Mountains.







Some old artifacts from the Doudian Mosque.















I passed by Lugou Bridge in the evening.







Bullet holes at Wanping City.



October 24, Huafangzhai and Haopujian in Beihai Park.

















November 6, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's film Close-Up and the first snow in Beijing.

At the China Film Archive for the Abbas Kiarostami film festival, my first film was Close-Up. A film about filmmaking set in a wealthy neighborhood of Tehran in the 1990s, with a brilliant ending.





I bought a bookmark at the Abbas Kiarostami film exhibition at the China Film Archive that features five of his movies. This must be the most complete collection of Abbas Kiarostami films ever shown in China.



There are two main sights at the China Film Archive that everyone photographs after leaving the Abbas Kiarostami exhibition.







I am enjoying the snow while practicing calligraphy and drinking tea.





November 7, Dongsi in the snow.







Two films at the Abbas Kiarostami exhibition at the China Film Archive. Taste of Cherry is a rare film by Abbas that talks directly about faith, and it is the first time I have seen a film start with the Basmala (tasimi) on screen. It is a film about life and death, and it was very rare to see Hazara people from Afghanistan working in Tehran.

The Wind Will Carry Us is also a film about life and death, and autumn in the Kurdistan countryside is truly beautiful. Also, there is a girl inside named Zaynab, haha, but the subtitles translated it as "Zenabu," which doesn't sound very good.



November 8, Beijing after the snow.





November 13, Iranian Abbas film "Where Is the Friend's House?" and the original language book fair at PAGE ONE in Wudaokou.

At the Abbas film exhibition at the China Film Archive, I watched the fourth film of the series, "Where Is the Friend's House?" Abbas is truly amazing at filming children's stories; it was very heart-wrenching to watch.

In the evening, after eating at a Syrian restaurant, I went for a stroll at PAGE ONE in Wudaokou and happened to catch the original language book fair. Members get a 10% discount, so Zaynab bought me a book I had always been reluctant to purchase: "The Palestinian Table: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen."

The author of this book, Joudie Kalla, is a famous Palestinian-British chef whose grandparents fled to Syria during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Growing up in her family, Joudie Kalla learned how to cook many traditional Palestinian dishes from before the war.

In 2016, Joudie Kalla published the book Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother's Kitchen. The publisher donates 50% of the book's profits to the Palestine House of Friendship (PHF) in the central Palestinian city of Nablus to help them buy permanent property. The Palestine House of Friendship is a well-known youth education and cultural organization in Palestine. It helps young Palestinians affected by war and poverty overcome challenges, enjoy a proper childhood, and learn about Palestinian history and culture.













November 14, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's film Life, and Nothing More..., and old items in an old house.

At the China Film Archive's Abbas Kiarostami retrospective, I watched the fifth film of the series, Life, and Nothing More... I watched the sequel to Where Is the Friend's Home? yesterday. It is a film about rebuilding after a disaster. The visuals are beautiful and feel like a gentle breeze on your face. The film mentions the strength that faith (imani) brings to people many times, which is very rare.

After the movie, I walked around my old family courtyard and took photos of some old items.



This is an old photo of my grandfather from the mid-20th century. In 1958, after China and Cambodia established diplomatic relations, he was sent to the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia as part of the first group of staff from the Ministry of Foreign Trade.





My grandfather's driver's license from the 1970s or 1980s.





A souvenir given to my grandfather by someone who lost their valuables in 1990, which he returned. For years, it hung on the wall of our living room.



A portable safe from the mid-Showa era made by Misono, purchased by my father's workplace in 1958. Misono was a famous safe brand in Tokyo at the time. Although it is quite damaged, this safe served as the financial vault for my father's workplace for over half a century before it was finally retired a few years ago.

The safe used to have a handle on top, but it got lost. I attached a jade face roller my mom used in the 90s to one side, which looks like a very strange mix. There is a clockwork mechanism inside the safe. My dad showed me how to wind it up to set the alarm, which was actually pretty interesting. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: Beijing Muslim Heritage Walk 2021 is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: A photo of my grandfather (second from right) and his colleagues in the 1950s, when they were all workers building the Great Hall of the People. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Walks, Muslim Heritage, Beijing Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.











A photo of my grandfather (second from right) and his colleagues in the 1950s, when they were all workers building the Great Hall of the People.



My dad in the early 1970s in the courtyard of my grandfather's house.



My dad, my aunts, and neighbors at the gate of my grandfather's courtyard at the turn of the century.



The old house number plate from my grandfather's courtyard. Twenty years ago, this place was turned into ruins to make way for Financial Street.



Something my dad made himself in the 1980s.



The toy car I played with as a child, with 1985 and 1990 written on it.







The last photo shows the places where our family developed photos over the years; I think only Dabe is still around now.



November 28, Inner Mongolia Cultural Relics Exhibition at the National Museum of China.

A Nestorian bronze cross from the Inner Mongolia Museum collection on display at the National Museum. The label on the left says it was unearthed in Dalu Commune, Jungar Banner, Ordos City.

Most of these Nestorian bronze crosses were found in the Ordos region. They were first discovered in 1929 by the missionary Shi Peizhi while he was preaching in Baotou. Later, a Beijing missionary named Nie Kexun commissioned others to collect over a thousand of them, which are now kept at the Fung Ping Shan Museum at the University of Hong Kong.

These bronze crosses have a loop on the back for wearing. Besides the cross, they also feature bird and swastika shapes, which may have been used as seals. Scholars previously thought the Ordos Nestorian bronze crosses belonged to the Ongud tribe of the Yuan Dynasty, but in his book Between Pine and Desert (Songmo Zhijian), Lin Meicun argues they should belong to the Turkic Hun Nestorian Christians from the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia periods.

In the early 10th century, the Mongol Qiyan tribe moved west from Hulunbuir, forcing the Nestorian Turkic Hun tribe in the Tuul River valley to scatter. One branch migrated to Ordos and lived there until the 14th century.

Since these Nestorian bronze cross plaques were unearthed in ancient tombs from the Liao and Western Xia periods, and the Turkic Ongud tribe only moved south to Ordos from north of the Yin Mountains in the early Yuan Dynasty, Lin Meicun believes they should not be attributed to the Ongud tribe.



I saw a very special artifact at the National Museum's Inner Mongolia exhibition. The label said it was a bronze brush washer with Islamic script, only noting it was collected in Hohhot. The writing on it doesn't look like Arabic or Persian. I think the pattern in the middle looks like the style of the Seljuk Empire and the Ilkhanate. The lion mane mentioned on the label is, in my opinion, the halo often seen behind figures in Seljuk-Ilkhanate and later miniature paintings.

The sphinx image with a halo was very common during the Seljuk period. I once traveled to the capital of the Sultanate of Rum, modern-day Konya in Turkey, and saw it at the Karatay Tile Museum there.









December 3, Nandouya Mosque reopened.





December 10, Dongsi Mosque.













December 11, bought an Afghan rug at the market.

At the market in the Aotu Space in Beixinqiao, I bought a handmade Afghan wool rug. The young man's name is Taj, and he is from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. He came to China to study three years ago and ended up staying. The rug brand is called Biraro, which means brothers. They have a shop in Shanghai. Besides various handmade Afghan wool rugs, they also sell Afghan pine nuts, lapis lazuli, and saffron. The young man even gave me a bottle of saffron, and I plan to see how it compares to the Iranian kind.













December 17, digging for records at Cong Feng's stall at the Xinqiao Market.

At the Xinqiao Market in the Sunshine Building outside Xizhimen, director Cong Feng is back to set up his stall and sell records. He will be there both Saturday and Sunday. During the Xinqiao Market in April this year, I bought East African Zanzibar music, Pakistani devotional music, and Bosnian Muslim music from director Cong Feng, and I really love them. This time I bought Zanzibar dance music, Ottoman military band music, Algerian music, and Azerbaijani tar music. I had just chatted with director Cong for a moment when he recognized me as Wang Dongsi, haha. He said a friend showed him the diary entry I wrote about him before. Finally, director Cong gave me a record of American-Irish immigrant music from the 1920s-30s.







December 18, second visit to the Xinqiao Market.

I found a copy of the October 1978 issue of Nationalities Pictorial at the Xinqiao Market. It is a special issue commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The cover features the Goji Berry Dance by the Yinchuan Art Troupe. Inside, there is a special feature on Hui working women in the Guyuan region, including the women's well-digging team and basketball team in Guyuan County, midwife Ma Xiulan from Jingyuan County, and militia deputy battalion commander Wang Yaohua from Xiji County.









Second visit to director Cong Feng's record shop on the third floor of the Xinqiao Market! I bought three more.

The first is an album by Egyptian musician Ammar El Sherei paying tribute to the legendary Egyptian music master Abdel Halim Hafez.

The second is by the Orchestre national de Barbès, a band formed in Paris by North African musicians from Algeria and Morocco.

The third is a sarangi album by North Indian musician Murad Ali Khan.







December 19, found a Republic of China-era Zhengxingde tea canister at Panjiayuan.

I found a Republic of China-era Zhengxingde tea canister at Panjiayuan. It is in decent condition and has a lot of interesting information on it. It says the main Zhengxingde store was on Zhugan Lane outside the North Gate of Tianjin, and the branch was on the east side of Lizhan Street in the French Concession. At that time, Zhengxingde had branches in Beiping, Baoding, and Cang County, while its tea-scenting factories were located in Fuzhou, Sukou, Hangzhou, Chun'an, Huizhou, Huangshan, Huoshan, and Jieyuan.

It also says the tea canisters were made by Zhengxingde's own canning department and printed by the Zhicheng Tin Printing Factory inside the North Gate of Tianjin.







December 21, evening stroll.



December 22, evening stroll.







December 24, evening stroll.







December 25, Ming and Qing Dynasty portrait exhibition at the National Art Museum of China.

The Ming and Qing Dynasty portrait exhibition at the National Art Museum of China features items from the Nanjing Museum.







The lacquer painting exhibition includes a 2014 painting of a Twelve Muqam performance; the lacquer painting really has a great texture.





Art book fair at the Guardian Art Center.





Nearly 100-year-old art designer Sheng Xishan painted these Beijing folk customs in the 1990s, and the Forbidden City Publishing House released them as a set called 'Beijing Dream Splendor Record' (Beijing Menghua Lu).







Listening to Wang Yuebo tell stories from Water Margin at the Lao She Teahouse.









Passing by Dongdan Park in the afternoon. view all

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Summary: Halal Food Guide: Edirne, Bursa and Konya — Turkish Muslim Food is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: In the autumn of 2018, I visited several cities in Turkey. Edirne is in the far northwest on the border with Greece and Bulgaria, and Bursa is south of Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara. The account keeps its focus on Turkey Halal Food, Edirne Travel, Konya Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

In the autumn of 2018, I visited several cities in Turkey. Edirne is in the far northwest on the border with Greece and Bulgaria, and Bursa is south of Istanbul across the Sea of Marmara. Both cities were once capitals of the Ottoman Empire. There is also the ancient city of Konya on the Anatolian plateau, which was the capital of the Sultanate of Rum and the birthplace of the Sufi whirling dervishes.

Edirne

When you come to Edirne, you must try the local specialty, fried liver (ciğercisi). It is very satisfying when served with yogurt and spicy sauce.













For lunch in Edirne, I had grilled sausage meatballs (sucuk köfte) and lentil soup (mercimek çorbası). A cold wind was blowing across the entire Balkan Peninsula those days, so drinking hot lentil soup felt great.











For dinner in Edirne, I had minced meat pie (kıymalı pide) and a rich soup made from sheep head and trotters (kelle paça). This soup was especially delicious.















The next morning in Edirne, I had a stuffed pastry (börek). I chose the meat filling, and it cost 6 lira a plate. It was quite tasty. Then there was the breakfast set, a plate of very healthy food.













At the bazaar in Edirne, I bought the local specialty, crescent-shaped almond cookies (Kavala kurabiyesi). Kavala is now an important seaport in northern Greece, and it was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1371 to 1913. During the 1922 population exchange between Turkey and Greece, tens of thousands of Turks left Kavala to settle in Edirne, bringing this cookie with them. I have always been very interested in the Greek-Turkish population exchange. The hometowns left behind forever and the relationship between nations and ethnic groups hold so many stories.







Konya

In Konya, I had oven-roasted meat (fırın kebabı) and a dessert called between-the-layers (sac arası). This place is right across from the tomb of Rumi and is called Sufi Kebab.









I also drank the local Konya specialty, okra soup (bamya), which was very good.













Konya has many street teahouses where people sit by the road chatting and drinking tea. It has a great atmosphere.











Bursa

I flew back to Istanbul from Konya and then took a bus to Bursa. Turkish buses provide snacks and drinks, and the service is excellent.





When you come to Bursa, you must try Bursa-style grilled meat (İskender kebap). This dish adds yogurt and tomato sauce to the meat. It was the first food I encountered in Turkey that I could not fully adapt to. But their fermented grape juice (şıra) was super delicious!













I had breakfast at the hotel, right across from the beautiful Great Mosque in Bursa.







The next day, I had a dish similar to Bursa-style grilled meat called meatball pita (pideli köfte), which just replaces the meat slices with meatballs.













For dinner, I had Turkish pizza (pide), which I really like because it is packed with toppings.











In front of a mosque in Bursa, there was an elderly man selling a pastry called Damascus dessert (Şam tatlısı) for one lira each. It is said to have a very long history.







I took a boat from Bursa across the Sea of Marmara back to Istanbul.





I had dessert while boarding the boat at the pier. view all

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Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Author: Zainab

We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.



















The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.









Yufeng School

In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.

In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.

Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.

In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.

After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.

































Old houses in Shadian











There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).





During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.









There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. view all

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Summary: Tehran — Golestan Palace, Qajar History and Islamic Art is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Golestan Palace (Kākh-e Golestān) means Garden Palace. The word Gol in the name is the same as the name Guli that we are familiar with. The account keeps its focus on Tehran Travel, Golestan Palace, Qajar History while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Golestan Palace (Kākh-e Golestān) means Garden Palace. The word Gol in the name is the same as the name Guli that we are familiar with. Located in Tehran, the capital of Iran, it was the royal palace of the Qajar dynasty and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013.

Golestan Palace was first called the Tehran Citadel (Arg). It was built during the reign of Tahmasp I (reigned 1524-1576) of the Persian Safavid dynasty and was rebuilt during the reign of Karim Khan (reigned 1750-1779) of the Zand dynasty. After Agha Mohammad Khan (reigned 1789-1797) of the Qajar dynasty made Tehran his capital, he officially converted the Tehran Citadel into the Golestan Royal Palace. Haji Ab ol Hasan Mimar Navai rebuilt the palace again in 1865.

Between 1925 and 1945, Reza Shah (reigned 1925-1941) of the Pahlavi dynasty ordered the demolition of most of the Golestan Palace buildings for modern urban development. Modern-style commercial buildings were built there one after another between the 1950s and 1960s.

Karim Khani Nook

Karim Khani Nook was built in 1759 by Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty. It is a terrace featuring a marble throne. There used to be a pool with a fountain in the middle of the terrace. Water flowed into the pond from underground water channels (Qanat) and then flowed to other parts of the palace. Nasser ed Din Shah (reigned 1848-1896) of the Qajar dynasty loved this place. People say he often sat here quietly smoking a water pipe. Today, the marble tombstone of Nasser ed Din Shah stands here, and his portrait is also on the walls of the building.

















Negar Khane Gallery

In 1872, during his second visit to Europe, Nasser ed Din Shah was deeply impressed by the artifacts displayed in European museums. After returning to Tehran, he set out to create a museum hall in the Kakh-e Asli area of the palace to display paintings, jewelry, and other royal artifacts.

Today, most of the Qajar dynasty collection has been scattered among various museums in Tehran, but many paintings are still kept in Golestan Palace. The southern gallery now houses paintings by early Qajar dynasty masters, including Mirza Baba, Mehr Ali Afshar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Ab ol Hassan Sani. The northern gallery was the home of the royal guard during the Pahlavi period. It underwent a major renovation in 1995 and now displays paintings by late Qajar dynasty masters, including Mahmoud Khan Saba, Mohammad Gafari Kashani, Mehri, and Mosa Momayez.







The harem of Nasser ed Din Shah.



Nasser ed Din Shah hunting, painted in 1884.



Servants in the court of Nasser ed Din Shah, painted in 1881.



Golestan Palace, painted in 1885.



Interior of Golestan Palace, painted in 1864.



Celebration of the 30th anniversary of Nasser ed Din Shah's reign, painted in 1878.



Physician Mirza Abolfazl Tabib Kashani taking a patient's pulse, painted in 1859.



Qajar dynasty prince Abdol-Samad Mirza.



Mohammad Ghasem Khan and Mohammad Hossein, painted in 1891. The former was the Qajar dynasty ambassador to Russia.



Painted in 1895.





The Shia holy city of Karbala, painted in 1902.



Portraits of the Qajar dynasty royal family.







Makhsus Museum

The Makhsus Museum (Mouze-ye Makhsous) preserves copperware, silverware, and weapons gifted to the Qajar dynasty by European kings.







Main Building

East of the museum is the main building (Kakh-e Asli) of Golestan Palace. In front of the main building is a 118-meter-long pool containing 15 fountains. Historical photos show that the pool was once surrounded by bronze statues of boys holding torches and animals, but they were all removed during the Pahlavi dynasty.





On both sides of the entrance is a pair of brass roaring lions symbolizing power.





After entering the main entrance, there is a staircase (Sar sara) with 22 steps, decorated with mirrors in geometric patterns.





The column bases on the second floor of the main building are covered with colorful tiles, including portraits of past Iranian kings, hunting scenes, coronation ceremonies, some legends and religious stories, and animal figures imitating Persepolis. These tiles once belonged to the Khabgah sleeping quarters and the Haram Khaneh buildings. After these two buildings were demolished, the tiles were moved to the second floor of the main building.













Reception Hall

The Reception Hall (Talar-e Salam), also called the Coronation Hall (Talar-e Taj Gozaari) or the Museum Hall, is where five Qajar dynasty kings and the second Pahlavi king were crowned. Talar-e Salam is the grandest hall in the main building. It is 43 meters long and 20 meters wide, with 20 arches along the sides and beautiful mosaics on the floor. Qajar king Naser al-Din Shah, who reigned from 1848 to 1896, used this space to receive various envoys and guests from European courts. At that time, the hall displayed various Iranian and European paintings and royal jewels. These royal jewels are now kept at the Royal Jewelry Museum in the Central Bank of Iran.











The Talar-e Adj hall is the room where gifts sent to Naser al-Din Shah from various countries were kept. During the Pahlavi dynasty, this space became a reception hall for hosting court banquets, and the interior decorations were renovated.





Mirror Hall

The Mirror Hall (Talar-e Ayineh) is the smallest but most dazzling room in the main building. The gorgeous interior decorations look especially bright reflected in the many mirrors. This room once held the Persian Peacock Throne (Takht-e Tavoos) and the Kiani Crown (Taj-e Kiani) until they were moved to the Royal Jewelry Museum at the Central Bank of Iran in 1980.



















Talar-e Zoruf

Talar-e Zoruf is a room dedicated to displaying porcelain gifted to the Qajar dynasty by European monarchs like Napoleon, Queen Victoria of England, and Tsars Nicholas I and Alexander III. It was renovated during the Pahlavi dynasty. view all

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Summary: Urumqi Hui Muslims in Republican China: History, Photos and Muslim Life is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I recently bought an interesting book called Urumqi Anecdotes (Wulumuqi Zhanggu). It made the Urumqi of a hundred years ago feel much more alive to me. The account keeps its focus on Urumqi History, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I recently bought an interesting book called Urumqi Anecdotes (Wulumuqi Zhanggu). It made the Urumqi of a hundred years ago feel much more alive to me.

Table of Contents

1. The camel caravan of Hui Muslim Yang Zhong, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

2. The open-air teahouse run by Hui Muslim master Han Shila.

3. The cold starch noodles (liangpi) made by Hui Muslim master Han Youcai, whose ancestral home was Qinghai.

4. The fermented oat porridge (tianpeizi) from Hui Muslim master Shan.

5. The cold mixed starch sheet noodles (liangban fenpi) from Hui Muslim master Yang Hengkui, whose ancestral home was Fengxiang, Shaanxi.

6. The leaf-shaped noodle shop (yezimian guan) run by Hui Muslim master Liu Wanchun, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

7. The egg fermented rice soup (jidan laozhao) and tofu pudding (doufunao) from Hui Muslim master Ma.

8. The cured mutton (la yangrou) from Hui Muslim master Zhou, known as Fatty Sanwa (Pang Sanwa).

9. The yogurt (suannai zi) and shaved ice (xuehua liang) from Hui Muslim master Ding Wanfu.

10. The crystal cake (jingjing gao) from Hui Muslim master She Yafang, whose ancestral home was Lantian, Shaanxi.

11. The spiced cured lamb hooves (hu la yangti) from Hui Muslim master Mu Laoba, whose ancestral home was Tianjin.

12. The crispy fried dough cakes (paopao yougao) from Hui Muslim master Shan Yun.

13. The oil tea (youcha) with fried dough twists (you mahua) from Hui Muslim master Ma Laohan.

14. The cured lamb bones (la yang gutou) from Hui Muslim master Sha Tianning, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

15. The lamb offal soup (yangzasui tang) with fried dough twists (mahua) from Hui Muslim master Sha.

16. The Xinjiang cold noodles (liangmian) from Hui Muslim master Ma Wenyi.

17. The rolled fried milk (gunjian niunai) from Hui Muslim master He Cai, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

18. The braised lamb head (lu yangtou) from Hui Muslim master Li Furen.

19. The beef with garlic (niurou bansuan) from the Hui Muslim brothers of the Old Bao family.

20. The peppercorn chicken (jiaoma ji) from Hui Muslim master Song.

21. The layered steamed bread (youtazi) from Hui Muslim master Qi Fengming.

22. The lamb meat (yanggao rou) from Hui Muslim master Wuwuzi.

23. The Zhongyiguan Restaurant founded by Hui Muslim master Ma Dawu, whose ancestral home was Shaanxi.

24. The Tiger Restaurant (Laohu Guanzi) run by Hui Muslim master Jia Shijun, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

25. The halal pastry shop (qingzhen dianxin pu) run by Hui Muslim master She Wenbing, whose ancestral home was Lantian, Shaanxi.

26. The Zhenxinglong Water Mill (shuimo) opened by Hui Muslim Yang Zhenchun, whose ancestral home was Linxia, Gansu.

27. The Hui Muslim electrician Ma Hailong, whose ancestral home was Gangu County, Tianshui, Gansu.

28. The Starch Noodle Street (Fentiao Jie) outside the South Gate of Urumqi.

29. Ningxia Bay, located east of the South Gate (Nanguan) in Urumqi.

30. Imam (Ahong) Ma Liangjun.

31. The Wanxinglong Halal Chinese and Western Pastry Shop opened by Hui Muslim manager Ma Wanxiao.

32. The cured mutton in steamed buns (la yangrou jia zhengmo) from Hui Muslim master Nian Shenghua.

33. The date crystal cake (zaojing gao) of the Urumqi Hui Muslims.

34. The steamed bun shop (momo fang) of Hui Muslim Cai Huasheng, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

35. The Dazishizi Mutton Pita Soup (yangrou paomo) restaurant opened in the 1950s.



1. The camel caravan of Hui Muslim Yang Zhong, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

Master Yang Zhong was a Hui Muslim from Xi'an. He walked from Xi'an to Urumqi for two and a half years around 1880 and spent over 40 years running a camel transport business in Urumqi. Master Yang Zhong had nearly a hundred fat and strong camels, and he also owned his own camel farm and fodder yard in Jinjiawan, Xiaodongliang, Urumqi. Yang Zhong's camel caravan mainly transported passengers and goods from Urumqi to Kashgar, Yining, Tacheng, and Altay, with occasional business to Hohhot. When his camels were grazing in the distance, they would automatically return to the camp if they saw the tents being taken down, and at night, the lead camel would stop automatically if it could not hear the camel bells behind it.



2. The open-air teahouse run by Hui Muslim master Han Shila.

Master Han Shila set up a stall to sell tea at various temple fairs in Urumqi, using a high-roofed shelter with long tables and high stools. He served Hunan dark tea (fuzhuan) and brick tea in large porcelain pots, and brewed West Lake Longjing, Yunnan Pu'er, Anhui Qimen, and the Hunan smoked tea that Hui Muslims love in lidded bowls (gaiwancha). He used sweet, clear spring water from the Tianshan Mountains to brew the tea and a copper stove similar to a hot pot, called a samovar (shamawa), to boil the water. He also provided Soviet sugar cubes, black melon seeds, peanuts, dried fruits, and the longan and red dates that Hui Muslims use to make three-ingredient tea (sanpaotai). When refilling tea, Master Han Shila practiced the 'snowflake covering the top' technique, which meant lifting the copper pot high behind or above the customer's head to pour water into the bowl. Just as it was about to overflow, he would flick his right wrist, and the spout would stop dripping completely, clean and precise.



3. The cold starch noodles (liangpi) made by Hui Muslim master Han Youcai, whose ancestral home was Qinghai.

Han Youcai was born in the 1910s. His grandfather came to Urumqi from Qinghai in his early years and made a living selling cold starch noodles (liangpi), and now the family is in its third generation. By the 1930s, when he was in his 20s, Han Youcai was already well-known to the people of Urumqi, and he continued his business for over 50 years until the 1980s. Han Youcai carried a liangpi stall on his shoulders to sell along the street all year round. In winter, steam rose from both ends of his carrying pole; the liangpi sat on a steamer, and the vinegar sauce was kept in a copper pot, giving hot liangpi a unique flavor. In the summer, he also sold cold jelly noodles (liangfen), using a scraper to press the jelly blocks into round noodles, making and selling them on the spot.



4. The fermented oat porridge (tianpeizi) from Hui Muslim master Shan.

In the 1930s and 1940s, it was very popular in Urumqi to eat fermented glutinous rice (tianpeizi) in the summer. At that time, Master Dan, who worked near the Caishen Tower in the Nanguan area of Urumqi, had the best business. He carried a large porcelain basin of tianpeizi on his shoulders, covered with white gauze, and sold it along the street. When selling, he would serve the tianpeizi in small porcelain bowls, half wheat grains and half soup.



5. The cold mixed starch sheet noodles (liangban fenpi) from Hui Muslim master Yang Hengkui, whose ancestral home was Fengxiang, Shaanxi.

Master Yang's cold noodle shop in the Nanguan area of Urumqi was famous throughout the city from the 1930s to the 1950s. To make the cold noodles, he used high-quality mung bean flour to create noodles that were both white and thin. Various condiments like chili oil, garlic oil, sesame paste, mustard oil, Sichuan peppercorn oil, vinegar sauce infused with black cardamom, and chopped tender celery were all served in large red flower-patterned bowls. Master Yang used nine-inch large flat plates to serve the noodles, mixed with various seasonings, making them smooth and refreshing to eat.



6. The leaf-shaped noodle shop (yezimian guan) run by Hui Muslim master Liu Wanchun, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

Liu Wanchun's great-grandfather, Liu Gong, and his brother Liu Ping came to Urumqi from Xi'an around 1860 to run a halal snack business, and Liu Wanchun was the fourth generation. Liu Wanchun's leaf noodle (yezimian) shop was located near the poultry market outside the Great West Gate of Urumqi and stayed open until the public-private partnership reform in 1956. After 1956, Liu Wanchun served as the manager of the Urumqi Catering Service Company's cooperative canteen and passed away in the 1960s. Liu Wanchun knew how to make thousand-layer oil cakes, sugar twists, fried dough cakes, various pastries, and cold noodles, and was especially skilled at making leaf noodles and wontons. Leaf noodles, also called alkaline noodles (jianmian), were hand-rolled to be one centimeter wide, very thin, and translucent, and were taken out of the pot as soon as the water boiled. The soup was made by boiling chicken and lamb bones with galangal, black cardamom, fennel, Sichuan peppercorn, and ginger skin, resulting in a delicious flavor. He would then pour a topping made of diced lamb and mushrooms over the noodles, which everyone loved.



7. The egg fermented rice soup (jidan laozhao) and tofu pudding (doufunao) from Hui Muslim master Ma.

Master Ma was very tall and wore a small black mustache. Every morning, he carried a fermented rice wine (laozao) stall to set up in front of the Gao Jiwang grocery store at Erdaoqiao in Nanguan (now South Heping Road). He also sold fried dough twists (mahua) and his only call was 'Laozao is boiling'. The fermented rice wine he made was sweet and thick, and adding a swirled egg made it taste even more wonderful. In the afternoon, Master Ma would sell tofu pudding (doufunao) around the Caishen Tower in Nanguan. He kept a small mule at home and ground the tofu himself every day, which was very hard work. The sauce for his tofu pudding was made with lamb broth, containing wood ear mushrooms, cauliflower, vermicelli, and gluten, topped with chili oil and diced pickles, giving it a unique taste.



8. The cured mutton (la yangrou) from Hui Muslim master Zhou, known as Fatty Sanwa (Pang Sanwa).

Master Zhou once opened a cured lamb shop near the Caishen Tower in Nanguan. It had two storefronts facing east, specializing in three-leaf bread (sanyebing) stuffed with cured lamb, as well as hand-rolled leaf noodle soup. Old customers always liked to call Master Zhou by his nickname, 'Fat Sanwa,' so the place gradually became known as the Fat Sanwa Restaurant. When a customer wanted cured lamb, Master Zhou would put the cold meat into the three-leaf bread and bake it in an oven. When it came out, the bread was crispy, the meat was fragrant, and it was full of flavor.



9. The yogurt (suannai zi) and shaved ice (xuehua liang) from Hui Muslim master Ding Wanfu.

Before the liberation, Master Ding Wanfu sold yogurt (suannai) near the Caishen Tower in Nanguan using two large red round carrying boxes. Ding Wanfu keeps his own cows and feeds them mostly on oil dregs, which makes the milk rich and creamy. To ferment the yogurt (suannai), cover it tightly and place it on a warm earthen bed (kang) for six or seven hours, making sure to control the temperature. The finished yogurt looks like milk tofu in the bowl, topped with a layer of yellow cream, and it won't spill even if you turn the bowl upside down. In the summer, Master Ding follows tradition to make homemade snowflake cool (xuehualiang), which is a type of ice cream. He puts boiling water, egg whites, sugar, and flavoring into a large white tin bucket, then places that bucket inside a large wooden barrel with a 10-centimeter gap around it filled with ice. He uses a rope to spin the tin bucket, and after two hours of friction, the sugar water inside turns into ice cream. When eating, buy a bowl of yogurt and add a scoop of snowflake cool; it is sweet, sour, cold, and perfect for cooling down. Master Ding calls out while selling: "Ah! It's cold and clears the heat! If it's not cold, it's free! Ah! Come and cool off!" "



10. The crystal cake (jingjing gao) from Hui Muslim master She Yafang, whose ancestral home was Lantian, Shaanxi.

Master She Yafang, whose family is from Lantian, Shaanxi, pushes a clean cart with her husband, Master Ma Yunhua, to sell crystal cakes (jingjinggao), also known as steamed pear cakes (shuligao), and cold fruit slices outside the South Gate of Urumqi, north of the current South Gate Garden. Master She handles the cooking, and Master Ma handles the sales. In winter and spring, the elderly couple makes, steams, and sells them right on the street. The front of the cart has a rectangular crystal-blue wooden box with a glass lid, containing steamed premium rice flour and various fillings like white sugar, banana, rose, hawthorn, and bean paste. The middle of the cart has a stove at the bottom with a round steamer on top. There are four long hollow wooden round molds and one small iron mold; to steam, first put a layer of rice flour on the iron mold, add the sweet filling, then add a layer of light red and light green rice flour, and place the mold over the steam vent. The finished crystal cake is a round, soft pastry that looks like a blooming flower on a small plate; it is soft, sandy, fragrant, and sweet when eaten with a small fork.



11. The spiced cured lamb hooves (hu la yangti) from Hui Muslim master Mu Laoba, whose ancestral home was Tianjin.

Master Mu Laoba is from Tianjin and speaks with an authentic Tianjin accent; he is a chubby, white-haired old man with a handlebar mustache who always speaks politely to elders, which is pleasant to hear. Every noon, Master Mu carries two boxes of spiced lamb trotters (hula yangti) to sell at a fixed spot outside the South Gate market in Urumqi. To make them, he mixes the trotters with soy sauce, salt, rock sugar, long pepper, galangal, cinnamon, cloves, ginger skin, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, and black cardamom, then simmers them with alternating high and low heat until the meat is tender, falling off the bone, and very fragrant.



12. The crispy fried dough cakes (paopao yougao) from Hui Muslim master Shan Yun.

Master Shan Yun used to sell bubble oil cakes (paopao yougao) outside the West Gate chicken and duck market in Urumqi. The bubble oil cakes in Urumqi are round fried sugar cakes with thin, wing-like edges, about 6 centimeters in diameter and 3 centimeters wide, filled with white sugar, green and red silk, walnuts, and sesame, with a hint of banana flavor; they are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and shaped like bubbles, leaving thin, crispy crumbs on your lips when eaten hot. You must master the heat for frying the cakes; Master Shan used to test the oil temperature with his index finger, a skill that beginners need to practice many times to get right.



13. The oil tea (youcha) with fried dough twists (you mahua) from Hui Muslim master Ma Laohan.

Old Man Ma used to have a stall selling oil tea (youcha) at the South Gate market in Urumqi. His oil tea is made from sheep fat and flour, with raisins, walnuts, roasted peanuts, and chopped sheep tail fat. To make it, he fries the rendered sheep fat with flour until it turns light yellow, pours it into a basin, mixes it with water in a one-to-three ratio, simmers it over low heat, and adds salt, raisins, and other seasonings once it becomes a thin paste. Old Man Ma keeps the oil tea in a large porcelain basin, topped with a few sugar twists (mahua), and keeps it warm over a low flame. He adds the twists as he sells; a bowl of oil tea served in a fine red-flowered porcelain bowl with a twist is fragrant, soft, and delicious, with crunchy peanuts and walnuts.



14. The cured lamb bones (la yang gutou) from Hui Muslim master Sha Tianning, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

Master Sha Tianning, originally from Xi'an, sells spiced lamb bones (la yanggutou) every noon at a shop next to the God of Wealth building in the South Gate area of Urumqi. He brings out the steaming, fragrant spiced lamb bones in a large white tin basin. Most customers bring their own enamel basins to buy them. The way to eat spiced lamb bones is to first eat the meat on the bone, then use a chopstick to poke out the bone marrow and suck it out; it is incredibly delicious and leaves a long-lasting aftertaste. Master Sha Tianning uses the Hui Muslim method of braised meat (fenrou). He cuts the lamb rack, washes it, puts it in the pot at once, and simmers it in a spiced broth (lutang) over low heat until the meat is tender, bright in color, and delicious.



15. The lamb offal soup (yangzasui tang) with fried dough twists (mahua) from Hui Muslim master Sha.

Master Sha once set up a stall at Nanguan Caishen Louzi to sell lamb offal soup (yangzasui tang). He used a white cloth tent and a large Soviet-style enamel basin filled with soup, kept warm by a smokeless coal stove underneath. A few twisted fried dough sticks (mahua) floated on the steaming soup, and the aroma was mouth-watering. Master Sha braised cleaned lamb head meat, liver, lungs, tripe, heart, and trotters in spiced broth. After cooling, he sliced them into small strips, then soaked them in fresh meat broth over low heat, keeping the soup clear and the meat tender. The twisted fried dough sticks (mahua) soaked in the soup became soft and crispy.



16. The Xinjiang cold noodles (liangmian) from Hui Muslim master Ma Wenyi.

Master Ma Wenyi was known as a chubby young man in his youth. His ancestors made a living by making cold noodles (liangmian), and he ran a cold noodle stall outside Daxi Men in Urumqi from the 1930s to the early 1950s. He used alkaline ash (penghui) to knead the dough, pulling the noodles into even, thin strands that did not break. He paid close attention to the heat when boiling them, ensuring they were firm yet chewy. The oily, yellow noodles (huangmian) arranged on the plate looked like a blooming golden chrysanthemum. The cold noodle sauce used an egg-based vegetarian gravy with celery as a garnish, making the dish look, smell, and taste excellent. Master Ma also served braised lamb offal. If you wanted meat, he would slice a small plate and add some broth to the cold noodles, which was amazing. His stuffed lamb offal sausage was especially rich and delicious. Master Ma Wenyi could prepare the traditional Hui Muslim banquet known as Nine Bowls and Three Rows (jiuwan sanxingzi), as well as the Eight Big Dishes and Four Big Bowls banquets. In 1956, he joined a public-private partnership and worked as a chef at the Urumqi Food Service Company's halal cooperative canteen on Wenyi Road, near the current People's Cinema. He was famous and praised as the King of Cold Noodles in Xinjiang.



17. The rolled fried milk (gunjian niunai) from Hui Muslim master He Cai, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

Master He Cai, originally from Xi'an and known as Fatty He, was a chubby old man with white hair and a long beard. Before the 1940s, he sold steaming fresh milk at a stall on the southeast corner of the Nanguan Caishen Louzi intersection in Urumqi. Master He went out very early every day to sell milk, and he also had sugar-coated twisted fried dough sticks (mahua) ready. He raised his own cows and sold the milk fresh right after milking. When preparing it, he boiled the milk over low heat, constantly stirring it with a ladle. He served the boiled milk in a bowl with a pinch of salt, and soon a layer of milk skin (naipizi) would form on top. When he was young, Master He carried his milk stall through the streets. His shouting had a strong Shaanxi accent, and his voice was loud, starting with an 'Ai' before calling out 'Gun jian de' (boiling hot).



18. The braised lamb head (lu yangtou) from Hui Muslim master Li Furen.

From the 1920s to the 1940s, Master Li Furen pushed a handcart through the streets near the Nanguan Shaomenzi gate in Urumqi every morning at 8 o'clock to sell his goods. The cart's counter was filled with steaming braised lamb head, as well as braised lamb tripe, liver, lungs, trotters, and heart, all smelling delicious. Master Li's braised lamb head broth was delicious, and the meat fell off the bone without falling apart. It included soft meat, bone-in meat, cartilage, and fatty meat. The two lamb eyes were especially like two oil gourds, rich but not greasy. His braised lamb trotters were very tender and smooth. All the lamb offal was cleaned thoroughly, and even his small cart for the braised products was clean and attractive. Master Li would shout, 'Lamb liver!' Lamb lungs! Hey! Lamb head and tripe—', and his calls could be heard throughout the streets and alleys.



19. The beef with garlic (niurou bansuan) from the Hui Muslim brothers of the Old Bao family.

In the 1940s, the two Lao Bao brothers lived near the Yaowang Temple in the Nanguan area of Urumqi. They made cold noodles (liangpi), lamb offal soup, and other snacks, with beef mixed with garlic being their signature dish. Later, the brothers decided to focus exclusively on selling beef mixed with garlic, operating from a fixed spot at Nanguan Caishen Louzi. Every noon, the brothers filled their handcart with steaming, dark red braised beef, including brisket, head meat, tripe, liver, and trotters. They specifically stacked the braised tripe together, and after it cooled, it formed a round block. When selling, they used a knife to slice it from top to bottom, turning it into tripe shreds. A ceramic jar held minced garlic soaked in high-quality vinegar. When you bought a plate of mixed beef and poured a few spoonfuls of the vinegar and garlic over it, the taste was unforgettable.



20. The peppercorn chicken (jiaoma ji) from Hui Muslim master Song.

Master Song lived in Xiaodongliang, Urumqi (now the Heping South Road area). Every day near noon, he would carry his pole and bring the oily, yellow, and bright pepper-numbing chicken (jiaoma ji) he had made to sell at Nanguan Caishen Louzi. Master Song was a short old man, and regular customers jokingly called him Song the Shorty. Master Song chose chickens weighing over a kilogram. After cleaning them, he rubbed Sichuan peppercorn powder and salt over the chicken, marinated it for 20 minutes, and then simmered it in a spiced broth (lutang) over low heat. The broth contained thirteen-spice (shisanxiang). When selling, the chicken's thighs and breasts are split down the middle, which is called the four big pieces. The two wings, the neck, and the tail are divided into four small pieces. Half a basin of braising broth (lutang) is kept warm in a large porcelain basin; in winter, there is a coal fire underneath, and in summer, it is served cold. Master Song uses a small, fine porcelain dish with red flower patterns to serve a chicken thigh, then pours two small spoonfuls of broth over it, making the flavor incredibly rich.



21. The layered steamed bread (youtazi) from Hui Muslim master Qi Fengming.

Master Qi Fengming's small restaurant is located next to the east side of the City God Temple on West Street in Urumqi, featuring two large storefronts and a workshop in the back. The restaurant serves oil towers (youtazi) and lamb-filled steamed buns (baozi) every morning. Master Qi's oil towers are shaped like small, round oil cakes. When eating, you use chopsticks to peel back the skin and lift it up, revealing thin, translucent, spiral-shaped layers that glisten with oil. Master Qi's hand-pulled noodles (latiaozi) and stir-fried noodles (chaomian) are also very famous. Every noon, the restaurant staff is incredibly busy, and the room is filled with shouts in a Shaanxi accent: 'Two small plates of meat (xiao banjin) coming up!' Stick noodles (gun gun mian)! Twenty small ones! (Two large plates) and one order of stir-fried noodles to go! Make sure to stir-fry them well! The kitchen staff immediately replies, 'Ah!' Coming right up! "



22. The lamb meat (yanggao rou) from Hui Muslim master Wuwuzi.

Li Zhanxiang, known as Wuwuzi, set up a stall to sell cooked lamb at Nanshaomenzi in the Nanguan area of Urumqi (now north of South Jiefang Road). Every morning, he goes to the market to buy sheep, specifically choosing two-year-old lambs. He brings them back to slaughter and clean them himself before boiling them in a pot, selling three or four sheep a day. When a new customer arrives, Wuwuzi cuts two slices of cooked lamb liver, sandwiches a slice of cooked, thin lamb tail fat inside, sprinkles on some salt, and lets the customer taste it before making a sale.



I just ate Wuwuzi lamb at Shanxi Alley in Urumqi this past May Day. Wuwuzi's father was named Li Shenghua (Li Liushizi). He started carrying lamb on a shoulder pole to sell at the South Gate of Urumqi in 1907. After the 1980s, Wuwuzi rented a storefront in Shanxi Alley. It has now been passed down for four generations and is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage at the autonomous region level.











23. The Zhongyiguan Restaurant founded by Hui Muslim master Ma Dawu, whose ancestral home was Shaanxi.

Zhongyiguan Restaurant is located near the Guanyinge Pavilion on the slope of Wangye Temple in Urumqi. It was founded in 1914 by Ma Dawu, who was originally from Shaanxi and was a professionally trained chef specializing in flour-based dishes. The restaurant started with only two earthen bungalows, serving steamed buns, oil towers, hand-pulled noodles, butterfly noodles (die mian—small pieces of dough pinched by hand that look like butterflies flying over the pot), stir-fried noodles, noodle soup, small stir-fry dishes, as well as large and small plates of meat, fried meat slices (jiesha), pork tenderloin, and meatballs. The Guanyinge Temple Fair falls on the 18th day of the third lunar month every year, which is when the restaurant is busiest.

In 1923, the restaurant expanded its dining hall and officially hung up the Zhongyiguan sign. Ma Dawu's sons, Ma Yanfu and Ma Yanlu, also grew up to be famous chefs specializing in both flour and meat dishes. At this time, Zhongyiguan Restaurant began catering banquets, with the most popular dishes being spicy lamb tendons, braised lamb, spicy diced chicken, sweet and sour fish, oil-seared meat (guoyou rou), stir-fried meat slices, pearl gluten, and signature tofu. Zhongyiguan ended the history of Urumqi halal restaurants only serving snacks and became the most famous large halal restaurant in Urumqi. In 1944, Zhongyiguan moved to East Street, and business improved even further until the public-private partnership in 1956.



24. The Tiger Restaurant (Laohu Guanzi) run by Hui Muslim master Jia Shijun, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

Master Jia Shijun, originally from Xi'an, started as an apprentice in Xi'an as a teenager. In the late Qing Dynasty, he opened the halal Shiheguan Restaurant in Beiliang, Urumqi. It was later inherited by his son, Jia Shanping, and remained in business until the 1940s. Because Jia Shijun was nicknamed 'Tiger,' the place was also called the Tiger Restaurant. The Tiger Restaurant was famous for its authentic Shaanxi-style cured lamb sandwiches (layangrou jia san ye bing) and lamb pita soup (paomo). For the cured lamb, fresh lamb is first placed in a vat to marinate in salt water, then braised in a pot until it is tender and soft. The three-leaf bread (san ye bing) is made with semi-leavened dough, layered like a thousand-layer cake, seasoned with spices and oil, and then baked. For the lamb pita soup at the Tiger Restaurant, customers could choose any part of the lamb, and Jia Shijun would cook it himself. At that time, most of the chefs and staff at the Tiger Restaurant were Hui Muslims from Shaanxi. As soon as a customer entered, the counter clerk would immediately shout, 'Give them a bowl, for three people!' The waiter would immediately respond, seat the guests, pour tea, and once the order was placed, he would shout to the kitchen in Shaanxi dialect: 'Pita soup!' Three, two with rib meat, and one bowl with the fattier kind. Make it as fast as you can! Fill the car up with gas! The chef immediately replied: 'Coming!' It will be very fast, it will be here in a flash! "



25. The halal pastry shop (qingzhen dianxin pu) run by Hui Muslim master She Wenbing, whose ancestral home was Lantian, Shaanxi.

Master She Wenbing, originally from Lantian, Shaanxi, was a famous pastry chef back home. In the 1920s and 1930s, he had a storefront at the northeast corner of the intersection of Toudao Lane and Yucai Lane outside the South Gate of Urumqi. In the 1940s, he moved to the northeast corner of the Caishen Louzi intersection in Nanguan, expanded to two large storefronts, and added a workshop in the back. Master She was skilled at designing and carving pastry molds, making treats that looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful. His fried pastries and sugar-mixed pastries were oily but not greasy, with a rich scallion aroma. Traditional fried dough twists (sanzi) are made by kneading white flour, vegetable oil, eggs, Sichuan peppercorn water, and salt. When frying, you must control the heat so every twist is the same thickness and length, then stack them high on a large tray like a blooming golden chrysanthemum in a flower basket. The rice flour strips (jiangmitiao) Master She made were hollow inside, light, and crispy. Every year during Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, the pastry shop could not keep up with demand and customers had to place orders in advance. In the 1930s, Master She became close friends with Master Liu Wenjiang from the Jinmen Yongsheng Western Pastry Shop in Urumqi, which is why the flaky Beijing-style pastries (jing bajian) he made were unique among halal pastries.



26. The Zhenxinglong Water Mill (shuimo) opened by Hui Muslim Yang Zhenchun, whose ancestral home was Linxia, Gansu.

Yang Zhenxing and his father walked from their hometown of Linxia to Hutubi County around the 1860s, making a living by driving ox carts. Soon they went to Urumqi to transport grain, and around 1888, they built the Zhenxinglong water mill on the canal at Hexi Street in Urumqi, becoming one of the largest and most experienced millers in the city. Besides the original water mill building on Hexi Street, Zhenxinglong later built another one downstream from the West Bridge. Each mill had two stone water-powered millstones running day and night to process flour, with over 10 employees and horse-drawn carriages dedicated to delivering the flour. At that time, farmers in the suburbs were happy to bring their own wheat to Zhenxinglong to be processed into flour.



27. The Hui Muslim electrician Ma Hailong, whose ancestral home was Gangu County, Tianshui, Gansu.

Ma Hailong lived in Ningxiawan, Urumqi, for generations and started making a living driving a carriage at age 15. In 1937, at age 21, Ma Hailong signed up as an apprentice at the Urumqi Xinguang Electric Company, becoming one of the first generation of Hui Muslim electricians in Urumqi. At that time, shops at the Great Cross in Urumqi and many homes outside the city walls wanted to install electric lights. Ma Hailong started by working under his master and soon began working independently. Every day he carried his iron climbing hooks, traveling everywhere and climbing poles, earning him the nickname 'Urumqi's Living Circuit Diagram'.



28. The Starch Noodle Street (Fentiao Jie) outside the South Gate of Urumqi.

There was a small north-south street east of the South Gate barbican in Urumqi. Most of the businesses on the street were starch workshops run by Hui Muslim masters, so it was also called Starch Noodle Street (fentiao jie). Every house on Starch Noodle Street had a row of wooden racks on the roof. In winter, they hung starch noodles to freeze, and in summer, they dried them. They also made starch blocks (fenkuai) and starch powder (fenmian), all using pure bean starch. Every time Hui Muslims celebrated a holiday, every household ate starch noodle soup (fentang), which required starch blocks. When summer arrived, Starch Noodle Street was full of shops selling snacks like cold starch jelly (liangfen), cold tossed starch sheets (liangban fenpi), and fish-shaped cold jelly (yu liangfen). The most famous person on Starch Noodle Street back then was a Hui Muslim named Guo Yingzhen (known as Guo Laosan), whose starch workshop was the largest and most productive.



29. Ningxia Bay, located east of the South Gate (Nanguan) in Urumqi.

Ningxiawan in Urumqi is located east of Nanguan, south of Yaowangmiao Street to Huangcheng Street, and from west of Heijiashan to Zuogong South Road. This area was originally sparsely populated, a large crescent-shaped depression with a canal circling the top, making it suitable for growing all kinds of vegetables. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Xihai-Gu region of Ningxia suffered a flood, and more than 250 Hui Muslim farmers from two villages migrated to this depression. They cleared the land, grew vegetables, opened handicraft workshops, and did small business to make a living, so people started calling the place Ningxiawan. Hui Muslim vegetable farmers in Ningxiawan included families like Ma Chenglin, Ma Fu, Niu Zhaokui, and Widow Yang. Their hard work made Ningxiawan an important vegetable base for Urumqi, and people in Urumqi were always happy to buy reliable vegetables from Ningxiawan.



30. Imam (Ahong) Ma Liangjun.

Imam Ma Liangjun was originally from Zhangjiachuan, Gansu. In 1913, he became the imam of the Shaanxi Great Mosque in Hami. After 1933, he led religious affairs at the Shaanxi Great Mosque, Qinghai Mosque, and Guyuan Mosque in Urumqi, and once served as the General Imam of Hui Muslims in Xinjiang. From 1940 to 1943, Imam Ma Liangjun was imprisoned by Sheng Shicai for three years. In prison, he persisted in writing and authored works such as 'Arabic-Chinese Muhammadan Poetry' and 'Research on the History of Islam'. In prison, Imam Ma shared a cell with the famous film actor Zhao Dan. To take care of Zhao Dan, he shared the daily necessities his family sent into the prison with him, and the two later formed a friendship forged in hardship.



31. The Wanxinglong Halal Chinese and Western Pastry Shop opened by Hui Muslim manager Ma Wanxiao.

In 1920, manager Ma Wanxiao opened the Wanxinglong Halal Chinese and Western pastry shop at the east end of Shanxi Lane in Nanguan, Urumqi. It had two large storefronts facing north, and the workshop in the backyard produced goods for direct sale. Wanxinglong hired Yao Zhenghe, a master baker from Yangliuqing, Tianjin, who was trained in the Tianjin style. Because of this, their Chinese pastries were traditional Tianjin-style treats. These included large and small eight-piece pastry sets (da bajian, xiao bajian), sesame flatbreads (zhima bing), sponge cakes (caozi gao), sachima, Furong cakes, seasonal mung bean cakes (lvdou gao), Mid-Autumn mooncakes, and assorted sweet rice balls (yuanxiao). People of all ethnic groups in Urumqi loved to serve these on their tables during holidays. In 1944, Wanxinglong hired Sui Hefu, a Shandong-born master baker who had returned from the Soviet Union. This led to the addition of Russian-style Western halal pastries. This was the first halal pastry shop in Urumqi to sell both Chinese and Western goods.



32. The cured mutton in steamed buns (la yangrou jia zhengmo) from Hui Muslim master Nian Shenghua.

Master Nian Huasheng, known as Old Nian the Fourth, was a thin, tall man. From the 1930s to the 1950s, he set up a stall every noon in Caishenlou Lane in Nanguan, Urumqi. He pushed a yellow cart carrying a steaming pot of cured lamb (la yangrou) and a pot of steamed leavened lotus leaf buns (heye bing), all covered with white gauze. The cured lamb was made by braising it in a pot with high-quality soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, ginger skin, and black pepper, all wrapped in white gauze. He would cut the cured lamb into small pieces, tuck them into the steamed lotus leaf buns, and drizzle a little braising broth over them. It tasted soft, fresh, tender, and fatty without being greasy.



33. The date crystal cake (zaojing gao) of the Urumqi Hui Muslims.

In the early years, many Hui Muslims pushed carts through the streets and alleys of Urumqi selling date crystal cakes (zaojing gao). They kept them covered with white gauze and called out, 'Hey... date crystal cakes... hey, white sugar date crystal cakes...' In summer, people loved these cold, sweet, and sticky cakes, especially around the Dragon Boat Festival. Date crystal cakes were made with high-quality glutinous rice, large red dates, raisins, walnut kernels, and shredded green and red candied fruit (qinghong si). First, the glutinous rice was soaked in cold water for a day or two, with frequent water changes. Then, it was steamed in a basket until it became a cake. The soaked red dates, raisins, crushed walnut kernels, and glutinous rice cake were mixed evenly and spread out. After cooling, green and red candied fruit was sprinkled on top. When eating, people would add white sugar or syrup.



34. The steamed bun shop (momo fang) of Hui Muslim Cai Huasheng, whose ancestral home was Xi'an.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Master Cai Huasheng ran a large food shop on Beiliang in Urumqi that specialized in various steamed buns (momo). It had a large storefront facing north and a workshop in the back. They sold hot steamed buns (re zhengmo), twisted rolls (huajuan), deep-fried sugar twists (tang mahua), fried dough cakes (youxiang), ox-tongue pastries (niushe bing), dry flour flatbreads (guokui), fried flatbreads (you guokui), gourd-shaped flatbreads (hulu guokui), flaky pastries (yousu mo), and flowering steamed buns (kaihua mo). From morning until night, the shop was filled with steam and a constant stream of customers.



35. The Dazishizi Mutton Pita Soup (yangrou paomo) restaurant opened in the 1950s.

In 1955, the Urumqi Catering Company opened a state-run lamb pita bread soup (yangrou paomo) restaurant south of the road east of Dashizi. It had three large flat-roofed storefronts, with a dining hall in the front and a kitchen in the back. The restaurant hired several highly skilled Hui Muslim masters from Xi'an, including Ma Fengming, who managed the braised bread, He Chengwen, who made dry flour flatbreads in a special oven, and Ma Junliang and An Shiquan, who served customers. Before eating, the waiter would bring a small dish of pickled garlic, chili sauce, and cilantro. Customers would then wash their hands and break the dry flour flatbread into small pieces—the smaller, the better. The finished lamb pita bread soup was served in a large bowl containing fatty and lean lamb slices, flatbread, and vermicelli. When eating, it was important to 'nibble like a silkworm.' You shouldn't stir the bowl; instead, you had to eat from the edges toward the center, bite by bite, to fully enjoy the flavor. view all