Halal Travel Guide: Xi'an Ramadan - Mosques, Gongbei and Hui Muslim Life (Part 2)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Travel Guide: Xi'an Ramadan - Mosques, Gongbei and Hui Muslim Life (Part 2) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Xi'an Ramadan, Gongbei, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
There are two moon-sighting platforms in the backyard, with the graves of past leaders in between. Imam Ma Qianyi (1874-1949) was a local from Huajue Lane. In 1914, after his formal appointment at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque, he served as an imam at several mosques in Xi'an and Pingliang. In 1918, he taught in turns at the ancient mosque on Sajinqiao and the mosque on Guangji Street. In 1928, he became the first democratically elected Great Imam of Xi'an, ending the previous hereditary system. He also served as the acting head imam of the Huajue Lane Great Mosque, where he taught scripture for seven years and trained many imams. In 1935, Imam Ma went on the Hajj. On his way back, he was invited by the Longshengzhuang Mosque in Feng County, Inner Mongolia, where many of the local Muslims were from Shaanxi. Later, he taught at over ten mosques in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou, training a large number of imams.
Glazed tiles are stacked in the backyard. According to the 1526 stele record of the mosque's renovation, the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane received bricks and tiles from the Ming Dynasty Prince of Qin's palace during a major renovation in the early Jiajing era: '...we petitioned the virtuous Prince of Qin, who granted them and provided bricks and tiles to complete the work.' This made the mosque magnificent and brand new. Scholars have confirmed that the peacock-blue glazed tiles at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque match those found at the ruins of the Prince of Qin's glazed tile factory in Tongchuan.
Calligraphy art at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque.
During the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, the famous painter and Vice Minister of Rites, Dong Qichang, inscribed the plaque that reads 'Imperial Gifted Mosque'.
Empress Dowager Cixi inscribed the plaque reading 'Lineage Extending from the Holy Land' (Pai Yan Tian Fang).
The couplet from the Guangxu era, 'Spider webs hard to solve, pigeons cooing together, messages sent by warhorses, promises to release the deer,' describes four stories of the Prophet.
Tian Zhongyu inscribed the plaque reading 'Encompassing the Universe' (Bao Luo Yu Zhou) during the Daoguang era.
There are also various wood carvings and stone engravings with Arabic script.
After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the mosque, I took the subway to Guangtaimen in the northeast of Xi'an to visit the Guangdamen gongbei. Guangtaimen was originally the southeast gate of the imperial gardens during the Sui and Tang dynasties. It fell into ruin after the Tang dynasty ended, and the Guangdamen village formed there after the Ming dynasty. Guangdamen village has been demolished, and the area around the gongbei is now a construction site. The roads are very difficult to walk on. I saw the main gate of the gongbei from a distance several times but could not enter because of the walls. After winding through many turns, I finally made it inside.
Guangdamen gongbei is also known as the Lingling Tomb or the tomb garden of the sages Ma Daozhen and Feng Daozu. It is currently managed by the Qadiriyya Yang menhuan. According to the records of the Qadiriyya Yangmen lineage, Khwaja Abdullah brought the Qadiriyya tradition to China during the Kangxi era. He passed it on to Master Ma in Yunnan, who passed it to Master Zhou in Gongchang. Master Zhou then passed it to Master Ma in Xi'an, who later passed it to his nephew. Because the Qadiriyya tradition is passed to the worthy rather than to one's own children, the family changed their surname from Ma to Feng, and he became known as Master Feng.
Inside the gongbei, people refer to Ma Daozhen as the 'San Geta Baba'. However, research in the article 'A Preliminary Study of Ma Daozhen's Family of Islamic Scholars' shows that Ma Daozhen was actually the ancestor of the San Geta Baba. According to the founding stele of the Dapiyuan Mosque, Ma Daozhen was a famous imam in the early Ming Dynasty who was well-versed in Islamic law and known for his excellent character and learning. He once spent five years traveling to different provinces to raise funds for the construction of the Dapiyuan Mosque, making him a key founder of the mosque. After he became the imam of the Dapiyuan Mosque, his family held the position of imam there for generations until the late Republic of China era. Among Ma Daozhen's descendants were three brothers: Ma Shiqi, Ma Shiying (known as the Second Geta Master), and Ma Shixiong (the San Geta Baba). All three were famous Islamic scholars in the early Qing Dynasty and are recorded in the 'Genealogy of Islamic Scholarship'. The Jingxue Xichuan Pu highly praises the character of Sangeta Baba and mentions his Sufi leanings.
Besides the gravestones of Ma Daozhen and Feng Daozu, the gongbei holds two precious stone tablets. One is the Guangda Gate Cemetery Stele from the 24th year of the Qianlong reign, also known as the 64 Neighborhoods Stele. It lists the names of 64 large Hui mosque neighborhoods in the suburbs of Xi'an during the Qianlong period, making it historically significant. According to elders in the Xi'an Muslim quarters, during the Republic of China era, after every Eid, Xi'an Hui Muslims would first visit the grave of Saidianchi Baba at Mijiaya in the east of the city. Then they would go to Guangtaimen to visit the grave of Sangeta Baba, and finally to Hujiagou to visit the grave of Hutashi Baba. This tradition lasted until the 1950s.
In the afternoon, we attended the Asr prayer (diguer) at Nancheng Mosque. After the prayer, I met a fellow Beijinger. He is a Hui Muslim from Daxing who came to Xi'an as a soldier when he was young and has since become an elder of the Nancheng Mosque community. The elder of Nancheng Mosque invited us to break our fast there, but we politely declined because the mosque does not have a women's prayer hall.
Nancheng Mosque was built in 1683 (the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign). It was originally built for the Muslim officers and soldiers of the Han Eight Banners stationed in the south of Xi'an and their families. It was the only mosque in Xi'an at the time that was not located in the Hui Muslim quarter. As early as 1645 (the 2nd year of the Shunzhi reign), the Qing dynasty established a Manchu Eight Banners garrison city in the east of Xi'an. After the Qing dynasty settled the Revolt of the Three Feudatories in 1683, they built a garrison city for the Han Eight Banners in the southeast of Xi'an to strengthen military power. It was called the South City (nancheng). In 1780, the 45th year of the Qianlong reign, the South City was abolished. The Han Eight Banners soldiers and their families left the banner system to become civilians and joined the Green Standard Army. The South City Mosque (nancheng si) then officially became a mosque for all Hui Muslims.
During the lockdown of Xi'an in the Tongzhi reign, the South City Mosque played a special role. At that time, Hui Muslims in Xi'an could not leave the city for eighteen years. When they passed away, they were carried to the South City Mosque for burial. People say there was not enough burial shroud cloth (kafan bu) for the funerals, so they had to use paper instead. This led to a folk song: 'Carried to the South City, the rich and poor are buried the same.' Whatever you ate while alive, you are wrapped in paper when you die.
After leaving the South City Mosque, walk north to the Henan Mosque (henan si) on Dongxin Street to visit the Hui Muslim community from Henan. You can find all kinds of halal food from Henan here, and the most famous is barrel chicken (tongzi ji).
The Longhai Railway officially opened to Xi'an in December 1934, making travel between Xi'an and Henan much easier. Many Hui Muslims from Henan began coming to Xi'an to make a living, settling in the New City District on the east side of the city. In 1936, Hui Muslims from Henan rented an empty lot on Dongxin Street and built two rooms facing the street. They named it the New City District Mosque, which later became the Dongxin Street Mosque.
Henan fell in 1937, and the Yellow River levee at Huayuankou broke the following year. Afterward, Henan suffered from continuous droughts and locust plagues. A large number of refugees fled west to Xi'an, including many Hui Muslims. They followed the footsteps of the Hui Muslims from Henan who had arrived earlier, setting up sheds to live in the relatively empty and desolate areas of the New City District at that time. Because the population grew, the Hui Muslims from Henan built the New City District East Mosque on Shangren Road in 1939, which is the current Jianguo Lane Mosque.
In the evening, we broke our fast at the Dongxin Street Mosque. We had barrel chicken (tongziji), braised pork tongue (jiang koutiao), cold mixed vegetables, braised fish chunks, steamed buns (momo), and red bean porridge. Barrel chicken (tongziji) is most famous in Kaifeng, Henan. It gets its name because the hen is cooked in a barrel shape without being gutted. The finished dish is bright yellow and tastes better the more you chew it.
The Dongxin Street Mosque was the first mosque for migrants in Xi'an. After it was built in 1936, it remained active until 1958. It was then turned into the New City District Hui Muslim Cultural Center. A factory occupied it after 1971, and it did not resume religious activities until 1986. It was rebuilt into the current building in 2013, which looks very new and has a great environment. The imam at the mosque now is from Henan, and many of the elders also speak with a Henan accent, which is quite interesting.
After the Taraweeh prayers, I rode my bike back to the Hui Muslim quarter, bought some mung bean cake (lvdougao) on Miaohou Street, and had a cup of sour plum drink (suanmeitang). I seem to drink sour plum drink (suanmeitang) every time I visit Xi'an; the brewed version has a richer texture and is a bit more tart.
I strolled to the west end of Miaohou Street to have some barbecue at Sun Tao's place. They sell the small beef skewers in orders of at least 20; they are quite chewy, almost like a snack. I also had a bowl of egg milk fermented rice (jidan niunai laozao), which makes for a good pairing.
April 6
At 3:50 a.m., I had a delicious lotus leaf bun with vegetables (heye bing jia cai) for my pre-dawn meal (suhoor) the day before, so I tried a different shop for it today. This time I ate a five-dragon egg and vegetable sandwich (wulong dancai jiamo) on North Guangji Street, and I also had some meat oil rice (youfan) there. Oil rice (youfan) is a special dish that Hui Muslims in the neighborhood usually make only for Eid (Erde) and the Prophet's Birthday (Shengji). It is a meat porridge made with beef bone broth and minced beef. It is salty, savory, and very festive.
After finishing the oil rice, we turned into Xiaopi Courtyard to eat steamed buns (baozi) made with traditional sourdough (laomian) at Ashiye's shop. For traditional sourdough (laomian), the dough is prepared a day in advance and left to rise for over ten hours without using yeast powder. Then, the risen dough is mixed with fresh dough to make the texture chewier and whiter. While we were eating the buns, an older man outside found out we were fasting and insisted on paying our bill. We felt so grateful, and it made us feel that the atmosphere in Xi'an is truly wonderful.
The street view of Xiaopi Courtyard at 4:20 in the morning.
At 5:30 in the morning, we performed namaz at the West Mosque (Qingzhen Xisi) on Sajinqiao. The West Mosque was built in 1926 and belongs to the Ikhwan sect. In 1912, Imam Liu Yuzhen began teaching Ikhwan ideas when he started classes at the ancient Sajinqiao Mosque. In 1920, some local residents influenced by the Ikhwan sect set up a separate prayer space (zhemati) at the home of Ma Mengji in Xinshi Lane, which was the predecessor to the West Mosque. In 1926, over 150 Ikhwan families in Sajinqiao, led by community leaders like Liu Chunzhang, raised money to buy the Haihui Nunnery northwest of the Sajinqiao intersection and rebuilt it into the Sajinqiao West Mosque.
During the Republic of China era, the West Mosque served over a thousand local Hui Muslims. It became a health school in 1958 and later a funeral home for Hui Muslims. It reopened in 1986, the main hall was rebuilt in 1987, and the north and south halls still keep their appearance from a century ago.
The Sajinqiao West Mosque is known for valuing cultural heritage and having an open-minded approach. The mosque often hosts study sessions, martial arts performances, and social events, which attracts more young people and gives it a lively atmosphere.
Sajinqiao during the day
Summary: Halal Travel Guide: Xi'an Ramadan - Mosques, Gongbei and Hui Muslim Life (Part 2) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Xi'an Ramadan, Gongbei, Hui Muslims while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
There are two moon-sighting platforms in the backyard, with the graves of past leaders in between. Imam Ma Qianyi (1874-1949) was a local from Huajue Lane. In 1914, after his formal appointment at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque, he served as an imam at several mosques in Xi'an and Pingliang. In 1918, he taught in turns at the ancient mosque on Sajinqiao and the mosque on Guangji Street. In 1928, he became the first democratically elected Great Imam of Xi'an, ending the previous hereditary system. He also served as the acting head imam of the Huajue Lane Great Mosque, where he taught scripture for seven years and trained many imams. In 1935, Imam Ma went on the Hajj. On his way back, he was invited by the Longshengzhuang Mosque in Feng County, Inner Mongolia, where many of the local Muslims were from Shaanxi. Later, he taught at over ten mosques in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou, training a large number of imams.
Glazed tiles are stacked in the backyard. According to the 1526 stele record of the mosque's renovation, the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane received bricks and tiles from the Ming Dynasty Prince of Qin's palace during a major renovation in the early Jiajing era: '...we petitioned the virtuous Prince of Qin, who granted them and provided bricks and tiles to complete the work.' This made the mosque magnificent and brand new. Scholars have confirmed that the peacock-blue glazed tiles at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque match those found at the ruins of the Prince of Qin's glazed tile factory in Tongchuan.
Calligraphy art at the Huajue Lane Great Mosque.
During the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, the famous painter and Vice Minister of Rites, Dong Qichang, inscribed the plaque that reads 'Imperial Gifted Mosque'.
Empress Dowager Cixi inscribed the plaque reading 'Lineage Extending from the Holy Land' (Pai Yan Tian Fang).
The couplet from the Guangxu era, 'Spider webs hard to solve, pigeons cooing together, messages sent by warhorses, promises to release the deer,' describes four stories of the Prophet.
Tian Zhongyu inscribed the plaque reading 'Encompassing the Universe' (Bao Luo Yu Zhou) during the Daoguang era.
There are also various wood carvings and stone engravings with Arabic script.
After the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at the mosque, I took the subway to Guangtaimen in the northeast of Xi'an to visit the Guangdamen gongbei. Guangtaimen was originally the southeast gate of the imperial gardens during the Sui and Tang dynasties. It fell into ruin after the Tang dynasty ended, and the Guangdamen village formed there after the Ming dynasty. Guangdamen village has been demolished, and the area around the gongbei is now a construction site. The roads are very difficult to walk on. I saw the main gate of the gongbei from a distance several times but could not enter because of the walls. After winding through many turns, I finally made it inside.
Guangdamen gongbei is also known as the Lingling Tomb or the tomb garden of the sages Ma Daozhen and Feng Daozu. It is currently managed by the Qadiriyya Yang menhuan. According to the records of the Qadiriyya Yangmen lineage, Khwaja Abdullah brought the Qadiriyya tradition to China during the Kangxi era. He passed it on to Master Ma in Yunnan, who passed it to Master Zhou in Gongchang. Master Zhou then passed it to Master Ma in Xi'an, who later passed it to his nephew. Because the Qadiriyya tradition is passed to the worthy rather than to one's own children, the family changed their surname from Ma to Feng, and he became known as Master Feng.
Inside the gongbei, people refer to Ma Daozhen as the 'San Geta Baba'. However, research in the article 'A Preliminary Study of Ma Daozhen's Family of Islamic Scholars' shows that Ma Daozhen was actually the ancestor of the San Geta Baba. According to the founding stele of the Dapiyuan Mosque, Ma Daozhen was a famous imam in the early Ming Dynasty who was well-versed in Islamic law and known for his excellent character and learning. He once spent five years traveling to different provinces to raise funds for the construction of the Dapiyuan Mosque, making him a key founder of the mosque. After he became the imam of the Dapiyuan Mosque, his family held the position of imam there for generations until the late Republic of China era. Among Ma Daozhen's descendants were three brothers: Ma Shiqi, Ma Shiying (known as the Second Geta Master), and Ma Shixiong (the San Geta Baba). All three were famous Islamic scholars in the early Qing Dynasty and are recorded in the 'Genealogy of Islamic Scholarship'. The Jingxue Xichuan Pu highly praises the character of Sangeta Baba and mentions his Sufi leanings.
Besides the gravestones of Ma Daozhen and Feng Daozu, the gongbei holds two precious stone tablets. One is the Guangda Gate Cemetery Stele from the 24th year of the Qianlong reign, also known as the 64 Neighborhoods Stele. It lists the names of 64 large Hui mosque neighborhoods in the suburbs of Xi'an during the Qianlong period, making it historically significant. According to elders in the Xi'an Muslim quarters, during the Republic of China era, after every Eid, Xi'an Hui Muslims would first visit the grave of Saidianchi Baba at Mijiaya in the east of the city. Then they would go to Guangtaimen to visit the grave of Sangeta Baba, and finally to Hujiagou to visit the grave of Hutashi Baba. This tradition lasted until the 1950s.
In the afternoon, we attended the Asr prayer (diguer) at Nancheng Mosque. After the prayer, I met a fellow Beijinger. He is a Hui Muslim from Daxing who came to Xi'an as a soldier when he was young and has since become an elder of the Nancheng Mosque community. The elder of Nancheng Mosque invited us to break our fast there, but we politely declined because the mosque does not have a women's prayer hall.
Nancheng Mosque was built in 1683 (the 22nd year of the Kangxi reign). It was originally built for the Muslim officers and soldiers of the Han Eight Banners stationed in the south of Xi'an and their families. It was the only mosque in Xi'an at the time that was not located in the Hui Muslim quarter. As early as 1645 (the 2nd year of the Shunzhi reign), the Qing dynasty established a Manchu Eight Banners garrison city in the east of Xi'an. After the Qing dynasty settled the Revolt of the Three Feudatories in 1683, they built a garrison city for the Han Eight Banners in the southeast of Xi'an to strengthen military power. It was called the South City (nancheng). In 1780, the 45th year of the Qianlong reign, the South City was abolished. The Han Eight Banners soldiers and their families left the banner system to become civilians and joined the Green Standard Army. The South City Mosque (nancheng si) then officially became a mosque for all Hui Muslims.
During the lockdown of Xi'an in the Tongzhi reign, the South City Mosque played a special role. At that time, Hui Muslims in Xi'an could not leave the city for eighteen years. When they passed away, they were carried to the South City Mosque for burial. People say there was not enough burial shroud cloth (kafan bu) for the funerals, so they had to use paper instead. This led to a folk song: 'Carried to the South City, the rich and poor are buried the same.' Whatever you ate while alive, you are wrapped in paper when you die.
After leaving the South City Mosque, walk north to the Henan Mosque (henan si) on Dongxin Street to visit the Hui Muslim community from Henan. You can find all kinds of halal food from Henan here, and the most famous is barrel chicken (tongzi ji).
The Longhai Railway officially opened to Xi'an in December 1934, making travel between Xi'an and Henan much easier. Many Hui Muslims from Henan began coming to Xi'an to make a living, settling in the New City District on the east side of the city. In 1936, Hui Muslims from Henan rented an empty lot on Dongxin Street and built two rooms facing the street. They named it the New City District Mosque, which later became the Dongxin Street Mosque.
Henan fell in 1937, and the Yellow River levee at Huayuankou broke the following year. Afterward, Henan suffered from continuous droughts and locust plagues. A large number of refugees fled west to Xi'an, including many Hui Muslims. They followed the footsteps of the Hui Muslims from Henan who had arrived earlier, setting up sheds to live in the relatively empty and desolate areas of the New City District at that time. Because the population grew, the Hui Muslims from Henan built the New City District East Mosque on Shangren Road in 1939, which is the current Jianguo Lane Mosque.
In the evening, we broke our fast at the Dongxin Street Mosque. We had barrel chicken (tongziji), braised pork tongue (jiang koutiao), cold mixed vegetables, braised fish chunks, steamed buns (momo), and red bean porridge. Barrel chicken (tongziji) is most famous in Kaifeng, Henan. It gets its name because the hen is cooked in a barrel shape without being gutted. The finished dish is bright yellow and tastes better the more you chew it.
The Dongxin Street Mosque was the first mosque for migrants in Xi'an. After it was built in 1936, it remained active until 1958. It was then turned into the New City District Hui Muslim Cultural Center. A factory occupied it after 1971, and it did not resume religious activities until 1986. It was rebuilt into the current building in 2013, which looks very new and has a great environment. The imam at the mosque now is from Henan, and many of the elders also speak with a Henan accent, which is quite interesting.
After the Taraweeh prayers, I rode my bike back to the Hui Muslim quarter, bought some mung bean cake (lvdougao) on Miaohou Street, and had a cup of sour plum drink (suanmeitang). I seem to drink sour plum drink (suanmeitang) every time I visit Xi'an; the brewed version has a richer texture and is a bit more tart.
I strolled to the west end of Miaohou Street to have some barbecue at Sun Tao's place. They sell the small beef skewers in orders of at least 20; they are quite chewy, almost like a snack. I also had a bowl of egg milk fermented rice (jidan niunai laozao), which makes for a good pairing.
April 6
At 3:50 a.m., I had a delicious lotus leaf bun with vegetables (heye bing jia cai) for my pre-dawn meal (suhoor) the day before, so I tried a different shop for it today. This time I ate a five-dragon egg and vegetable sandwich (wulong dancai jiamo) on North Guangji Street, and I also had some meat oil rice (youfan) there. Oil rice (youfan) is a special dish that Hui Muslims in the neighborhood usually make only for Eid (Erde) and the Prophet's Birthday (Shengji). It is a meat porridge made with beef bone broth and minced beef. It is salty, savory, and very festive.
After finishing the oil rice, we turned into Xiaopi Courtyard to eat steamed buns (baozi) made with traditional sourdough (laomian) at Ashiye's shop. For traditional sourdough (laomian), the dough is prepared a day in advance and left to rise for over ten hours without using yeast powder. Then, the risen dough is mixed with fresh dough to make the texture chewier and whiter. While we were eating the buns, an older man outside found out we were fasting and insisted on paying our bill. We felt so grateful, and it made us feel that the atmosphere in Xi'an is truly wonderful.
The street view of Xiaopi Courtyard at 4:20 in the morning.
At 5:30 in the morning, we performed namaz at the West Mosque (Qingzhen Xisi) on Sajinqiao. The West Mosque was built in 1926 and belongs to the Ikhwan sect. In 1912, Imam Liu Yuzhen began teaching Ikhwan ideas when he started classes at the ancient Sajinqiao Mosque. In 1920, some local residents influenced by the Ikhwan sect set up a separate prayer space (zhemati) at the home of Ma Mengji in Xinshi Lane, which was the predecessor to the West Mosque. In 1926, over 150 Ikhwan families in Sajinqiao, led by community leaders like Liu Chunzhang, raised money to buy the Haihui Nunnery northwest of the Sajinqiao intersection and rebuilt it into the Sajinqiao West Mosque.
During the Republic of China era, the West Mosque served over a thousand local Hui Muslims. It became a health school in 1958 and later a funeral home for Hui Muslims. It reopened in 1986, the main hall was rebuilt in 1987, and the north and south halls still keep their appearance from a century ago.
The Sajinqiao West Mosque is known for valuing cultural heritage and having an open-minded approach. The mosque often hosts study sessions, martial arts performances, and social events, which attracts more young people and gives it a lively atmosphere.
Sajinqiao during the day
