Hidden Mosques in Guangyuan Qingchuan: Qingxi Ancient Town and Sichuan Hui Muslim History
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Summary: This Sichuan road trip reaches Qingxi Ancient Town in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, recording the old town, local Muslim history, route details, and mosque-related travel notes.
I drove from Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, to Qingxi Ancient City for iftar. Although there were only two tables and ten people at Qingxi Mosque, the atmosphere was wonderful and felt just like being at home. Aunties cooked dishes on-site at the mosque, and elders brought food from their homes, making it very heartwarming. We ate the Qingxi Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan), which is a standard banquet meal. It included clear-stewed meat, crispy fried meat (xiao su rou), steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), braised chicken, and cabbage with kelp. It was a mix of meat and vegetables, all very home-style. After the meal, the elders and the imam kindly gave me some stewed meat, fried dough (youxiang), and fruit to eat for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City was an important pass on the Yinping Road. It is known as the gateway to northern Sichuan and the throat of western Shu, and it has always been a place where merchants gathered and armies fought for control. Since the Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi and Gansu settled in Qingxi along the ancient Yinping Road, and Qingxi Mosque was officially built in 1546, the 25th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. The current mosque buildings were rebuilt in 1982.
There is a 400-year-old honey locust tree in the mosque, which is an important witness to the ancient site.
Fried dough (youxiang) and chicken for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City at night. There are many Hui Muslim eateries on the street. You can find fried cakes (yougao), crispy biscuits (cuisubing), stir-fry restaurants serving braised meat, steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), and twice-cooked meat (huiguorou), snack shops selling beef stewed with flatbread (niurou huimo) and wontons (chaoshou), and restaurants serving copper hot pot. The variety is very rich. Some ancient towns and cities in Sichuan with rich Hui Muslim food, such as Dujiangyan, Songpan, and Langzhong, are especially worth visiting. I think Qingxi Ancient Town has fewer tourists, and it is a great place to escape the summer heat deep in the Qinba Mountains.
The area outside the east gate of Qingxi Ancient City is where most Hui Muslims live. It has now been unified into a Hui Muslim cultural area with many Hui Muslim restaurants and snack shops where you can eat beef copper hot pot and the Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan).
Summary: This Sichuan road trip reaches Qingxi Ancient Town in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, recording the old town, local Muslim history, route details, and mosque-related travel notes.
I drove from Dayuan Hui Muslim Township in Qingchuan County, Guangyuan, to Qingxi Ancient City for iftar. Although there were only two tables and ten people at Qingxi Mosque, the atmosphere was wonderful and felt just like being at home. Aunties cooked dishes on-site at the mosque, and elders brought food from their homes, making it very heartwarming. We ate the Qingxi Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan), which is a standard banquet meal. It included clear-stewed meat, crispy fried meat (xiao su rou), steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), braised chicken, and cabbage with kelp. It was a mix of meat and vegetables, all very home-style. After the meal, the elders and the imam kindly gave me some stewed meat, fried dough (youxiang), and fruit to eat for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City was an important pass on the Yinping Road. It is known as the gateway to northern Sichuan and the throat of western Shu, and it has always been a place where merchants gathered and armies fought for control. Since the Ming Dynasty, Hui Muslims from Shaanxi and Gansu settled in Qingxi along the ancient Yinping Road, and Qingxi Mosque was officially built in 1546, the 25th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. The current mosque buildings were rebuilt in 1982.
There is a 400-year-old honey locust tree in the mosque, which is an important witness to the ancient site.
Fried dough (youxiang) and chicken for suhoor.
Qingxi Ancient City at night. There are many Hui Muslim eateries on the street. You can find fried cakes (yougao), crispy biscuits (cuisubing), stir-fry restaurants serving braised meat, steamed meat with flour (fen zheng rou), and twice-cooked meat (huiguorou), snack shops selling beef stewed with flatbread (niurou huimo) and wontons (chaoshou), and restaurants serving copper hot pot. The variety is very rich. Some ancient towns and cities in Sichuan with rich Hui Muslim food, such as Dujiangyan, Songpan, and Langzhong, are especially worth visiting. I think Qingxi Ancient Town has fewer tourists, and it is a great place to escape the summer heat deep in the Qinba Mountains.
The area outside the east gate of Qingxi Ancient City is where most Hui Muslims live. It has now been unified into a Hui Muslim cultural area with many Hui Muslim restaurants and snack shops where you can eat beef copper hot pot and the Hui Muslim nine-bowl feast (jiudawan).
