Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal restaurant map keeps the original part-sixteen food list, including Muhejia hotpot, Baoyuelou dishes, addresses, and photos. It is useful for readers searching for halal restaurant near me Beijing and city halal food routes.

1. Muhejia Rotating Hot Pot



Muhejia is a chain with two locations currently, one in Beitaipingzhuang and one in Zhichunlu. It is a rotating hot pot restaurant where you mix your own dipping sauces and pay based on the number of skewers you eat.



Drinks and certain specific dishes are charged separately.



Each person gets their own small pot, which is great for solo diners, though large pots are also available.







Flat skewers are 3 yuan, long skewers are 2 yuan, and short skewers are 1 yuan. There is a wide variety of food, but you must order meat for the pot separately. The average cost per person is under 50 yuan.



Across from the Muhejia in Zhichunlu is Jiangnanchun, which is also a good place for hot pot meat.

Address:

It is right at Exit G1 of Zhichunlu Station on Subway Line 10.

2. Taoran Garden Hotel · Baoyuelou



Baoyuelou is a themed restaurant at the Beijing Taoran Garden Hotel created to honor the love story of Emperor Qianlong and the Fragrant Concubine (Xiangfei). It specializes in halal Cantonese food, fusion dishes, and Beijing cuisine.



In the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign, the Qing government put down the rebellion of the Small and Large Khojas, and the Fragrant Concubine's family was brought to Beijing. Qianlong built a mosque (Huihuiying Qingzhensi) for her near Xinhua Gate, and in the 23rd year of his reign, he built Baoyuelou for her, specifically hiring Hui Muslim chefs to cook for her.



The Baoyuelou restaurant is very spacious and has private rooms that can hold 30 people. I specifically invited 28 friends (dost) to have dinner together at Baoyuelou for Eid al-Adha (Qurban Festival) this time.



The restaurant servers were North Korean women in uniforms. They were all professionally trained for international work, looked beautiful, spoke fluent Chinese, and were very attentive. I did not even realize they were North Korean until I asked for some local snacks and they did not understand me. When I asked, I learned they were not Chinese. The North Korean women also mentioned that there are no Hui Muslims in North Korea.



The largest round table in the private room seats 20 people. The room is very big, and you could even fit another table next to it.



The menu is a thick book with a wide variety of dishes, mostly Cantonese and imperial court cuisine. It is quite expensive, with an average cost of about 150 yuan per person. After the meal, everyone agreed that the food at Baoyuelou was delicious and worth the price.



Steamed pumpkin with green wheat (qingmai)



Okra and yam balls



Qianlong-style secret recipe hairtail fish



Braised veal (huangmen xiaoniurou)



Steamed Chinese sturgeon



Crispy celery and shrimp balls



Sashimi platter



Lamb chops

Address:

Taoran Garden Hotel at 19 Taiping Street, near the east gate of Taoranting Park.

3. Halal Burger (Qingzhenbao)



I found a halal fast-food burger shop at the entrance of Langfa Village in Daxing District.



I looked at the menu inside and was a bit overwhelmed by the many choices. Two young men run the shop, and they seem to be locals. Sometimes their older family members stop by to visit.



I chose a popcorn chicken combo, and everything is made fresh to order.



A combo is only 17 yuan, which is quite cheap.



The popcorn chicken and the chicken leg burger were both delicious, though the shop is a bit far from the city center.



Address:

At the entrance of Langfa Village, Daxing District, north of the intersection of Tongshun Street and Weiyong Road.

4. Indian Palace



I found this halal Indian restaurant on a street in Chaoyang District near Shunyi. The owners are two men from Northeast China, and the chef is from Bangladesh.



This shop opened in 2003 and has always done well. The food is quite authentic. Sometimes a guy from Northeast China does the cooking. He is good at making Indian and Italian dishes, but some customers leave as soon as they see a Chinese person cooking Indian food. This makes him feel down, but he does not think his skills are any worse than an Indian chef's.



I listened to him vent about the economy over the last few years. He said fewer foreigners are coming to Beijing now, so business is not as good as it used to be. He is planning to open a branch in the city.



I had the classic beef curry with flatbread (naan), and it tasted great.



Indian yogurt drink (lassi).



This beef curry was made by a chef from Bangladesh. We talked about several Indian restaurants in Beijing. They knew all of them and told me why some of them do not cook well.



Address:

No. 8 Laiguangying East Road, Chaoyang District.

5. Xiaolou Restaurant.



Xiaolou Restaurant is the largest and oldest halal restaurant in the Tongzhou area.



Xiaolou Restaurant has a clear specialty. They are best at making braised catfish, a dish I have not seen in any other Beijing restaurant.



You can also try the camel meat and venison.







The Tongzhou Great Mosque is right next to Xiaolou Restaurant. Friends (dosti) in Tongzhou can even hold their weddings here.



I tried the braised catfish (shao nianyu) and steamed dumplings (zhengjiao). I ate catfish when I was a kid and never liked it because it tasted muddy, but the braised catfish at Xiaolou didn't have that muddy taste at all. I even saw the guests at the next table specifically come here to eat it.



The steamed dumplings were delicious, just a bit small. The server said I had to order at least two baskets, and I thought I wouldn't be able to finish them, but they were actually about the same size as regular dumplings.



Across from Xiaolou Restaurant is the newly opened Haibin Meat Pie Shop. The Tongzhou Jingdong meat pie (jingdong roubing) is also delicious, so I will eat that next time.

Address:

No. 12 South Street, Tongzhou.

6. Changji Sesame Flatbread (shaobing)



I bought some hawthorn cakes (shanzha bing) and red bean paste cakes (dousha bing) at Changji Sesame Flatbread in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou.



The crusts of the red bean paste cakes and hawthorn cakes were soft and fluffy, and they were full of filling and tasted great.



Address:

Ground floor shops, Taiyuyuan Residential Community, Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou.

7. Junyue Wuhan Jiujiu Duck



I found a small halal Wuhan Jiujiu Duck shop on the side of the road. I went in and chatted, and the owner is a Hui Muslim from Zhangjiawan. This was my first time seeing halal Jiujiu Duck.



I bought duck wings and duck necks. The owner chopped them into pieces for me, and I roasted them at home. They tasted great.



Address:

Ground floor shops at Taiyuyuan, Zhangjiawan.

8. Zhangjiawan Hui Muslim Village.



Zhangjiawan is a gathering place for Hui Muslims in Tongzhou. It still keeps the neighborhood vibe from before the urban renewal projects of the last century, and there are many small shops.









Tongzhou has many types of snacks. The sesame flatbread (shaobing) is especially good, so remember to buy some when you come here.



Address:

Zhangjiawan Town, Tongzhou District.

9. Halal buckwheat noodles (heluo mian).



I happened to see this halal buckwheat noodle (heluo mian) shop while passing through Huangfa Village. The sign also listed potstickers (guotie), pan-fried buns (shuijianbao), and lamb offal soup (yangza tang). I could tell right away it was run by people from Henan. This kind of halal Henan-style shop is rare in Beijing now. I was in a hurry so I didn't eat there, but if you don't mind the distance, you can come and try it.

Previous links:

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 1) (Note: Baodu Wai is closed, Yang's Beef Pancake is closed, Halal Spicy Hot Pot is closed, Yuanxie Shuanrou Restaurant is closed, Dafengshou Fish Restaurant is closed, Hongliushu Roasted Lamb Scorpion is closed, Weidao Xinjiang Restaurant is closed, Shashi Castle Restaurant is closed, Badang Restaurant is closed, Barkley Caspian Western Restaurant is closed, Istanbul Restaurant is closed, Sukhothai Thai-Malaysian Restaurant is closed, and Cheese Molecule Pizza has removed its halal sign).

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 2) (Note: 1001 Nights Restaurant Solana branch is closed, Haitian Yise Chinese Restaurant is closed, and Changying Seafood BBQ is closed).

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 3) (Note: Changji Zhizi BBQ is closed and Yiding Shandouji Private Kitchen is closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 4) (Note: Features Ningxia cuisine, Korean BBQ, soybean paste noodles (zhajiangmian), and Yunnan cuisine; Xuezhan Dapanji is closed, Islam Lan Hot Pot is closed, and Xingyuege Muslim Restaurant is closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 5) (Note: Features Yunnan cuisine and Shan County lamb soup (Shanxian yangtang)).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 6) (Note: Highlights include Chongqing hot pot, Moroccan restaurants; Yijinglan Restaurant, Weidao Seafood Restaurant are closed; Laoma Lamb Spine Potstickers has been renamed Little Conch Seafood BBQ).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 7) (Note: Highlights include Turkish kebabs, Chinese tea houses; Yijinyuan, Laoduiyuan are closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 8) (Highlights include Korean BBQ, soup-filled dumplings (guantangbao); Fangchengshun Hot Pot, Father's New-Style Western Region Cuisine are closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 9) (Note: Highlights include ox head feast, Qinghai hot pot; Halimei Kitchen is closed, Meisi Coffee has removed its halal sign, Yilaobaiwei Dipping Sauce Hot Pot has been renamed Huaxiding New-Style Halal Hot Pot).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 10) (Note: Highlights include Huainan beef soup, Western fast food, pita bread in soup (paomo), octopus balls, Yunnan cuisine).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 11) (Note: Highlights include French cuisine, Sichuan-style hot pot, spicy dry pot (mala xiangguo), seafood buffet, Henan pan-fried buns (shuijianbao)).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 12) (Note: Highlights include Henan braised noodles (huimian), spicy soup (hulatang); Erjie Diguo Stew, HI HELLO Western-style grilled rice are closed).

A map of special halal food in Beijing (part 13) (Note: featuring Cantonese cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, and Beijing-style meat pie (jingdong roubing)).

Beijing Halal Food Map (14) (Note: Highlights include beef tendon hot pot (niubanjin huoguo), a Palestinian restaurant, a Jewish restaurant, and American-style burgers; the Japanese restaurant and Cai Shidang are now closed).

Beijing Halal Food Map (15) (Note: Highlights include Hohhot-style halal dishes, an Indian-Pakistani buffet, and Yunnan rice cakes (erkua)).
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Dalian local halal food guide follows the original second food map, with Muslim restaurants, dumplings, seafood, addresses, and photos kept in order. It is written for readers searching for practical halal food in China coastal cities.

Last year I wrote about a halal trip to Dalian during the Qingming Festival. This year, I used a business trip as an excuse to visit Dalian for halal food again. Last year I ate at Yiding Restaurant.

Dongshengxiang, Tongqing Hui Muslim Restaurant, and Huixiangyuan Beef Tendon Soup (niujintang).

These are all local halal eateries in Dalian, but Yiding Restaurant

is reportedly closed, so fellow Muslims (dosti) should take note so you don't make a wasted trip.

Early Hui Muslims in Dalian mostly came from Tianjin, Cangzhou, and Dezhou. They moved to Dalian during the late Qing Dynasty as part of the migration to Northeast China. The first mosque in Dalian was built in 1922. Back then, halal restaurants in Dalian mainly served lamb soup (yangtang) and baked flatbread (huoshao). Larger restaurants included Dongshengyuan, Xishengyuan, Defayuan, and Baolelou, but none of these exist today.

1. Northwest Ma's Halal Beef Ramen (Youhao Road Branch)



People in Dalian love ramen, and since there are many Japanese people in Dalian who also love ramen, ramen shops are everywhere. Most are not halal, though the cooking style is similar to Northwest ramen. This Northwest Ma's shop is near the Dalian Railway Station and stays open until late at night.



You can tell it is run by Muslims (dosti) from Qinghai. They do not allow smoking or alcohol. I ordered a portion of cold noodles, and it tasted great.



Address: No. 44 Youhao Road (near Trade World)

2. Haicheng Ma's Meat Pie



Also not far from Dalian Railway Station, this meat pie shop is tucked away in a residential area with a strong local vibe. There is only one person in the shop who does both the cooking and the serving. Haicheng is a county-level city in Anshan, Liaoning Province, and the owner is a Hui Muslim from Haicheng. The shop mainly serves beef pies and beef soup.



The menu only has these items, all of which are home-style dishes from Northeast Hui Muslims.



The beef pie is like this: the outside looks pan-fried, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.



The pie costs five yuan each. One person can eat two, paired with a bowl of beef soup.



The beef soup has big chunks of beef. The soup is fresh and the meat is tender; it tastes quite good.



The mixed beef tripe is a cold dish. The white tripe is washed very clean and has no gamey smell at all.

Address: No. 1-3, No. 38 Xincheng Lane, Zhanbei Street.

3. Yulelou Restaurant.



Yulelou can currently be considered the best halal restaurant in Dalian. It has two branches in Dalian, mainly serving Dalian-style home-cooked stir-fries and seafood. Yulelou opened in the 1980s and invited Chef Ma Zhanling, who used to work at Baolelou, to lead the kitchen. Under Master Ma's guidance, Yulelou later trained a group of famous chefs who know how to cook halal dishes.





Yulelou's menu lists the main ingredients for every dish. The menu focuses on traditional Northeast halal dishes, along with some snacks.



The mixed three shredded vegetables (ban sansi) come in a very large portion. When ordering in the Northeast, be sure not to order too much, or you won't be able to finish it.



The mixed seafood (hai zaban) features sea cucumber, squid, clam meat, and shrimp. Liaoning sea cucumber is very nourishing.



Lamb skewers (yangrou chuan) are a delicacy in the Northeast that cannot be ignored. Northeast lamb does not have a strong gamey smell.



Soft-fried meat (ruanzharou) is made with beef. It is a home-style dish from Northeast China that you eat with dipping sauce, and it goes perfectly with rice.

Address: No. 229 Huabei Road (Huabei Road Branch).

4. Northeast Halal Dumpling Restaurant.



There is a halal dumpling restaurant in the storefronts at the square in front of Dalian Railway Station, run by Hui Muslims from Mudanjiang.



The shop sells train tickets and stores luggage. The owner is very friendly and keeps calling customers 'dost' (a term for friend).



The shop mainly serves Northeast home-style dishes, mostly dumplings with various fillings, along with stir-fried dishes.



It has been open for over three years. I heard there is another old halal dumpling shop nearby called Lao Ma Dumpling Restaurant that has been open for over twenty years above the train station, but since the elderly owners passed away (wuchang), the taste is not as good as before.



Because I was in a hurry, I bought some to go. I tried mackerel filling, beef filling, and mixed seafood filling dumplings, plus Northeast big sheet jelly noodles (dalapi), stir-fried chives with squid, and stir-stir-fried meat chunks (liurouduan). The owner gave me a free cold dish.



Address: First-floor storefront at the square in front of Dalian Railway Station, near the Bohai Pearl Hotel.

5. Yutai Hui Muslim Restaurant.



The character 'Tai' on the sign looks like 'Qin', but it is definitely called Yutai Hui Muslim Restaurant. It has branches, and another one is very close to the Yulelou Huabei Road branch.



They mainly serve Dalian-style home cooking. It is a very popular shop, and the landlady is quite warm, which is something you can generally feel when eating in the Northeast.



I ordered the signature lamb offal soup (yangza tang). The broth is milky white and served plain, so you need to add your own salt and seasonings.



Spicy mixed beef offal (mala ban) is a specialty of Fushun. It is made mainly with beef offal and is not very spicy, which makes it a favorite for everyone.



I had the sweet and sour stir-fried meat (guobaorou) again. It is not easy to find the savory version of this dish anymore.



Beef steamed dumplings (shaomai) are a must-eat staple every time I visit Northeast China. They have thin skins and large fillings, look like little buns, and taste delicious.

Address: No. 29 Baiyun Street, Zhongshan District (Taoyuan Branch).

Scenery



Dalian is in its peak tourist season right now. The weather is hot, which is perfect for swimming at the beach. You can see an aircraft carrier under construction in the distance from the Dalian Shipyard.



Feed the seagulls at Music Square and go for a ride on a sailboat.



Feel the sea breeze and watch the sunrise along the shore at Haizhiyun.



July and August are the perfect months to visit Dalian. You can head to the Daheishi Scenic Area beach. There are not many tourists at Daheishi, as it is mostly visited by locals. The water is clean and the scenery is beautiful, a tip a local Dalian resident shared with me.

Previous post: Qingming Festival halal tour in Dalian.
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal street food guide keeps the original part-fifteen map, including Qingcheng Hotel, Xinjiang rice noodles, Zam Zam, addresses, dishes, and photos. It helps readers find real halal food in China while preserving the original details.

1. Qingcheng Restaurant



I found a long-running Inner Mongolian restaurant in Changping. The owner is from Hohhot, which means 'blue city' in the Mongolian language.





The patterns on the restaurant's ceiling are beautiful.



Since eastern Inner Mongolia is part of Manchuria, the food styles are similar, so you can eat sweet and sour stir-fried meat (guobaorou) here.



Halal stir-fried meat (guobaorou) is not easy to find in Beijing anymore. The few Northeast-style restaurants I recommended before have all closed.



They also have potstickers (guotie) and steamed dumplings (shaomai), which are both traditional Inner Mongolian snacks.



This is called oat noodle nests (youmian wowo), a type of pasta that you dip into the lamb bone broth (yangtang) served on the side.

Address:

No. 14 Donghuan Road, Changping District

2. Crescent Moon (Wanwan Yueliang)



This is a Xinjiang restaurant with a strong Uyghur style. It has been open for many years and was recommended by my Uyghur friends.



All the staff are Uyghur.



The food is quite traditional and the prices are not expensive.



Address: No. 16, Liutiao Hutong, Dongsi North Street, Dongcheng District.

3. Lafengqin Xinjiang Rice Noodles.



It opened recently and serves stir-fried rice cakes and stir-fried fish fillets. There are more and more halal Xinjiang rice noodle shops in Beijing.







Stir-fried rice cakes with chicken.

Address:

First floor of Kaishi Building, Wudaokou.

4. ZAM ZAM Indo-Pak Cuisine.



This is a newly opened Pakistani restaurant in Wudaokou. The owner is a Hui Muslim from Beijing, while the kitchen staff and servers are from Pakistan and India. They do not sell alcohol and offer a 58 yuan buffet all day.





I only found this restaurant because I was making a phone call outside and saw women wearing headscarves going in and out.



The food is delicious. It is excellent for a buffet and offers great value.









You can choose the buffet or order a la carte. They have pizza and various Indo-Pak desserts.



Address:

Located on the first floor of Kaishi Building in Wudaokou, right next to La Feng Qin.

5. BRBR Arabic Restaurant



This shop used to be near the University of International Business and Economics. It just moved here recently, but it is already busy and the food tastes great.









Roasted lamb



Shawarma sandwich



Black tea



Address:

No. 3 East, Building 327, Zhongguancun South Second Alley, Haidian District

6. Ali Restaurant



We had our Eid al-Fitr dinner at Ali Restaurant on Jiaoda East Road. This Ningxia-style place has a great atmosphere. You can pre-order the Jingyuan steamed chicken. I ordered the spicy beef and the Yanchi salt lake hand-grabbed lamb, plus the layered steamed buns (bubu gaosheng momo). We finished every single dish.







Eight-treasure tea (babao cha)





Sour soup fish (suantang yu)



Steamed buns for success (bubugao sheng momo)



Hand-grabbed salt-lake lamb (tanyang shouzhuo)



Spicy stir-fried yellow beef

Address: Beijing

Courtyard 58, Jiaotong University East Road

6. Jinying Specialty Meatball Soup



This is a new branch of the Xinjiang-style meatball soup shop in Dongsi. It just opened, and the taste is the same as the original shop, but the twisted flower rolls (huajuan) are not as good as the ones at the old place.







Address:

Temporary No. 138, Chengfu Road, Haidian District

7. Yingfeng Yunnan Grilled Rice Cakes (shaierkuai)



Yingfeng is a chain brand from Yunnan, and this time they have opened a shop in Beijing.



The young man at the shop is a Hui Muslim from Yunnan.



Rice cake (erkua) is a Yunnan specialty, a snack made from rice.





The shop sells homemade drinks like rose sago dessert (meigui ximilu).

Address:

No. 9 Yanjingli Middle Street, Chaoyang North Road (next to Youli Youmian).

8. Maihemuti Restaurant in Kashgar, Xinjiang.



This Xinjiang restaurant has been open for many years and the staff are all Uyghurs. Restaurants run by Uyghurs like this are becoming rare in Beijing now.



The restaurant has a takeout window where you can buy lamb leg, lamb trotters, and baked flatbread (nang).





Address:

No. 5 Baiyunguan Street, Xicheng District.

9. Alijiang Xinjiang Flavors.



Alijiang is a new brand under the Western Mahua group, focusing on Xinjiang flavors.



You can watch Uyghur dancing while you eat dinner.



The food at Western Ma Hua is always good, so Alijiang is pretty decent too.





The server highly recommended the spicy peppercorn chicken (jiaomaji).



The pilaf (zhuafan) was standard and well-made.





Address:

Alijiang Spicy Peppercorn Chicken, 5th Floor, Souxiu City, 40 Chongwenmen Outer Street, Dongcheng District.

10. Hongyunlou Hong Kong-style Tea Restaurant.



Hongyunlou started as a halal Beijing-style restaurant in Tuanjiehu. Recently, they opened a new halal spot in Nanlouzizhuang that serves both Beijing dishes and Hong Kong-style tea snacks.



The environment is quite nice, and there is a private room that seats 10 people.



I looked at their menu and wanted to try many of the Cantonese-style dim sum dishes, so I invited 10 friends to come for a meal.



Fresh shrimp wonton noodles.



Steamed beef ribs with preserved mustard greens.



Stir-fried green beans with minced meat and olive vegetables (ganlan cai roumo sijidou)



Eggplant from that autumn



Curry radish with two types of meatballs (gali luobo shuangwan)



Brine-poached sea bass (yanshui gongfu luyu)



Steamed beef dumplings (ganzheng niurou shaomai)



Three-cup chicken baked with Thai basil (jinbuhuan ju sanbei ji)



Hong Kong-style shrimp dumplings (gangshi xiajiao huang)



Mango pancake (mangguo banji)



Cute bear-shaped buns (ke'ai xiaoxiong bao)



Steamed rice rolls with yellow chives and fresh shrimp (jiuhuang xianxia changfen)



Mango pomelo sago dessert (yangzhi ganlu)



We ordered almost all the signature Cantonese tea dishes on the menu. None of them were disappointing. The cooking methods were very refined, and everyone praised them highly.

Address: Take Subway Line 7 to Nanlouzizhuang Station, exit at C, walk 100 meters, and find it inside the Cool Car Town (Kuche Xiaozhen).

11. Roubing Wan



Roubing Wan first had a small shop next to the Hui Muslim Middle School. After that place closed, they moved to Majiapu, and now they are back on Niujie Street.



Niujie Street really needed a small shop like this where you can eat Beijing-style skewers.



They also serve traditional Hui Muslim Eight Great Bowls (badawan), a meal you used to have to travel all the way to Tongxian to find.







The southern-style small beef tendon (xiaoban jin) and meat pie (roubing) are their signature dishes.



Address: Next to the halal beef and mutton market on Shuru Hutong, Niujie Street.

12. Huaxi Dingxin Style Halal Hot Pot



The Yilaobaiwei dipping sauce hot pot in Changying changed its name, but the owner and staff are the same. They now serve a new style of hot pot with a slightly different menu than before.



The shop has a nice environment with two floors and private rooms. The servers are polite and greet guests when they arrive.



The dipping sauces are self-service with a wide variety to suit everyone's taste. There is also unlimited fruit and snacks available.



You can choose a small individual hot pot, which is more hygienic. I tried the mushroom hot pot and the vitamin C tomato nutrition hot pot.



You can also order beef brisket stew and some snacks.



I saw the famous Baoding beef cover pancake (niurou zhaobing) on the menu, and when I asked the owner, it turned out they are from Hebei.



Yellow peaches, watermelon, and pickled vegetables (pao cai) are all free to take, and the pickled vegetables taste great.



Address: No. 13B, Changying Minzu Jiayuan.

Previous links:

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 1) (Note: Baodu Wai is closed, Yang's Beef Pancake is closed, Halal Spicy Hot Pot is closed, Yuanxie Shuanrou Restaurant is closed, Dafengshou Fish Restaurant is closed, Hongliushu Roasted Lamb Scorpion is closed, Weidao Xinjiang Restaurant is closed, Shashi Castle Restaurant is closed, Badang Restaurant is closed, Barkley Caspian Western Restaurant is closed, Istanbul Restaurant is closed, Sukhothai Thai-Malaysian Restaurant is closed, and Cheese Molecule Pizza has removed its halal sign).

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 2) (Note: 1001 Nights Restaurant Solana branch is closed, Haitian Yise Chinese Restaurant is closed, and Changying Seafood BBQ is closed).

[Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Including the most complete list of foreign restaurants)] (Part 3) (Note: Changji Zhizi BBQ is closed and Yiding Shandouji Private Kitchen is closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 4) (Note: Features Ningxia cuisine, Korean BBQ, soybean paste noodles (zhajiangmian), and Yunnan cuisine; Xuezhan Dapanji is closed, Islam Lan Hot Pot is closed, and Xingyuege Muslim Restaurant is closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 5) (Note: Features Yunnan cuisine and Shan County lamb soup (Shanxian yangtang)).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 6) (Note: Highlights include Chongqing hot pot, Moroccan restaurants; Yijinglan Restaurant, Weidao Seafood Restaurant are closed; Laoma Lamb Spine Potstickers has been renamed Little Conch Seafood BBQ).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 7) (Note: Highlights include Turkish kebabs, Chinese tea houses; Yijinyuan, Laoduiyuan are closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 8) (Highlights include Korean BBQ, soup-filled dumplings (guantangbao); Fangchengshun Hot Pot, Father's New-Style Western Region Cuisine are closed).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 9) (Note: Highlights include ox head feast, Qinghai hot pot; Halimei Kitchen is closed, Meisi Coffee has removed its halal sign, Yilaobaiwei Dipping Sauce Hot Pot has been renamed Huaxiding New-Style Halal Hot Pot).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 10) (Note: Highlights include Huainan beef soup, Western fast food, pita bread in soup (paomo), octopus balls, Yunnan cuisine).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 11) (Note: Highlights include French cuisine, Sichuan-style hot pot, spicy dry pot (mala xiangguo), seafood buffet, Henan pan-fried buns (shuijianbao)).

Beijing Halal Dining Guide (Part 12) (Note: Highlights include Henan braised noodles (huimian), spicy soup (hulatang); Erjie Diguo Stew, HI HELLO Western-style grilled rice are closed).

Beijing Halal Food Map (Part 13) (Note: Highlights include beef tendon hot pot, Palestinian restaurant, Jewish restaurant, American burgers; Japanese restaurant Caicai Shidang is closed).
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Anhui halal travel account follows the original route through Anqing, Huainan, Hefei, and Chuzhou, preserving mosque notes, dishes, menus, and photos. It is cleaned for readers searching for hidden halal food and mosque travel in China.

Hui Muslims have a long history in Anhui. Records show Muslim activity in the region dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties. By the Yuan dynasty, Muslims began settling in Anhui in large numbers. During the Ming dynasty, famous Hui Muslim generals like Chang Yuchun and Lan Yu were both from Anhui. Anhui is now home to over 400,000 Hui Muslims and more than 200 mosques. They are mainly located in northern Anhui cities like Bengbu, Lu'an, Fuyang, Huainan, and Huaibei. Anqing and Shou County in Huainan each have a mosque listed as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

1. Anqing



The Dananmen Ethnic Neighborhood in Anqing is a Hui Muslim residential area. It contains a Mosque Street (Qingzhensi Jie) lined with small shops selling halal food. The street is very short and only has a few businesses.



However, this street has a beef bun shop that is very popular locally and was once featured on the show A Bite of China. This Dananmen beef bun is a signature Anqing food. They start selling before dawn every morning and close by 10:00 a.m. It is a breakfast item, and many people come from far away to buy them, often purchasing one or two hundred at a time.



I arrived at noon and missed out on the beef buns. Based on online reviews, I believe the shop lives up to its reputation, but it is not easy to get a taste. People say you have to wait in line for one or two hours.



Since I missed the buns, I found it difficult to find anything else to eat. Local residents are not used to eating out at noon, so many restaurants were closed.



Only a few shops were open on this street, and they were all run by local Hui Muslims.



I met an elderly local community leader at the mosque. When he learned I had come all the way from Beijing, he treated me to a bowl of Anqing beef noodles at a shop in front of the mosque. This friend (dosti) is named Man. May Allah reward those who make things easy for travelers.



The beef noodles in Anqing have a generous amount of beef. The flavor is slightly spicy, and the broth is rich and fragrant.



Right next to the beef noodles is the entrance to the Anqing Nanguan Mosque. This mosque was built by Ma Yi, a second-rank commander-in-chief during the Ming Dynasty, and it is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.





In 1381, Ming Dynasty General Ma Jucheng led Hui Muslim soldiers to garrison Anqing city and established the Anqing Garrison, which has a longer history than the Tianjin Garrison. The first mosque in Tianjin, the Jinjiayao Mosque, was also founded by Hui Muslims from the Anqing transport guild. To this day, many Hui Muslims in Tianjin still claim their ancestral home is Anqing Prefecture, and some of the Tianjin Hui Muslim dialect pronunciations originated from the Anqing Garrison.











The ceiling height inside the main prayer hall is likely the highest in East China.





















It is inscribed with the words 'Hall of No Images'.



















Tanhua Mansion is the common name for the Qingzhen Guoyuetang, which is part of the Anqing Mosque. After Ma Dayong, an eighth-generation descendant of the Anqing Ma family, placed third in the imperial martial examinations, the Yongzheng Emperor bestowed a golden plaque reading 'Tanhua Jidi' (Third Place Scholar) which hung high in the residence. After this, the Qingzhen Dunyuetang became commonly known as Tanhua Mansion. Today, the Qingzhen Guoyuetang serves as the Anqing Hui Muslim History Museum.



2. Shou County, Huainan



The ancient city of Shou County in Huainan is an area with a strong Islamic presence and a large Hui Muslim population. Local homes here feature distinct Hui Muslim decorations, such as couplets written in Arabic calligraphy posted on the doors.







The halal food in the ancient city of Shou County focuses on local specialties, and Hui Muslims make up about one-third of the local population.





Beef soup (niuroutang) is a major local snack in Huainan. Near Renmin University of China in Beijing, there is a halal Hu Ji Huainan Beef Soup shop that is very authentic.



One of the main goals of this trip is the Shou County Mosque, which was first built during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty (1621-1627) and is now a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. The great imam Wang Jingzhai taught here for two months during the Republic of China era, but he was invited to Taiwan because he could not stand the harassment from the Eighth Route Army and because the Islamic community in Taiwan needed his help to revitalize their faith.







You can see many friends (dost) wearing headscarves in Shou County.























A plaque reading "Wuxiang Baodian" hangs in front of the main prayer hall, which is currently the largest mosque prayer hall in East China.





























After visiting the mosque, I went to look for local halal food. This Yilan Garden is one of the larger local halal restaurants, specializing in local stir-fried dishes. When the staff learned I was a Hui Muslim, they kindly called me "laobiao," which is a term of endearment.







You have to go to the second floor to order, choosing from the pictures above and the ingredients displayed below. The server recommended I try the cold tofu and beef balls.









I have to say, the tofu in Shou County is delicious. It has a smooth texture and a fresh, pleasant taste. Locals say that while Huainan tofu is the most famous, it actually refers to Shou County tofu, and you can find high-quality tofu at any shop in Shou County.





This is the beef ball. It looks like a meatball, but it is actually made like a sweet rice ball (tangyuan). The texture is also like a tangyuan, with a layer of meat jelly on the outside and filling inside. It is completely different from a meatball and tastes great.



Wuyuanzi Old Goose is another famous Shou County dish. Wuyuanzi is the owner's nickname, but his real surname is Mei, which is one of the local Hui Muslim surnames.



Because I was in a hurry, I bought a portion of braised old goose to go.



The old goose is spicy and fragrant. Wuyuanzi has opened several branches locally, which shows how popular it is.





Another restaurant, Dadi Hui Muslim Restaurant, is right next to the Wuyuanzi Old Goose shop. It also serves local stir-fried dishes, and I was drawn to the soup pot (tangping) light box on their sign.



The restaurants mentioned above are all located along the ancient city walls of Shou County and are very easy to find. The ancient city is very lively at night with a thriving night market.

3. Hefei



I have visited Hefei twice before and both times I ate near the Hefei mosque. The City Home (Chengshi Zhijia) halal restaurant, run by the Anhui Xingyue Halal Catering Management Company, used to be the largest halal restaurant in Hefei not far from the mosque. I ate there once, but the restaurant is now closed.



On Fridays, there is a market at the entrance of the Hefei mosque where you can buy snacks during Jumu'ah.















Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle shops (Lanzhou lamian guan) provide air conditioning. In many parts of the south, the operating costs of mosques are mostly funded by these noodle shops.



The best halal restaurant in Hefei now is Afef. Located on Houjie Street, the Afef Ethnic Culture Restaurant is currently the largest halal restaurant in Hefei. It is smoke-free and alcohol-free, spans two floors covering over 800 square meters, and includes a prayer room and a place for wudu. The environment is quite good. The staff includes Salar, Hui, Han, Dongxiang, and Uyghur people, showing harmony among the five ethnic groups. The food tastes authentic, the ingredients are high-quality, and the owner is very knowledgeable about the faith. Highly recommended.



















4. Chuzhou



The Chuzhou mosque is not easy to find. It is located opposite the Christian church at Sipailou. It is a temporary building, and a new mosque is being planned. The old mosque had a history of over 600 years, but it was demolished after falling into disrepair.













When you come to Chuzhou, you must eat at the Mu Lao Jiu Beef and Mutton Restaurant.



Mu Lao Jiu is a halal chain brand from Wuyi Town, Chuzhou, Anhui. The owner's surname is Mu, and he is a local Hui Muslim. This shop is very famous locally, and the pressed duck hot pot (banya huoguo) is one of their signature dishes.



Mu Lao Jiu Beef and Mutton Restaurant started as a small shop in Wuyi Town, Nanqiao District. It entered Chuzhou city in the 1980s. Currently, it has franchise stores in Chuzhou, Lai'an County, Fengyang County, Mingguang City, as well as in Nanjing, Yixing, and Gaoyou in Jiangsu Province.





The pressed duck hot pot looks very similar to the earthen hot pot (tu huoguo) from Qinghai.





braised young chicken (hongshao ziji)



lamb meat pie (yangrou xianbing)



menu



This concludes my halal travel guide to Anhui. I have not yet visited places in Anhui with larger Hui Muslim populations like Lu'an and Bengbu, but I plan to visit them one by one when I have time.
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Ningxia Muslim travel guide keeps the original Yinchuan and Xihai'gu route, with mosques, local meals, gongbei sites, towns, and photos. It is written for readers looking for halal food in China and Muslim heritage in Ningxia.

After reading Zhang Chengzhi's History of the Soul, I became interested in the lives of Hui Muslims in the Xihai'gu region of Ningxia. I followed the footsteps of the book and set foot on the land of Ningxia. Xihai'gu is the short name for the three counties of Xiji, Haiyuan, and Guyuan in the Longdong mountainous area of southern Ningxia. It is also a synonym for the Muslim mountainous region in the eastern part of the Loess Plateau.



My first stop was Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Although Yinchuan is a provincial-level city, there are not many Hui Muslims here. Most of Ningxia's Hui Muslims live in the southern mountainous areas.

Yinchuan Nanguan Mosque



I arrived during Jumu'ah and rushed to the Nanguan Mosque to join the congregational prayer. The Yinchuan Nanguan Mosque was first built at the end of the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt in the 1980s.



I visited Yinchuan in 2016. Today, mosques with this Central Asian-style dome are no longer allowed to be built. The dome is often mistaken for an Arab style. In fact, Arab-style buildings are square or look like tents. It is the architectural style of Roman, Persian, Turkish, and other Central Asian regions that features domes.



The imam gave a sermon (wa'z) in a heavy Northwest accent. I could not understand it, except for the Arabic words he used.



About 40 percent of the restaurants on the streets of Yinchuan are halal, but the vast majority sell alcohol. Only a few larger halal restaurants do not sell alcohol, and Xiaoye Shouzhua is one of them.

Xiaoye Hand-grabbed Lamb (Xiaoye Shouzhua)



You must eat hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhua yangrou) when you come to Ningxia. The best hand-grabbed lamb in Ningxia is in Wuzhong, and there is also the salt-lake sheep (tanyang) hand-grabbed lamb from Yanchi. Wuzhong is where most of Ningxia's halal food is concentrated, but my trip did not include Wuzhong. I ate the hand-grabbed lamb at Xiaoye, and it tasted very good.



If you want to find a high-end alcohol-free restaurant in Yinchuan, Xiaoye Shouzhua is the top choice.



There are two ways to eat hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou): hot or cold. Xiaoye is famous for its cold version. People in central Ningxia eat a lot of lamb, and the lamb here is guaranteed to have no gamey smell.



Fish-flavored eggplant king (yuxiangqieziwang) is made from a large eggplant shaped like a fish.



Black bean tofu soup (heidoufutang).



Steamed flower rolls with chicken chunks (huajuanjikuai).



Eight-treasure sweet rice (babao tianfan) is a Ningxia specialty often served at Hui Muslim wedding banquets.



Eight-treasure tea (babaocha), also called three-piece tea (sanpaotai), is what people in the Northwest serve their guests. The name refers to the three-piece set consisting of a lidded teacup, a saucer, and a lid. People in the Northwest are very particular about how they drink tea.

Zhenbeipu Western Film Studio.



There are not many places to visit in Yinchuan. With limited time, I only chose the Zhenbeipu Western Film Studio and the China-Arab Axis. I loved the movie A Chinese Odyssey when I was a kid, and the film studio is where it was filmed, so I came to experience it. The China-Arab Axis was turned into a Chinese-style park two years after I visited, so I do not recommend it as it lacks character. When I tried to take a taxi there, the driver did not want to go, saying there was no one there and he would have to drive back empty. Now that it is a Chinese-style park, even fewer people go there.





The Western Film Studio is the filming location for many western movies. It was not easy to build a film base in this place.





One of the scenes from A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella.



The scene from the 'love you for ten thousand years' bridge.



This is the execution platform where Tang Seng kept saying, 'How many brothers and sisters do you have?' Are your parents still alive? Say something. I just want to make one more friend before I die. Being a demon is just like being a human; you need a kind heart. Once you have a kind heart, you are no longer a demon, but a human-demon.

Yingbin Building (Yingbin Lou)



Yingbin Building (Yingbin Lou) is another famous restaurant in Yinchuan. It is a place for hot pot meat, but it is most famous for the ice cream sold at the entrance.





You cannot go wrong with hot pot lamb (shuan yangrou) in Ningxia because the lamb here is delicious.



Old Mao Hand-Grabbed Lamb (Lao Mao Shouzhua)



Old Mao Hand-Grabbed Lamb (Lao Mao Shouzhua) is one of the most famous hand-grabbed lamb brands in Yinchuan. During Ramadan last year, I ate some loose cold hand-grabbed lamb brought from Yinchuan in Beijing, and it really satisfied my craving. Remember to eat raw garlic with the hand-grabbed lamb; if you eat meat without garlic, the flavor is cut in half.



Yinchuan's Ox Street (Niujie). I have been to four Ox Streets. Besides the one in Beijing, there is also the Ox Street in Hohhot and the Ox Street in Karamay.

Zhongwei Dongguan Grand Mosque (Zhongwei Dongguan Qingzhen Dasi)



I left Yinchuan and took a car to the Zhongwei Dongguan Grand Mosque. The most convenient way to travel between cities in Ningxia is by private car. There are private cars at many intersections; you just wave them down, and they stop. The price is cheap, and even traveling across Ningxia from south to north costs no more than 80 yuan.



There are fewer Hui Muslims in Zhongwei than in Yinchuan. I rested briefly at the Dongguan Grand Mosque before heading to one of my destinations, the Honggang Gangzi Gongbei.













Haiyuan Yite Restaurant



I had a bowl of handmade noodle pieces (mianpian) at the Haiyuan Yite Restaurant next to the Zhongwei bus station. Since this year, not just in Ningxia, but also in places like Beijing and Henan where I have been, all halal restaurants must use this Chinese-style halal sign, and all Arabic script on the outside must be removed.



The Arabic on the menu has already been covered up.



The noodle soup is still very tasty. In Ningxia, for visitors, you just need to remember the names of the dishes you want to eat. You can walk into any restaurant you see by the road, and the taste won't be bad.



The Great Mosque (qingzhen dasi) of Xingren Town is currently undergoing Chinese-style renovations. Xingren Town is about a two-hour drive from Zhongwei. My destination was the Honggang Gangzi Gongbei, but no one at the Zhongwei station knew where it was. I asked a friend (dosti) from the Hongmen menhuan, and he told me I had to go to Xingren Town first, then take a car from there to the Honggang Gangzi Gongbei.

Xingren Great Mosque.













I caught a private car at an intersection near the mosque, paid 15 yuan, and after a half-hour ride, I arrived at the Honggang Gangzi Gongbei.

Honggang Gangzi Gongbei



The Honggang Gangzi Gongbei was first built in 1939. It is the tomb and prayer hall for Hong Shoulin (1852-1937), the founder of the Hongmen branch of the Khufiyya menhuan in Chinese Islam. It was damaged during the Cultural Revolution. In 1987, it was rebuilt and expanded under the leadership of Hong Weizong Haji, the third-generation successor of Hongmen and vice-chairman of the regional CPPCC. The entire complex includes a front gate, school, mosque, residential building, scripture chanting hall, bathing hall, dining hall, gongbei, main hall, domed tower, and monument. It covers over 20,000 square meters and is very spectacular.



On the front of the Hong Shoulin monument pavilion: Hong Shoulin (courtesy name Hairu), also known as Shouling, with the religious name Sherefe Vendini Suwanglonglaxi. His ancestors were from Hongjiazhuang in Lutang, Jingtai County, Gansu Province. As a child, he fled to Tongxin Honggangzi and worked as a helper at the Zhuangtou Mosque. He used his spare time to listen to the imam teach scriptures. Because he was very bright, the imam chose him for advanced study, eventually training him to become a great imam. While in Lanzhou, he studied under the elder Zhuang from Liangzhou. Before the elder Zhuang passed away, he left a will naming Hong Shoulin as the successor to the Khufiyya. On the 29th day of the 11th lunar month in the 24th year of the Guangxu reign, during the 100-day memorial for the elder Zhuang of Liangzhou, the elder's wife asked for Hong Shoulin to be brought to her to take over the religious leadership. Hong Shoulin accepted the order, entered a quiet room for seven days, and then asked the old lady for the keys. He opened the door and found a golden seal of the Great Master Datong, a golden seal of the Master of Liangzhou Zhuang, a prayer rug, and a prayer bead string (tasbih). From then on, Hong Shoulin began his mission.



When Hong Shoulin was preaching in Lanzhou, he bought three acres of land in Xujiawan to bury the remains of the elders from Jiangoujing and Liangzhouzhuang. He built the Xujiawan gongbei there. He moved the remains of the Datong elder from Menyuan, Qinghai, to the main pavilion of the gongbei. He moved the remains of the Jiangoujing elder and his son from Jingtai County, Gansu, to the north side of the gongbei, and moved the remains of the Liangzhouzhuang elder from Datong, Qinghai, to the east side of the gongbei.



In 1936, when the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army went on their western expedition, Hong Shoulin worked closely with them. Because of this, founding Lieutenant General Tang Tianji gave him a silk banner that read 'Loving the People Like Heaven' and 100 sheep.



The entrance hall of the elder's tomb.















The front view of the ablution room (shuifang).







A full view of the ablution room (shuifang).

Laotian Hui Hometown Specialty Restaurant.



After finishing the grave visit, I walked toward the village entrance. A passing friend (dosti) offered me a ride, so I took his car to the Laotian Hui Hometown Specialty Restaurant to eat.



I had a bowl of steamed lamb (zheng yanggao rou), which came with rice and side dishes. It tasted great. After eating, I caught a private car at the intersection and paid 10 yuan to go to Tongxin.



Upon arriving in Tongxin, I went straight to the Tongxin Grand Mosque.

Tongxin Great Mosque



The Tongxin Grand Mosque is the oldest and largest mosque in Ningxia, and it is also a protected revolutionary site.



Legend says the Tongxin Grand Mosque was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573–1620). It was rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty on the site of an original lama mosque. According to ink inscriptions on the screen wall and the ridge purlin of the prayer hall, it was renovated twice, in 1791 during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty and in 1907 during the Guangxu reign.











In 1936, the Red Army held the founding meeting of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Province Yuhai County Hui Muslim Autonomous Government at the Tongxin Great Mosque.









After a short stay in Tongxin, I took a two-hour car ride to Guyuan County town. This is where you truly enter the central area of Xihaigu, where there are noticeably more Hui Muslims on the streets and halal restaurants everywhere.

Ruifeng Hotel



I stayed at a very good halal hotel in Guyuan County town called Ruifeng Hotel. It seems to be the most high-end dining and lodging group in the area. The owner is a Hui Muslim and they provide a halal breakfast.





I love eating this kind of steamed bun (baozi) from the Northwest; they not only look good but also taste delicious.



On the first floor of the hotel is a Sanying Mishi Braised Meat Restaurant, and stir-fried braised meat (chao huirou) is one of the local specialties.

Sanying Mishi Braised Meat Restaurant



You can eat stir-fried braised meat with rice or steamed flower rolls (huajuan). The meat is beef. Tongxin and Wuzhong are places where people eat lamb, but once you reach the Xihaigu area, beef becomes the main meat.



Looking out from my room, the Jiulong Road Mosque is right across the way, and the Xiyuan Mosque is in the upper left corner.



Jiulong Road Great Mosque





At the Jiulong Road Mosque, I asked a friend where to catch a ride to the Shagou gongbei. He told me this is an Ikhwan mosque and they do not visit graves, so he suggested I ask at the neighboring Khufiyya mosque instead.

Xiyuan Great Mosque



The Xiyuan Mosque in Guyuan belongs to the Khufiyya menhuan.



The mosque elders were very warm when they learned I was from Beijing. They invited me into their room as a guest and told me how to get a ride to the Shagou gongbei.



The next day, I took a taxi from the Guyuan bus station to the Shagou gongbei in Xiji County. I agreed on a price with the driver beforehand; the round trip was about 80 kilometers and cost 100 yuan.



The driver was a local Han man whose parents had moved to Guyuan as refugees years ago. He told me about how local Hui Muslims and Han residents get along. He even has relatives who married into Hui families, though after a divorce, the children followed their Han mother's way of life.

We had a friendly chat along the way, but the road conditions were very poor. It was all dirt roads, and my phone lost signal for a while. After an hour of bumping along, we arrived at the Shagou gongbei in Xiji County.

Shagou Gongbei



The Shagou gongbei was first built during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. It covers over 300 mu and is mostly a burial ground for Muslim sages. Ma Yuanzhang, the seventh-generation leader of the Jahriyya menhuan, was once buried here. Ma Yuanzhang was born in 1853. He was the great-grandson of the Jahriyya founder Ma Mingxin and was respectfully called Shagou Taiye by the community. In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), a major earthquake hit Xiji, and Ma Yuanzhang passed away.



Ma Yuanzhang's younger brother, Ma Yuanchao, moved his remains to Xuanhuagang in Zhangjiachuan, Gansu, so that Ma Yuanzhang could be buried alongside Ma Hualong. After the passing of Great Master Ma Yuanzhang, his fourth son, Ma Zhenwu, took over the management of religious affairs in Xiji. Followers respectfully called him the Fourth Master, and his group is known as the Shagou faction. His jurisdiction included over 260 mosques (fang) in the Xi, Hai, Gu, Longde, and Jingning areas, over 130 in eastern Gansu, over 40 across Xinjiang, more than 10 in Yunnan and Guizhou, and another 10 or so in places like Jinan, Taierzhuang, Beijing, and the Jilin shipyard, totaling more than 450 mosques.



The tradition of the Jahriyya building a gongbei (a shrine for a Sufi saint) began with Great Master Ma Yuanzhang. Ma Yuanzhang built the Dongchuan Great Gongbei for Ma Mingxin at Dongshaomen in Lanzhou, and the Xuanhuagang Gongbei for Ma Hualong in Zhangjiachuan. Ma Yuanzhang was the first person to use the term menhuan (a Sufi order or lineage).





A clear feature of the Jahriyya menhuan is wearing a six-pointed cap, which represents their firm belief in the six articles of faith. Another clear feature is not growing a beard. This started in 1762 when the Jahriyya founder, Great Master Ma Mingxin, was leading the Friday prayer (Jumu'ah) at Zhanghagong Mosque in Xunhua. He met Ma Guobao, the second-generation leader of the Huasi menhuan. They argued over scripture, and the conflict grew. Ma Guobao accused the Jahriyya of being a cult to the Qing government, claiming their beards were a sign of anti-Qing activities. This led to persecution by the Qing government. Because of this, Ma Mingxin ordered his followers to stop growing beards, saying they would settle the dispute with Ma Guobao in the afterlife. Ma Guobao fell ill and passed away in 1773 while traveling to Baotou, at the age of 36.

It was not until the 46th year of the Qianlong reign that the two factions reached a reconciliation after participating in the anti-Qing struggle together.



The Jahriyya do not build minarets (bangkelou). Instead, they use a wooden clapper (bangzi) to signal the call to prayer (adhan). This was a hidden method adopted to avoid detection by officials when the Qing government strictly banned the Jahriyya.





The Jahriyya believe that if a follower lacks the funds for the Hajj pilgrimage, they can visit a gongbei or a daotang (a religious hall) as a substitute, which is why the Jahriyya place great importance on the gongbei.



After the grave visitation (youfen) at the Shagou Gongbei ended, I headed straight to Jingyuan County for an appointment. Jingyuan County can be called a 100% halal county. Over 90% of the local population are Hui Muslims. I did not see a single non-halal restaurant on the streets, though it was sparsely populated and many shops were closed.



I performed the celebration prayer (Eid prayer) at the Great Mosque of Yejiacun in Jingyuan County. The famous Liupan Mountain scenic area is right behind it, but I had no heart for sightseeing.









In the distance is Liupan Mountain. The temperature in Jingyuan County is a few degrees lower than in central Ningxia, and there is a large temperature difference between day and night. I came in May; daytime temperatures were in the low teens Celsius, but at night it would drop below 10 degrees. I heard it even snowed in June.



Before coming to Jingyuan County, friends told me I had to try the farm-style meals here. I met a local friend in Yejiacun Village to eat at a farm restaurant. Yejiacun is a village of Hui Muslims, and all the farm restaurants in the village are halal.



The traditional Northwest specialty dish, stirred flour paste (jiaotuan), tasted different from the one I had in Xunhua.



Wolf-tooth herb (langyabang) is a type of local wild vegetable.



Steamed flower rolls (huajuan) are made the way local villagers make them at home.



Steamed chicken is a classic home-cooked specialty in Jingyuan, Ningxia, usually only found in people's homes. If you want to try it in Beijing, you can order it one day in advance at Ali Restaurant, provided the chef from Jingyuan is working that day.



This huge table of food was enough for seven or eight people and cost less than 300 yuan. It had very distinct local flavors and was incredibly satisfying.



After finishing our farm-style feast in Yejiacun, we went back to Jingyuan County town. Following a friend's recommendation, I tried the most popular local yellow beef hot pot.



People in Jingyuan don't eat much lamb. Beef is their main meat, and the quality of Jingyuan beef is very high.





I drank a knock-off version of a soda, which seemed to be a copy of the Inner Mongolian brand Big Kiln Soda (Dayao Jiabin).





This pot was packed full of large chunks of yellow beef and only cost a little over 130 yuan. After eating the meat, you can keep adding vegetables to the pot.



After dinner, I walked around Jingyuan County town and saw that the largest local mosque had finished its Sinicization renovation, with the original dome removed.



There are no real ancient mosques left in Jingyuan County. The old ones fell into disrepair and have basically all been rebuilt.







You can still see what the Chengguan Great Mosque looked like on its stone monument.



The next morning, it drizzled in Jingyuan County. I had a crispy beef pancake (niuroubing) and porridge at a small shop near the bus station. This pancake is a local breakfast staple. You can also find it on Ox Street (Niujie) under the name Xi'an Palace Beef Pancake, but my friends in Xi'an say it is not a local dish there. Since Jingyuan is not far from Xi'an, I suspect the shop on Ox Street actually comes from Jingyuan.



I originally planned to go from Jingyuan County back to Guyuan Liupanshan Airport to fly to Xi'an, but a friend told me there was a direct bus to Xi'an. It turned out to be faster than flying, and it takes you straight to downtown Xi'an, whereas the plane only lands at Xianyang Airport. I took a four-hour bus ride to Xi'an, which led to my previous guide on eating and exploring the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Xi'an Chinese Muslim food guide follows the original Hui Muslim Quarter walking and eating route, including paomo, steamed meat, sweets, mosque lanes, addresses, and photos. It keeps the source's order for readers exploring halal street food in Xi'an.

I wrote this article during the May Day holiday. I planned to save it for Eid al-Fitr, but the tradition of beating the wooden clapper (bangzi) to signal the end of the daily fast is a special sight in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang). Since friends (dost) visiting the quarter during Ramadan can see the lively atmosphere of breaking and starting the fast, I decided to post it now.

First, I need to clear something up. The famous Xi'an Muslim Street (Huimin Jie) does not actually exist. It is more accurate to call it the Muslim Quarter (Huifang). It is a residential area for Hui Muslims covering less than two square kilometers, and every alley inside can be called a Muslim street.

Before the Qing Dynasty, the Xi'an Muslim Quarter was known for its seven mosques and thirteen neighborhoods. The seven mosques are: Great Mosque of Huajue Lane (Huajue Xiang Qingzhen Dasi), North Mosque of Xiaopi Yard (Xiaopi Yuan Qingzhen Beidasi), Ancient Mosque of Sajin Bridge (Sajin Qiao Qingzhen Gusi), Mosque of Great Learning Lane (Daxuexi Xiang Qingzhensi), Mosque of Dapi Yard (Dapi Yuan Qingzhensi), Mosque of North Guangji Street (Bei Guangji Jie Qingzhensi), and the Mosque of the Muslim Camp (Qingzhen Yingli Si). The thirteen neighborhoods are: Huajue Lane, Xiyang Market, Beiyuan Gate, Maixian Street, Dapi Yard, Xiaopi Yard, North Guangji Street, Shizi Temple Street, Great Learning Lane, Small Learning Lane, Damai Market Street, Sajin Bridge, and Huihui Lane south of the city wall.

This is not my first time in the Muslim Quarter, but I usually come here just to eat. I know many first-time visitors get overwhelmed by all the halal food on the streets and do not know where to start. There is just too much to choose from. Local elders told me there are at least 200 types of food here. You cannot try everything unless you stay for a month, which is impossible for tourists. We have to be selective. I prefer to eat and drink with the local friends (dost). Only by following the old neighbors can you find the authentic food. I will now share the guide to eating in the Muslim Quarter that the local friends taught me.

all halal restaurants in the Muslim Quarter do not sell alcohol.

This is thanks to the anti-alcohol movement started by the friends (dost) over twenty years ago, so you can eat and drink with peace of mind.

1. Little House Liu's Steamed Beef with Rice Flour (Xiaofangzi Liujia Fenzhengrou)



Little House Liu's has been open for at least 30 years and only sells steamed beef with rice flour (fenzhengrou). It is one of the famous snacks in the quarter. The special thing about their dish is that the rice flour is added before the meat, making the flour very flavorful and even tastier than the meat itself.





Address: North Guangji Street

2. Bai's Mirror Cake (Baijia Jinggao)



Mirror cake (jinggao) and steamed cake (zenggao, pronounced 'jing' in the quarter without the 'er' sound) are not the same thing. Mirror cake is a sweet treat that children in the quarter grow up eating. The Bai family has been making it for over ten years. The cakes come in many flavors, are served on small skewers, and have a light, sweet taste.



Address: You can find them at both Sajinqiao and the entrance of the Great Mosque (Qingzhen Dasi) on Huajue Lane.

3. Limu Stir-fried Crumbled Flatbread (Limu Xiaochao Paomo)



Locals in the Muslim Quarter (Fangshang) say that both regular crumbled flatbread (paomo) and stir-fried crumbled flatbread (xiaochao) belong to the same category. The difference is how they are cooked. Paomo is boiled, while xiaochao is stir-fried. You can choose to have it with less broth or with plenty of broth. Limu Stir-fried Crumbled Flatbread is not in a busy area, so it is quite quiet, and the taste is well-regarded by the people in the Muslim Quarter.



Other good places for crumbled flatbread include Yijianlou and Li Xin, which all taste fairly similar.



Pair your crumbled flatbread with a Bingfeng, a local Xi'an soda that holds the same status there as Beibingyang does in Beijing.

Address: No. 60 Dalianhuachi Street, next to the Lotus Pond Inn (Lianhuachi Pan Kezhan).

4. Bai Family Fried Cake Shop (Baijia Yougao Pu)



Fried cake (yougao) is a favorite sweet for people in the Muslim Quarter. It comes in three flavors and contains ingredients like peanuts, sweet osmanthus, and white sugar. It tastes sweet and fragrant, is made with great care, and is better than regular fried dough cakes (zhagao).





Address: 100 meters north of the intersection of Dalianhuachi and Maixian Street.

5. Shengzhiwang Sesame Paste Cold Noodles Shop (Shengzhiwang Majiang Liangpi Pu)



Their sesame paste cold noodles (majiang liangpi) are a famous snack in the Muslim Quarter. They have been open for many years, and locals are used to eating cold noodles for breakfast. I have to say, the cold noodles in the Muslim Quarter (Huifang) are rich in flavor and use plenty of ingredients, which I really like.



Address: West entrance of Dapiyuan.

6. Hongshunxiang Starch Jelly in Savory Sauce (luzhi liangfen).



Hongshunxiang Starch Jelly in Savory Sauce at the T-junction of Dapiyuan in the Muslim Quarter is one of the old-established shops in the area. Starch jelly in savory sauce is a dish that represents the Muslim Quarter even better than soaked flatbread (paomo). Visitors might not be used to it at first. You have to break the flatbread (mo) yourself before eating. Put the bread at the bottom of the bowl, pour on the savory sauce, add the starch jelly, and pour on another layer of sauce. Then add vinegar, sesame paste, garlic juice, salt, chili oil (youpo lazi), and mustard. Do not stir it when you eat; instead, rotate the bowl and slurp it so the flavors stay distinct.



An elder in the neighborhood introduced the dish to me like this: 'Whenever you see this bowl of food, you know the hot Xi'an summer is coming. If one dish could explain the uniqueness of the Xi'an Muslim Quarter, it would be starch jelly in savory sauce.' You won't find it in Muslim quarters elsewhere or in the Han areas of Xi'an. Its unique charm has been quietly passed down in this small neighborhood for a hundred years. The locals in the neighborhood affectionately call it 'buckwheat starch jelly in sauce' (lu qiaofen). Use a large, thick bowl, break the flatbread into large chunks, add sliced starch jelly, pour on the savory sauce, sprinkle with salt, and season with sesame paste, garlic juice, mustard, fragrant vinegar, and chili oil. If you want to be fancy, add a preserved egg (biandan) and a tea egg. That is how this vibrant, spicy bowl of food is made. It is simple, refreshing, nutritious, and flavorful. It is the perfect choice, especially for lunch during the summer.



Also, People say the starch jelly in savory sauce at Lao He's place is very authentic.

Address: T-junction of Dapiyuan (diagonally opposite Dingjia Small Crispy Meat and Shengjia Steamed Cold Noodles).

7. Laobai's Lamb Soup (shuipen yangrou).



Laobai's Lamb Soup on Beiguangji Street in the Muslim Quarter was featured on A Bite of China. It is one of the old-established shops recognized by the locals. You should eat the lamb soup with a firm flatbread (tuotomo). Break the bread yourself into pieces slightly larger than those used for soaked flatbread. Break off a bit, eat it, and then break off some more so the bread does not get soggy.





Address: No. 76 Beiguangji Street.

8. Nianzipo Laotongjia.



Laotongjia Cured Beef (la niurou) is one of the oldest established shops in the Muslim Quarter. Legend has it that when Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an, she smelled the aroma of their cured beef, enjoyed it, and personally inscribed a plaque for the shop. While praying at the mosque, I met the young owner of the Tong family. He shared their history and explained that the elder Mr. Tong insists on passing down traditional methods. He prioritizes quality over sales volume and focuses on serving the local residents of the neighborhood.



Laotongjia sells cured beef, spiced beef (jiang niurou), and oil tea powder (youcha fen). Locals love the cured beef. It has a reddish color and is softer and more tender than the spiced beef, making it perfect for both the young and the elderly.



Address: Tong Family Old Residence, No. 162 Beiguangji Street.

9. Grandma Hua · Chenchen's Shop.



Everyone knows Grandma Hua's sour plum drink (suanmeitang) is delicious, but you usually have to wait in line. There is a shop called Grandma Hua · Chenchen's Shop at the T-junction in Dapiyuan. The owner is Grandma Hua's granddaughter. The sour plum drink is brewed in the same pot as Grandma Hua's, so it tastes the same, but you do not have to wait in line. I only tell this to people I know.



Address: Dapiyuan T-junction, next to Hongshunxiang Braised Jelly (luzhi liangfen).

10. Southeast Asia Steamed Cake (zenggao).



Southeast Asia Steamed Cake in the Muslim Quarter is one of the most famous shops in the area. Steamed cake (zenggao) is pronounced 'jing gao'. This 'Southeast Asia' has nothing to do with the region. The old owner jokingly said his steamed cakes were sold to the 'East Gate (Dongguan), South Suburbs (Nanjiao), and the School for the Deaf and Mute (Longya Xuexiao),' which he abbreviated as 'sold to Southeast Asia.' Over time, everyone in the neighborhood just got used to calling that shop 'Southeast Asia' when they wanted to buy steamed cake.



The lotus leaf steamed cake (zenggao) from Yibao at the Niujie Halal Supermarket is made by the people from the Muslim Quarter (fangshang) in Xi'an.



Address: Northeast corner of Majia Shizi, Xiyangshi Street.

11. Ma Zhishan Xihulan Cooked Meat Shop.



Ma Zhishan's Xihulan is another old shop that locals in the Muslim Quarter visit often. Xihulan is actually cured beef that is very soft and tender. You can use it to make meat burgers (roujiamo). They can vacuum-pack it for you. I took a pound home to eat during the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) in Ramadan, and it kept my energy up all day.





Ma Zhishan's meat burger is the authentic kind. It is quite large, so one is enough to fill you up for a meal.

Address: No. 196 Beiguangji Street.

12. Ma Erli Meatball Spicy Soup (hulatang).



The meatball spicy soup is a signature dish of the Muslim Quarter. It is very different from the spicy soup in Henan. The version here has various vegetables and meatballs, and it is not very spicy.





Address: No. 113 Damaishi Street, Sajinqiao.

13. Qinyixiang Air-dried Beef.



A friend from Qianxian once gave me some Qinyixiang beef jerky, and my family liked it so much they asked me to bring more back when I visited Xi'an. I recommend the soy-sauce flavored beef jerky. Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds before eating, then slice it with a knife. It has a long shelf life and makes a great snack. This brand has several branches in the Muslim Quarter.



Address: Dapiyuan / Xiyangshi.

14. Liu Zhijun Beef Sauce



An elder in the Muslim Quarter recommended Liu Zhijun’s beef sauce to me and suggested I take some back to Beijing. Their beef sauce is packed with flavor, so friends visiting Xi'an should definitely check it out.



Address: 133 Damaishi Street

15. Crescent (Xinyue) Cake and Pastry Shop



A local friend in the Muslim Quarter really loves this bakery. It is tucked away deep in the quarter and doesn't get many tourists. He wanted to keep it a secret because he was worried it would be harder to buy their desserts once it got popular.



Address: 94 Damaishi Street

16. Ding Family Crispy Beef (Dingjia Xiaosurou)



This is one of the famous local snacks. The line is always very long. It is made with beef and seasoned with eggs, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon. I bought a vacuum-packed portion to take home; I just need to steam it to eat.



Address: 223 West Entrance of Dapiyuan

Mosque

After talking about food, let's talk about the mosques in the Muslim Quarter. The original seven mosques have grown, and there are more than seven today. I spent an afternoon walking to visit twelve mosques in the area. Maybe we can call it the 'Twelve Mosques and Thirteen Quarters' from now on.

The mosques in the Muslim Quarter belong to three sects: Gedimu, Ikhwan, and Salafiyya. The West Mosque (Qingzhen Xisi), Yingli Mosque, Daxuexixiang Mosque, and Dapiyuan Mosque belong to the Ikhwan sect. The Hongbujie New Mosque and Xicang Mosque belong to the Salafiyya sect, and the rest are Gedimu. The mosque map is as follows:



1. Huajue Lane Great Mosque



The Huajue Lane Great Mosque is the oldest mosque in the Muslim Quarter. It is a grand complex of ancient buildings with five courtyards. In 1988, it became a national key cultural relic protection site. It has welcomed over 10 million visitors from more than 100 countries.

















2. Xiaopiyuan North Mosque



The Xiaopiyuan North Mosque was originally called the True Teaching Mosque (Zhenjiao Si) or Longevity Mosque (Wanshou Si). Because it sits north of the Huajue Lane Great Mosque (also called the East Mosque) and is quite large, people also call it the North Mosque. Legend says the Xiaopiyuan Mosque was built at the end of the Tang Dynasty. In 1107, during the Daguan reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, the True Teaching Mosque was already one of the old mosques in the four districts of Chang'an. It is one of the earliest Islamic buildings in Xi'an.











3. Sajinqiao Ancient Mosque



The Sajinqiao Ancient Mosque in Xi'an is also known as the North Mosque. It is very old with a long history. Legend says it has existed since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, dating back six or seven hundred years.











4. Daxuexi Lane Mosque



The Daxuexi Lane Mosque in Xi'an was built in 705 AD. Zheng He once invited the imam here, Hasan, to be a translator for his fleet, and a Zheng He stele stands here. This place was also where Arabs came to China to learn the Chinese language.















5. Dapiyuan Mosque



The Dapiyuan Mosque is located at No. 108 Dapiyuan Street, Lianhu District, Xi'an. It was first built in the ninth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1411) after Mr. Ma Daozhen bought the land.











6. Beiguangji Street Mosque



Beiguangji Street Mosque is said to have been founded in the late Ming Dynasty (around 1600 AD). It is located in Guangji Square near the Great Mosque of Huajue Lane. Locals call it the "Small Mosque" and jokingly refer to it as the "sentry gate" of the Great Mosque. The main buildings of the mosque were rebuilt in the 33rd year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1769 AD).







7. Qingzhen Yingli Mosque



The documented founding date of the Xi'an Yingli Mosque is the Jiawu year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, as marked on the plaque above the mountain gate tower. At that time, many of the soldiers stationed here were Hui Muslim officers and troops.

Notice the "Iftar" (kaizhai) sign on the mosque. It is a light box that turns on at sunset during Ramadan when it is time to break the fast. At the same time, a friend (dosti) walks through the streets hitting a wooden clapper to let everyone know it is time for Iftar. These light boxes are found on streets throughout the neighborhood to help those fasting see when the light turns on, and they have become a local sight.













8. Central Mosque



The Xi'an Central Mosque was built between the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China period.













9. Xicang Mosque



Xicang Mosque was established on April 1, 2003. It was originally a borrowed factory building that was later torn down and rebuilt as a mosque. It belongs to the Salafiyya movement. Every Thursday and Sunday, there are stalls selling flowers, birds, fish, and insects at Xicang. "Strolling the stalls" at Xicang is a favorite pastime for many long-time Xi'an residents.









10. Lvshan Mosque



Lvshan Mosque is a simple mosque built by Henan Hui Muslims living in Xi'an. The building was a private home in the 1970s. It was declared a dangerous structure and had to be torn down in 2011. Imam Ma Jie from the neighborhood led the fundraising to rebuild the mosque.







11. Hongbu Street New Mosque



This mosque was built in the 1990s after some community members bought a private house. It is a Salafiyya mosque with the style of a traditional residential courtyard.





12. West Mosque



The West Mosque on Sajinqiao was first established in 1920. The current site is said to have been a Buddhist mosque called Haihui Nunnery. It originally had three main halls. In 1926, community members who left the old Sajinqiao mosque raised 2,000 silver dollars to buy the land and convert it into a mosque.









I have finished introducing the halal food and mosques in the Muslim Quarter. I should also mention Yongxingfang, another food street in Xi'an that became popular on Douyin in the last two years. I went to check it out and only found one halal snack shop. The most famous thing there is the bowl-smashing wine, which I do not recommend. However, many people do not know about Dongxin Street, which is just one subway stop away from the Muslim Quarter. It is a halal food street where Henan Hui Muslims gather in Xi'an. Interested friends can go take a look. The night market on Dongxin Street is quite lively. There are also two mosques for Henan people here: one is called Dongxin Street Mosque and the other is Jianguo Lane Mosque. There are five mosques for Henan people in total in Xi'an.

Dongxin Street









Dongxin Street Mosque







Jianguo Lane Mosque





Accommodation: Lianhuachi Pan Inn



I chose this Lianhuachi Pan Inn based on the recommendation of the elders in the neighborhood. The location is excellent, right at the north entrance of the Muslim Quarter. The area near the north gate is quieter than other entrances. You can walk a few steps and be deep inside the Muslim Quarter. The inn has a place for wudu (small ritual washing) and a prayer room. The environment is beautiful, and the owner and staff are mostly elders from the neighborhood who can provide travel information.







The prayer room on the first floor of the inn is small but has everything you need, including a place for ritual washing and copies of the Quran.



The inn owner also runs a professional travel agency for Muslim tourists that organizes group visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. I talked with him and found he is very knowledgeable and has strong faith. During Ramadan, he travels across Shaanxi to hand out Ramadan gift packages. May Allah grant him success in his business and blessings in this life and the next.


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Reposted from the web

Summary: This China mosque map continues the original series with locations, history notes, regional mosque names, and photos from Ningxia to Shenzhen and Wuhan. It is formatted for readers searching for mosque locations and Muslim travel history in China.

The last issue of the China Mosque Map introduced some mosques I have visited. I chose the ones I personally find unique, but space was limited, so I will introduce more in this issue. Many friends left comments asking why I did not introduce their local mosques. The reason is simply that I have not been there. As a Hui Muslim from Niujie in Beijing, I did not even introduce the Niujie Mosque right at my doorstep. I thought everyone knew about it, so I did not mention it. It turns out that not a single person in the comments asked why I left out the Niujie Mosque.

I will not talk about food during Ramadan and will continue to share mosque photos with you instead.

Xiji County, Ningxia

Shagou Gongbei



Shagou Gongbei was first built during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. Ma Yuanzhang, the seventh-generation successor of the Jahriyya menhuan, was initially buried here, but his remains were later moved to Zhangjiachuan, Gansu.











Zhongning County, Ningxia

Honggang Gangzi Gongbei



Honggang Gangzi Gongbei was built in 1939. It is the gongbei for Hong Shoulin, the founder of the Hongmen branch of the Khufiyya menhuan. It was damaged during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in 1987 under the organization of Hong Weizong, the third-generation successor of the Hongmen. The site covers 20,000 square meters and includes a canteen, living quarters, a bathhouse, a mosque, and the gongbei.















Tongxin County, Ningxia

Tongxin Great Mosque



Tongxin Great Mosque was first built in the early Ming Dynasty on the site of a collapsed Lama mosque. It has a history of about 600 years. It was renovated three times during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1936, when the Red Army marched west, they established the Yuhai County Hui Muslim Autonomous Government of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region here.

















Guangdong, Shenzhen

Mosque



When I came to Shenzhen in 2015, this place was still a construction site. Today, a modern-style mosque with five floors above ground and one underground has been built. Shenzhen Mosque was completed in 2016. The main building has a prayer hall on every floor and a restaurant on the first floor.











Hubei, Xiangyang

Laohekou Mosque



Laohekou City Mosque in Hubei is the first Ikhwan (Yihewani) mosque in China. It was first built in the third year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1853). It has a history of 150 years and covers an area of 800 square meters. Ma Wanfu (Guoyuan), the advocate of the Ikhwan sect, once taught at Laohekou Mosque. In the autumn of 1940, the Hubei Provincial Branch of the China Islamic National Salvation Association moved to Laohekou, with its headquarters located inside the mosque. Today, this place no longer emphasizes sectarian differences.











Hubei, Wuhan

Ma Si Baba Gongbei



Ma Quan (1596–1678) was a famous Islamic scholar during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He was a third-generation student of Hu Dengzhou. His courtesy name was Minglong, and he was honored as Ma Si Baba. He was a Hui Muslim from Jiangxia, Hubei (modern-day Wuchang). Local folklore tells a fun story about Ma Si Baba having a magical duel with Zhang Sanfeng.















Shiyan, Hubei

Mosque



Shiyan Mosque was built in 1991. It is the first mosque in Shiyan city, and it was led by Imam Ma Wenxue from Ningxia.









Nanchang, Jiangxi

Cuxiang Mosque



Nanchang Cuxiang Mosque was first built in 1824. It is the only mosque in Nanchang city.









Sanya, Hainan

Huihui Village, Northwest Mosque



The Northwest Grand Mosque was originally called the West Mosque. It was first built during the Tang Dynasty. Its original site was in Huixin Village, which is now the Huixin community. In 1937, the Japanese landed on Hainan Island. To expand their military base and because Huixin Village had a strategic location for controlling the South China Sea, they forced all the Hui Muslims out of Huixin Village and into Huihui Village, which is now the Huihui community. At that time, the four mosques in Huixin Village—the North Mosque, West Mosque, Old Mosque, and South Mosque—were all torn down. Later, the West Mosque and North Mosque merged to form the Northwest Grand Mosque, which was rebuilt in Huihui Village in 1944. There are four mosques in Huihui Village. In 2015, the Northwest Grand Mosque built a high-rise teaching building with eight standard classrooms and two multi-purpose rooms. It can hold over 300 Muslim students at the same time, as shown in the picture below.











Sanya, Hainan

Huihui Village Old Mosque



The Huihui Village Old Mosque was first built in the sixth year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1470). According to the Ming Dynasty's "Qiongzhou Prefecture Gazetteer" and the early Qing Dynasty's "Complete Collection of Illustrations and Writings of Ancient and Modern Times: Section on Geography," the ancestors of the Hui Muslims arrived by boat with their families between the Song and Yuan dynasties from Champa (near present-day Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam) and settled along the coast.







Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Menghai County Mosque



Menghai Mosque is located on the Old North Street in the town of Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It was first built in the 1930s.









Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Manluan Hui Mosque



The Hui Muslims of Manluan village take Dai names, wear Dai clothing, and speak the Dai language, yet they practice Islam. The men wear white caps and the women wear headscarves. Their lifestyle blends Dai traditions with Hui Muslim customs. The local Dai people call them 'Paxi Dai,' which means 'Hui Dai'.







Dali, Yunnan

Ximen Mosque



Dali Ximen Mosque was built in the Yuan Dynasty (1278 AD). Located inside the Dali Ancient City, it is the mosque where the famous Islamic scholar Bao Shan Zhenren began his teaching.









Dali, Yunnan

Nanmen Mosque



Dali Nanmen Mosque was built in the Yuan Dynasty and is one of the 100 ancient mosques in China. Before the failure of the Du Wenxiu Uprising, the mosque was located on Cangping Street, as recorded in The Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake. After the Du Wenxiu Uprising failed, the Qing government's post-war committee seized the mosque and its 120 mu of mosque land as rebel property. The mosque was turned into a City God Mosque, and in 1944, it became a local court. The current Nanmen Mosque is located inside the Dali Ancient City.









Lhasa, Tibet

Kachilin Ka East Mosque and West Mosque



The East Mosque and West Mosque in Lhasa's Kachi Linka are separated by only one wall at the back of the park. The East Mosque was built in 1655, and the West Mosque was built in 1775.











Lhasa, Tibet

Small Mosque



The Lhasa Small Mosque was built in the 1920s with funds raised for Muslim traders from Kashmir, Ladakh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Britain. It is located in the southern part of Barkhor Street in Lhasa's old town, just a few hundred meters from the Lhasa Great Mosque. Inside the entrance is a washing room, and the wall decorations are in a Tibetan style.







Shanghai

Huxi Mosque



Huxi Mosque, originally named Xiaoshadu Mosque and also known as Yaoshuinong Mosque, was built in 1914. It is commonly called the Old Mosque. Every Friday, a bazaar market is held near the mosque during Jumu'ah.





Hefei, Anhui

Mosque



Hefei Mosque was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It was damaged but expanded after being returned in 1981. The current imam is Xu Zhihai.









Nanjing, Jiangsu

Caoqiao Mosque



Caoqiao Mosque is located on the former Caoqiao Street in Nanjing, which is how it got its name. It was first built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1736–1795) and was destroyed by fire during the Taiping Rebellion. The mosque founded Dunmu Primary School in the early years of the Republic of China, with Yi Yufang serving as the first principal.











Yangzhou, Jiangsu

Puhading Mosque



Puhading Cemetery is commonly known as the Baba Kiln (Baba Yao) and is also called the Hui Muslim Hall (Huihui Tang). It covers 25 mu of land and consists of three parts: an ancient mosque, an ancient cemetery, and a classical garden. Puhading Garden was first built in the first year of the Deyou reign of the Song Dynasty (1275 AD) to honor Puhading, a 16th-generation descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

















Taizhou, Jiangsu

Mosque



Taizhou Mosque was built in 2012 and is the first mosque in Taizhou City.







Shaoxing, Zhejiang

Pakistan Keqiao Community



Shaoxing has five prayer spots, and this is the largest one. It is a temporary religious site. If you cannot find a mosque in a southern city, just ask at a local hand-pulled noodle shop (lamian guan) to find out where the prayer spots are.











Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai

Kangjia Mosque



This mosque was first built in the 16th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1418). It is one of the oldest mosques in the pastoral areas of Qinghai Province.







Xunhua, Qinghai

Jiezi Mosque



Jiezi Grand Mosque is the second largest mosque in Qinghai. It is located in Sanlanbahai Village, Jiezi Township, Xunhua Salar Autonomous County. It houses a handwritten Quran brought by the ancestors of the Salar people when they moved east 700 years ago.









Jianza, Qinghai

Maketang Grand Mosque



This mosque was completed in 2018. It is the first mosque in Maketang Town, Jianza County, in the Tibetan region.

Previous issue: Map of Chinese Mosques
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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Guangzhou halal travel map connects Huaisheng Mosque history, Xiaobei Road halal food, local restaurants, airport notes, and Muslim quarter details from the original article. The English version keeps each place, dish, and photo in source order.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, the government encouraged foreign investment, attracting people from the Middle East and South Asia to trade in Guangzhou. These foreigners were called 'fanke' (foreign guests). They made Guangzhou their home, married, had children, and raised families here. By the Song Dynasty, Guangzhou already had large residential areas and cemeteries for these foreign guests.

I have been to Guangzhou several times. Each visit was a bit rushed, but I still managed to find some traces of the local Muslim community.

Longxing Building (Longxing Lou)



There is a halal hand-pulled noodle shop near boarding gate B234 after the security checkpoint at Terminal 1 of Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.



The shop does not serve alcohol, and a noodle set meal costs 68 yuan.





I saw a group of foreign friends asking the waiter if the shop was halal.



Address:

Boarding gate B234, Terminal 1, Baiyun Airport

Hui Muslim Restaurant (Huimin Fandian)



Founded in 1956, the Hui Muslim Restaurant was established by several old halal Cantonese restaurants like 'Satangji' and 'Yunji'. Originally named 'Halal Canteen', it was renamed 'Hui Muslim Restaurant' in 1959. It is one of the authentic state-run Cantonese restaurants in Guangzhou. Signature dishes like barbecued lamb (yangrou chashao), water chestnut cake (mati gao), beef balls (niurou wan), and boiled Dongshan goat (baiqie dongshanyang) are all prepared using traditional Cantonese methods.



The Hui Muslim Restaurant is very popular among the local people in old Guangzhou, and you have to wait in line for lunch.



The sign above says 'reserved guests' because business is so busy that you need to book a table several days in advance.



You can tell the diners are locals from Guangzhou just by looking at them, and most are middle-aged or older.



People in Guangzhou have a habit of drinking morning tea. It starts at 7:30 a.m. and goes until 11:00 a.m. After lunch, they can have afternoon tea until dinner time.





Shunde steamed chicken with shallots (hongcong tou)



Seafood and tofu claypot (doufu bao)



Improved Cantonese-style fried dough (youxiang)



Hui Muslims crispy roast goose (shaoe)



Healthy lotus root claypot (bao)



Stir-fried beef with choy sum (caixin)



Tossed Shuidong mustard greens with fresh bean curd skin (zhuzhu)



Stewed baby bok choy with dried scallops (yaozhu) and chicken feet (fengzhua)



Lamb barbecue pork buns (chashao bao)



Address: No. 325 Zhongshan 6th Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou (Take Exit A of Ximenkou Metro Station, turn left, and walk 50 meters).

Xinjiang Mansion



Besides the Hui Muslim Restaurant, Xinjiang Mansion is another place in Guangzhou where you can find authentic halal Cantonese morning tea.



They start serving morning tea at 7:30 AM, and it was already packed when I arrived.



Most of the diners are local neighbors with plenty of time to sit and chat all morning.



In Guangzhou, people have a habit of washing their own tableware before eating. It is not because the restaurant does not clean them, but because locals prefer to pour hot water over the dishes themselves for peace of mind. The servers will proactively bring you a basin for this purpose.



For morning tea, you first choose your tea leaves, such as black tea or pu'er, though you can also bring your own. Once the tea is ready, you can sip it while enjoying your snacks.



Spicy shrimp wontons (xiangla zhi lao xianxia yuntun)



Cordyceps flower and Qingyuan chicken congee (chonghuacao qingyuan huaji zhou)



Xinjiang milk egg tart (xinjiang niunai puta)



Signature durian pastry (jinpai liulian su)



Medicinal herb chicken feet (yaoshan jijiao)

The morning tea at Xinjiang Mansion is a modern take on Cantonese morning tea, which is slightly different from the traditional style served at the Hui Muslim Restaurant.

Address:

76 Tianhe North Road, Guangzhou.

Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles (Lanzhou lamian).



Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles are everywhere in Guangzhou, so you do not need to worry about finding food here. I mention this specific shop because it is near the hotel where I stayed, and I would occasionally stop by for an extra meal. The owner's family is from Qinghai. The shop is small but very clean, and they do not serve alcohol or allow smoking.



The shop has been open for a while and has a great relationship with the local residents. I saw neighbors leave their house keys with the staff so their family members could pick them up when they got home. This kind of trust is very heartwarming.



Because foreigners often come here to eat, the shop has menus in three languages.



Some of my foreign friends are not Muslim, but they prefer to choose halal restaurants when traveling in China because they feel more at ease eating there.



Sometimes I think that running a small shop like this might not make a fortune, but the money earned is clean, and you do not have to answer to anyone. Keeping up with namaz and ensuring blessings for both this life and the next makes you the real winner.



Address: Next to Lavande Hotel, Zhongshan Avenue, Tianhe District, Guangzhou.



For friends (dosti) visiting Guangzhou, I suggest staying near the Guangzhou Hotel in Yuexiu District. There are four mosques in Yuexiu District, and you can find halal restaurants near all of them.

Huaisheng Mosque.



Huaisheng Mosque is also called the Light Tower Mosque (Guangta Si) because it has a light tower inside. It is the oldest mosque in Guangzhou.

There are many different theories about when the Huaisheng Mosque was first built. Long Feiliao’s article, "A Study of the Architectural Culture of the Tang Dynasty Huaisheng Light Tower Mosque in Guangzhou," and Zeng Zhaoxuan’s "A Study of the Construction Era of the Huaisheng Mosque Light Tower in Guangzhou" both argue that the mosque was completed in the first year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (627).

After conducting multiple studies, scholar Li Xinghua proposed that it is very likely that Islam was introduced in the early Tang Dynasty, and it is certainly earlier than the mosques in Quanzhou, so further research is necessary.













In 2015, I took a photo with the imam who was leading the namaz at the Huaisheng Mosque that day. The imam was from Pakistan and spoke fluent Mandarin and Cantonese.

Haopan Street Mosque



Located on Haopan Street, Renmin Middle Road, in the Yuexiu District, this mosque was first built during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465-1487).

After the Ming Emperor sent over a thousand Hui Muslim soldiers from Nanjing to be stationed in Guangzhou, they built a new city and dug the South City Moat. To make it easier for the families of the Hui Muslim soldiers to perform namaz, they raised funds to build several mosques, and the Haopan Mosque was one of them.











Xiaodongying Mosque



The Xiaodongying Mosque was built at the same time as the Haopan Street Mosque. After the Hui Muslim troops arrived in Guangzhou, they were divided into four camps: Dadong, Xiaodong, Xiying, and Zhutong. These were commonly known as the "Hui Muslim Camps" and were stationed inside and outside the city of Guangzhou. Today’s Xiaodongying Street is the former site of the Xiaodongying camp and is named after it. The Xiaodongying Mosque was once the home of civil organizations like the Guangzhou Muslim Youth Association and the Muslim Tongyi Association.



The Guangzhou Hotel is near the Xiaodongying Mosque, making it very convenient for dining, accommodation, and transportation.













Xianxian Mosque





The Xianxian Mosque is located in Lanpu Park on Huanshi Road in Guangzhou. It was originally called the Ancient Tomb of the Muslim Worthies and serves as the burial site for over 40 famous Arab Islamic missionaries led by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas.

As early as the beginning of the 7th century, the Arab Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas came to Guangzhou to spread Islam. He later passed away in Guangzhou and was buried on the west side of what is now Lanpu Park. After he died, his followers inscribed the words Ancient Tomb of the Muslim Worthies on his tombstone.

The Xianxian Mosque was built in 2009, southwest of the ancient tomb. According to the legal rulings of Elder Juma, if a grave is next to a mosque and prayers are performed inside the mosque, the prayer is valid. If the grave is inside the mosque, the Hanbali school of jurisprudence considers the prayer invalid, but the other three major schools of jurisprudence consider the prayer valid, though praying with a grave in front of the worshiper is disliked.





















Every Friday, there is a market on Lanpu Road near the mosque that feels a bit like the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi. Remember that it only happens on Fridays.
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