Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps issue 40 of the series, featuring a Ghanaian halal restaurant in Sanlitun, Stone Hearth Grill and Tea, Arabic food, tomato beef flatbread, luosifen hot pot, sturgeon feast, and Saddam Lanzhou Beef Noodles.

Beijing Halal Food Map (40) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Ramadan has just ended, so we can get back to checking out all kinds of halal food. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Ramadan has just ended, so we can get back to checking out all kinds of halal food. The restaurants in this guide are all new, and they each have something special. The first one is a West African Ghanaian halal restaurant, which is very rare in China. It is a big step for Beijing as it works to become a global capital for halal food.

Here is the list of halal restaurants for this guide:

1. Tribe Garden African Restaurant

2. Stone Hearth Grill and Tea (Shishangweilu)

3. Ma Bei'er Bistro

4. Carthage Arabic Restaurant

5. Fan Manyu Tomato Beef Flatbread (Paobing)

6. Stinky Star Snail Rice Noodle (Luosifen) Hot Pot

7. Mulaixuan Sturgeon Feast

8. Saddam Lanzhou Beef Noodles

1. Tribe Garden African Restaurant



A new halal restaurant featuring West African flavors recently opened on the first basement level of Sanlitun SOHO. They specialize in Ghanaian cuisine. The staff are all Black Muslims who speak fluent Chinese, and one young lady from Kenya is especially cute.



Ghana is a country in West Africa where about 15% of the population is Muslim, yet the national banknote features a mosque with a unique style.



Larabanga Mosque

The Larabanga Mosque on the banknote was built between the 14th and 15th centuries. It is the oldest mosque in Ghana. Its architectural style is unique to West Africa, built from yellow mud and wood, making it very iconic.



The restaurant decor also has a strong African vibe, including the wall hangings.







African goat meat mixed rice

African goat meat is a bit tough, but it has no gamey smell. The mixed rice is salty and spicy.



Non-alcoholic mojito and fruit punch



African specialty egusi (egusi)

You eat this dish mixed with the cassava flour paste shown below. Eating the cassava flour paste is just like eating rice cake.





Fufu (fufu)

The white dish is called fufu, which translates to rice flour paste in Chinese. It is a staple food for Ghanaians.



Friday special dish

They have a special dish every day. This Friday special is made with beans and rice, served with some noodles and dipping sauce. It tastes sour, salty, and spicy all at once.



Grilled tilapia

This is an African-style grilled fish. It tastes great. Even though the skin looks charred, the meat inside is white.



A young lady from Kenya recommended this milkshake to us. It is very creamy and delicious. The whole meal cost 530 yuan for four people, which is 130 yuan per person.

2. Stone Hearth Grill and Tea (Shishangweilu)



This is a newly opened light meal and coffee shop on the ground floor of the West District of Changying Paradise Walk. The owner is a Hui Muslim from Beijing, and we chose to have a small gathering here for Eid al-Fitr.



Thirty of us ate every single item on the menu twice.



They serve light meals during the day. Besides these pretty salads, they also have burgers and pasta.





The M3 beef burger uses a patty hand-pressed by the owner, and all the meat is sourced from Li Wei's shop in Changying.





This is an Italian-style sandwich, listed on the menu as a panini.



Barbecue is served in the evening. If you want a simple Western-style meal at night, you can call ahead to book. Everyone gave the simple meals and barbecue great reviews. The average cost per person is about 130 yuan.



3. Ma Bei'er Bistro



Ma Bei'er is a new brand started by the original management team of Jubao Yuan after they split up. Next to the main Ma Bei'er hot pot (shuanrou) restaurant on Nanheng West Street, there is also a small Ma Bei'er bistro that specializes in Beijing-style stir-fry dishes.



This stir-fry bistro is just as busy as the hot pot restaurant. We tried a few signature dishes and had a good experience. Everything was delicious and worth recommending. The average cost per person is about 100 yuan.



Stir-fried mixed vegetables (chaohecai)



Quick-fried beef tripe with coriander (yanbaosandan)



Deep-fried meatballs (ganzhawanzi)



Braised yellow croaker in northern style (kuadunhuangyu)



Slow-cooked beef (weiniurou)



Scallion pancake (conghuabing)

4. Carthage Restaurant



This is a Tunisian restaurant. It is owned by the same people as La Medina Tunisian restaurant in Sanlitun. You can find it on the first floor of the Atour X Hotel in Sanlitun.



During Ramadan, they offer an iftar buffet for 120 yuan per person. It includes all the signature dishes you would expect, plus drinks and desserts.



Tunisia is a North African country. Its food habits are a bit different from West Africa, and North African flavors are usually easier for most people to enjoy.

















5. Fan Manyu Tomato Beef Flatbread (Paobing)



A new specialty shop just opened on the basement level of the West Zone at Tongzhou Wanda Plaza. They focus on tomato beef brisket with flatbread (paobing) and various other tomato-based dishes.



The staff uniforms are covered in tomato drawings.









Vinegar-stir-fried egg and meat (culiu muxu)



Lychee-flavored cherry tomatoes



Mapo tofu





Their food is prepared very delicately and tastes great. The environment is clean, the prices are affordable, and the average cost is under 80 yuan per person.

6. Stinky Star Snail Rice Noodle (Luosifen) Hot Pot



There is a halal snail rice noodle (luosifen) shop on the ground floor of the Golden Street in the West District of Tongzhou Wanda Plaza. The owner is a Hui Muslim from Changchun who used to work at iQIYI before opening this physical shop. The small shop has two floors and mainly serves halal snail rice noodles and clam rice noodles (huaji fen) in small hot pots.



The snail rice noodle hot pot comes with a wide variety of toppings that you can add to the pot to cook together.







This set meal for two costs 78 yuan and is enough for two or three people to eat.



The set includes Guangxi cassava sweet soup (mushu tangshui).



Add all the side dishes to the pot and cook for one minute before you start eating. The taste is quite authentic.

7. Mulaixuan Sturgeon Feast



Across from the Doudian Mosque in Fangshan, there is a restaurant that specializes in sturgeon (xunlongyu). This place is unique because it has no menu and you cannot order dishes. The owner decides the size of the fish based on how many people are in your group, and all the dishes are made from the fish you choose.





You pick the sturgeon from this fish tank, and they are all quite large. The sturgeon costs 58 yuan per jin, and the smallest fish weigh over five jin, making it perfect for groups.



After picking the fish, you just wait for the owner to serve the food. This is actually nice because it saves you the trouble of ordering.





The standard dishes include salt and pepper fish skin, sweet and sour fish bones, fish offal, fish and radish soup, and stir-fried fish fillets. The main course is sturgeon dumplings. The fish is very fresh, and every dish tastes great.















8. Saddam Lanzhou Beef Noodles



The long-standing Lanzhou brand Saddam Beef Noodles has expanded into Beijing's Fengtai District. Known as the Eastern Heretic of the Lanzhou beef noodle world, the shop opened in eastern Lanzhou in the 1990s. It got its name because the owner looked just like Saddam. Other famous shops include the Western Poison Ma Anjun, the Southern Emperor Guobao, the Northern Beggar Cangying, and the Central Master Ma Zilu.





You can tell the beef noodles will be good just by looking at the chili oil, which is fragrant but not too spicy. I tried it and found it very authentic. My friends from Lanzhou would not be disappointed if they came here to eat.



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Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Montreal covers transit through Rome, halal airline meals, prayer rooms, Quebec and Chinatown, halal restaurants, local mosques and musallas, Chinese community landmarks, and practical notes for Muslim travelers in Canada.

A Map of Mosques and Halal Food in Montreal, Canada is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Montreal was the first city I visited in Canada. I chose it because it is quite unique. Montreal is a French-speaking city in the province of Quebec and is the second-largest city in Canada. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Montreal was the first city I visited in Canada. I chose it because it is quite unique. Montreal is a French-speaking city in the province of Quebec and is the second-largest city in Canada.



There are no direct flights from mainland China to Canada. I chose a Hainan Airlines flight with a layover in Rome, Italy. With a Chinese passport and a U.S. or Canadian visa, you can transit through Rome without a visa, but you cannot leave the airport.



You need to book a halal meal with the airline at least one day in advance.



The plane arrived over Rome, the capital of Italy.



Fiumicino Airport in Rome has signs in Chinese.



There is also a prayer room. It is shared by all major religions, and prayer rooms are standard in international airports.





I walked through all the shops in the international transit area of Rome airport and did not find any halal restaurants.



Ferrari is a local specialty of Italy.



The iconic people and things of Italy are the Pope, the Mona Lisa, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.



When in Italy, you have to try the locals' favorite: authentic espresso.



This small cup is meant to be downed in one gulp. It tastes very bitter and is quite strong. Italians drink coffee differently than people in other countries. For example, they call a latte Caffè latte or Latte macchiato. The former has no milk foam, while the latter does. In Italy, if you just ask for a latte, the clerk might think you want a glass of milk. Also, Italians usually do not drink coffee with milk in the afternoon; they are used to drinking coffee with milk at breakfast.



While drinking coffee, I saw a table of Muslims across from me. They ordered some pizza fast food at the cafe. This restaurant also sells pork, but that is very common in Europe. Muslims here are not very sensitive about pork, and many will eat at non-halal restaurants as long as they avoid the pork. Which non-halal foods are mentioned in the scriptures and teachings? I have talked about that.



After a long flight of over 9 hours, I arrived safely in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where all the official signs are in French. Quebec was a French colony for 200 years and later colonized by the British, so its makeup is complex. It often pushes for independence, but the referendums failed, with citizens supporting unity winning by a narrow margin.



The Montreal subway stations look a lot like the New York subway, but they are much cleaner. Subway announcements are played in French first, then in English.



Montreal is generally quite clean, but the cost of living is high. There are not many places in Canada with low costs because taxes are high here.



Standard hotel rooms cost over 1,000 yuan per night.





Montreal has a well-developed public transport system. You can buy a one-day pass at the subway station for unlimited subway and bus rides for 24 hours, which is great for tourists. You can also just tap your Visa credit card. During my trip to Canada, I did not use any cash; all transactions were done with my credit card.



The street views look like a mix of Europe and America.





The iconic Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal is under renovation on the outside, but you can buy a ticket to go inside and visit.









The Old Port of Montreal has great scenery and is perfect for a walk. It used to be a busy trading port, but it has been transformed now.



The sphere in the distance is the Montreal Biosphere, which once hosted the Summer Olympics.





Montreal Chinatown.

Several major Canadian cities have Chinatowns where Chinese people gather.



Sun Yat-sen Park in Chinatown.



A view of Montreal's Chinatown. I came here looking for a halal restaurant, but there are none.



North American Chinatowns don't feel familiar to me. Aside from the Chinese characters on the signs, the streets look more like Fujian or Guangdong. Most of the Chinese people here have roots in those provinces, and you hear a lot of Cantonese on the street.



Most Chinese tourists here are from Taiwan, and people from mainland China are rare.







Lichun Pavilion in Chinatown.

Lichun Pavilion doesn't look like a proper massage parlor.



Hongmen Building.

The Hongmen society started in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China era. Mandi-ke is the Cantonese transliteration for Montreal, and the Hongmen Montreal branch has been around for over a hundred years.



A mural in Chinatown showing the four main characters from the Journey to the West.



PIZZA BIA

This shop is the closest halal pizza fast food place to Chinatown, and this type of small shop is one of the most common halal restaurants in Montreal.



The shop sells pizza, and you can buy it by the slice.



The Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle (Lanzhou lamian) shop in Chinatown is not halal, but it is very busy with a line at the door. In Canada, Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles have become a rare treat.



A street sign says Free Palestine. During this trip to Europe and America, I saw large-scale protests supporting Palestine at universities in major cities.



There are many halal restaurants around the old town of Montreal, and you can see them everywhere. Because this is a French-speaking area, many residents come from France. France has a Muslim population of nearly ten percent, and with immigrants from former French African colonies, Montreal naturally has many French-speaking Muslims.



The Moroccan Cultural Center in Montreal.



Lebanese restaurant.

Whenever I see that tree, I naturally think of the cedar, the symbol of Lebanon that originates from the Bible.









A chicken shawarma bowl from a Lebanese restaurant, with a side of tabbouleh salad and a bottle of pineapple soda.



This simple meal cost 30.43 Canadian dollars, which is equivalent to over 200 RMB. This is the daily price level in North America.





An Iranian bazaar.

There are many Iranians in Canada, but many are not halal because they arrived as refugees and have a rebellious streak. Still, there are devout believers among them. I visited some Shia mosques in Canada, which I will mention later.





Halal fried chicken shop



Halal fried chicken shop



Halal kebab shop



Halal Turkish restaurant



Halal burger and fried chicken shop



I took this photo while walking through the old town streets just before 9 a.m.



Halal kebab shop



Halal burger and hot dog shop

The person wearing a turban in the photo is a Sikh, not a Muslim. They refuse to eat halal food.





Halal Indian cuisine



I wandered along the main road in the city center early in the morning. Seeing these halal eateries made me both excited and disappointed. I am disappointed because there are only a few types of halal restaurants here, and none are high-end establishments. This shows that the social status of us Muslims in Canada is not very high, as most are in the working class.









This is the closest mosque to Chinatown. Many small mosques in Canada do not open their doors until it is time for prayer.



Islamic Center of Quebec



The Islamic Center of Quebec. In North America, places called centers are usually schools. This one is both a mosque and a religious school.





Scan the code to see the prayer times in Quebec. The daylight hours here are similar to Xinjiang. It does not get dark until after 10 p.m., and the sun rises at 4 a.m.



I arrived just in time to hear the imam giving a sermon (waaz), which is the usual practice before the night prayer (isha).



A church that also serves as a memorial for Mandela.







The church is not open every day. The doors are locked when there are no services.



The Chinese Catholic Church near Chinatown. Its size shows that the Chinese community in Montreal is quite influential.



A prayer spot in the city center. It reminds me of the prayer places in Tokyo, Japan. If you search for mosque or masjid on Google Maps, you will find a whole bunch of them.



However, these places are usually closed, so a mosque city walk is not really possible here. Since the history of Muslims in this area is quite short, there are no particularly impressive mosques to see. They are all just in apartment-style buildings. If you want to see beautiful mosques, you have to go to Vancouver. I will introduce other Canadian cities in detail later. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim life guide from Vancouver covers the MDRT annual meeting, Muslim insurance professionals from different countries, mainland Chinese attendance changes, halal finance discussions, Islamic insurance ethics, Muslim representation in the industry, and reflections on dignity and protection.

Gathering with Muslim Insurance Professionals from Around the World at the MDRT Annual Meeting in Vancouver is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) started in the United States in 1927. At that time, 32 life insurance agents who sold over one million dollars in policies wanted to form a forum to promote high standards in life. The account keeps its focus on Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) started in the United States in 1927. At that time, 32 life insurance agents who sold over one million dollars in policies wanted to form a forum to promote high standards in life insurance sales and improve the image of insurance professionals.



Since then, the MDRT annual meeting has been held every year in either the United States or Canada. Last year it was in the U.S., and this year it is at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Canada.



Vancouver Convention Centre

This year's attendance is very different from previous years. Before 2019, as the Chinese insurance market grew rapidly, the total number of attendees from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan was the highest, and it increased every year. This year, however, the Mandarin speakers I saw at the venue were mainly from Taiwan, with a reported attendance of over 600 people. Very few people came from Hong Kong, reportedly fewer than 30. Among the East Asian faces, there were many from Japan and South Korea, while the largest groups from Southeast Asia were from Singapore and Thailand.



The sharp drop in attendees from mainland China may be related to political and economic factors. For one thing, we do not have direct flights to Canada, so most people have to transfer, which takes a long time. Prices in North America have soared in recent years, making a round trip very expensive. On the other hand, many of our colleagues could not get visas. I only saw a single-digit number of colleagues from my own company at the venue, even though over a thousand of us actually met the criteria to attend.



2024 MDRT President Gregory B. Gagne, ChFC

Another objective factor for the sharp decline in mainland attendees is that many large state-owned insurance companies no longer organize trips to the U.S. in an official capacity. Award winners have to go on their own. Instead, they attend insurance award ceremonies held within China, such as the International Management Associate (IMA) awards ceremony I attended last year. Although it is nominally an international award, everyone who attended was an insurance elite from the mainland.



The group in the picture above is the Thai delegation taking a group photo. They are easy to recognize because they are wearing traditional Thai clothing.



This is a delegation of middle-aged Japanese women (obasan). This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Japanese delegation, as the Japanese MDRT is not made up entirely of middle-aged women.



This is my conference badge. You must have it to enter during the meeting. There are guards at the entrance of every venue, so it is hard to sneak in without one. The badges are different every year.



On the first day of the conference, I met this young woman from Jordan. She was easy to recognize because she wore a headscarf. I showed her some articles I translated about Islamic insurance law (sharia), and she was very surprised. She took photos of my articles and translated them into Arabic. It felt amazing to share knowledge about insurance law with an Arab person in this way.



The venue provides simultaneous interpretation services. Everyone gets a small translation device where they can select a language they understand.



These people are all veteran North American members of many years, and the bald man holding the microphone has been a member for over twenty years.



One of the keynote speakers was a person with dwarfism. This was a heartwarming moment for me. MDRT usually invites ordinary people, grassroots elites, rather than celebrities to stand on stage. Each guest shares their personal growth and shows their family life, which makes the audience feel it is real.



The Malaysian MDRT delegation was very warm. The young women asked where I was from. I said I am a Chinese Hui Muslim. They asked which province, and I said I am from Beijing. I showed them photos of my family's Hajj pilgrimage. They were very excited and immediately called over a colleague who spoke Chinese to take a photo with me.



They belong to a Muslim insurance company in Malaysia and asked me if there are any Muslim insurance products in China. I said there are none in mainland China yet, and only a few insurance companies in Hong Kong have Muslim insurance businesses. Perhaps this will open up in the future.

I covered the topic of Muslim insurance in my previous article, Mustafa Zaka: Traditional Commercial Insurance Complies with Sharia.

I introduced it there.

According to current scholars, so-called Muslim insurance is not feasible in practice. This is because there are no Muslim reinsurance companies in the world today that can support Muslim insurance companies. Also, because Muslim insurance adds operating costs to its design, the products are expensive and offer weak coverage, making them uncompetitive in the market. They rely more on the sentiment of the faithful to pay for them, which limits the development of Muslim insurance. Therefore, we should re-evaluate the Sharia regarding traditional insurance and allow Muslims to purchase commercial insurance.



I met a very kind uncle from Singapore. He has worked in insurance for thirty years, and his daughter has been in the industry for nine years. Both father and daughter have achieved Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) membership. It is a case of a daughter following in her father's footsteps. Many insurance professionals overseas, like this uncle, treat insurance as a lifelong career.

The insurance market in Singapore is different from the mainland. Mainland insurance teams can be very large with no upper limit on members, but in Singapore, you can only form a small team of up to 15 people. Also, there are not many insurance companies in Singapore, so customers have fewer choices and competition is fierce. The uncle has an annual salary of 400,000 Singapore dollars, which is equivalent to over 2 million RMB. This income would rank in the top 100 at my company, but he is very frugal in his daily life. He said that when he meets clients, he just chooses an ordinary coffee shop because he does not want to project an image of being very wealthy.



Besides meeting insurance elites from various countries, I also met two colleagues from my company who live in Canada. Even though their time zone is the complete opposite of China's, it does not stop them from qualifying for the Million Dollar Round Table for many years in a row. This is one of the reasons I chose Mingya, as it allows me to do my job from any corner of the globe.



Both of these colleagues come from wealthy backgrounds, but they still work hard and stay positive. They did not just lie flat while living abroad. You could say that the momentum successful people have makes them unwilling to be mediocre in any environment, leading them to achieve outstanding results.



Every year, MDRT attracts tens of thousands of insurance elites from all over the world, but looking around the venue, the number of Muslims is very small. It is possible that I did not recognize some of the male Muslims, but I expect the number of this group is not very high. This is completely disproportionate to the fact that Muslims make up one-fifth of the world's population.



The people in the blue caps in the photo above are MDRT Jews. Insurance is already widely accepted in Judaism and Christianity, and North America has a very mature insurance industry. A century ago, they used the influence of the church to make insurance a part of daily life. Fortunately, Islamic legal scholars in North America, such as Ibrahim Khan and Monzer Kahf, also have an open attitude toward insurance.

Ibrahim Khan: Is insurance halal?

A collection of fatwa Q&As on insurance by Professor Sheikh Monzer Kahf.

In modern society, insurance has become a necessity. If a person lacks health insurance or retirement insurance, it is hard for them to live a worry-free and decent life. It is easy to issue a religious ruling that bans insurance, but these scholars do not provide alternatives for what to do instead. The difficulties this causes for the lives of Muslims are very real. Becoming an actuary is one of the hardest certifications in the world, taking an average of 10 years to complete. Since insurance is such a complex financial product, how can it be easily declared illegal?



A cruise ship heading to Alaska.

Look at the fundraising links in our social media feeds. When a family is reduced to crowdfunding for medical treatment, they lose their dignity. Relying on online crowdfunding is a form of begging, and begging is a detestable act repeatedly mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah. I do not want to see our community appearing on crowdfunding platforms all the time. As vicegerents on earth, this should not be our image. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Toronto follows Eid al-Adha with the Chinese Muslim Association of Canada in Scarborough, halal Hui Muslim food, Fang Zhongshan-style spicy soup, halal noodles, Canadian diversity, Muslim communities, and reflections on immigrant life.

Celebrating Eid Al-Adha in the Hui Muslim Neighborhood of Toronto, Canada is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I traveled around Canada while attending the MDRT global life insurance conference this year. The account keeps its focus on Sanya Travel, Eid al-Adha, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I traveled around Canada while attending the MDRT global life insurance conference this year. I visited Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, covering the most important cities from the east to the west coast. Since Eid al-Adha was approaching, I learned that the Chinese Muslim Association of Canada is in Toronto, so I made a special trip there to attend the holiday prayers.



Toronto is Canada's largest city. It has a large population, sits near New York State in the U.S., and has a strong economy and convenient transportation. Many Chinese immigrants live here. The photos above and below show Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle shops (Lanzhou lamian) I spotted on the street, but neither of these two shops is halal.



Don't worry, I will introduce a halal noodle shop later.



India is not currently issuing visas to Chinese citizens, so if you want to see Indian people, come to Canada. India is the top source of immigrants to Canada, and you can find Indian people everywhere here. They are clean and hygienic. The ones wearing turbans are Sikhs. There are over 700,000 Sikhs in Canada. They are often mistaken for Muslims, but Sikhs and Muslims are actually rivals. Sikh teachings seem designed to oppose Islam. For example, Sikhs do not eat any religious food, including halal food. If they don't know the source of the meat, they cannot eat it. They only eat meat slaughtered by their own people, which leads some to mistakenly think Sikhs are vegetarians. They are also not allowed to marry Muslims. Because Sikhs are a minority in India and face oppression, a large number of them have immigrated to North America as refugees.



The Chinese Muslim Association of Canada is located on the third floor of the Oriental Centre in Scarborough. It used to be on the second floor. In June 2024, the association president, Bao Lin Zhu, paid in full to purchase a property on the third floor for the association's use. The original second-floor location remains open as the Hui Muslim Food Culture Center.



The Fang Zhongshan spicy soup (hulatang) on the second floor is run by the president, who is from Henan province and a fellow townsman of Fang Zhongshan. The shop is authorized by Fang Zhongshan, but the taste of the spicy soup is completely different from the one in the Central Plains. It leans more toward the Xiaoyao Town style and is not as spicy.



The person on the far right is President Bao Lin. The chef on the left is also from Henan and immigrated to Canada to follow his children's studies.



Besides spicy soup and pan-fried buns (shuijianbao), the shop also prepares traditional Chinese Hui Muslim foods like fried dough (youxiang) for Eid al-Adha.





The room next to the spicy soup shop was the association's original prayer room. Now that they have the third-floor property, this space is used for reception, office work, and daily tasks.





This is a plaque inscribed by Mr. Mi Guangjiang for the Chinese Muslim Association of Canada. He has also visited this place himself.



I did not know President Bao Lin before I came to Toronto. I planned to visit the day before Eid al-Adha to check the time for the holiday prayers. I happened to run into the president, and he very warmly invited me to take a tour.





To promote the Chinese Muslim Association, President Baolin installed a light box on the property window and kept it lit all night. This is how the building looks from the outside at night; it is very eye-catching.



The building management thought this was inappropriate and cut off the power without permission. The building is owned by Chinese people, but the overseas Chinese here do not seem friendly toward Muslims. President Baolin is now taking legal action to protect his rights.



The third-floor property was just bought. When I arrived, it was being used for the first time, so many decorations had not been changed yet. The facilities look very simple, but everything necessary is there, except for an imam.



I was surprised that the Eid prayer was the next day, but they still had not found an imam to lead the prayer. President Baolin was anxious and made several calls, including asking a Pakistani student from a brother mosque for help, but he could not find anyone suitable. He said if there was no other choice, he would ask me to do it.



I felt very caught off guard. In the Canadian Hui Muslim community, there are about a hundred people who visit regularly. Many people from China have a weak sense of faith and are not in this circle. Others did not have the chance to learn back home, so they have a strong desire to learn here. Everyone is eager for a full-time imam to guide them in their studies and daily worship, but unfortunately, they have not found the right person yet.



President Baolin really hopes that a capable and willing scholar will come here to teach, and he will provide all the help he can.



Then, President Baolin drove me around to visit a few unique mosques in the area.



JAME ABU BAKR SIDDIQUE

In North America, the largest and most numerous mosques are definitely built by our Pakistani brothers. This is one of them. It shows that the Pakistani community is doing well overseas, not just in North America but also in Europe. They are doing better than the Chinese community, which I will explain in more detail later.







Toronto Prayer Schedule



Islamic Foundation of Toronto

The Islamic Foundation of Toronto is a mosque still managed by our Pakistani brothers. President Baolin came here to ask the mosque management to help find a Pakistani student to lead the Eid al-Adha (Qurban Festival) prayer. The Pakistani prayer time is June 17, while the Hui Muslim community's is on the 16th, but we could not find anyone available.







Islamic Institute of Toronto

The Islamic Institute of Toronto was founded in 1996 and moved to its new location in 2006. It covers 8 acres and is very large.





The school is usually not open to the public, but I knocked on the door and went in for a visit.









Masjid Qurtabah

This is the home of the Muslim Association of Canada. President Baolin brought me here because before the Hui Muslim community bought their own property, they did not have a permanent place for religious activities, so they used to borrow this space for Chinese Muslim events.







This place will also soon be renovated into a large Islamic activity center.









This is a mosque for Somali people.

Seeing that the Somali community has its own mosque—which was converted from a church, as many mosques in Canada were—the president hopes that one day he can also establish a Chinese Muslim community center.











Oriental Palace (Dongfang Gong)

This is truly the Lanzhou chain brand Oriental Palace (Dongfang Gong). It has arrived in Canada and has many branches in Toronto.



This bowl of beef noodles costs 14.99 Canadian dollars, which is about 80 yuan. That does not include the tip. With a 12-15% tip, the bowl costs nearly 100 yuan. Prices in Canada are high. Even if you work locally and earn Canadian dollars, eating out is not cheap.



I saw at least three Dongfanggong restaurants in Toronto.







To be fair, the noodles tasted quite good. They were chewy and had plenty of meat. This was the most satisfying meal I have had in my ten days in Canada. Thanks to Brother Baolin.



But the lamb skewers (yangrouchuan) are still better back home.



This smashed cucumber salad (pai huanggua) is more expensive than the lamb skewers. It is common in Western countries for meat to be cheaper than vegetables.





After finishing the beef noodles, Brother Baolin drove me back to the hotel to rest. I had flown all night from Calgary to Toronto and dealt with a two-hour time difference. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down in bed, needing to recharge for Eid al-Adha the next day.



Early the next morning, Brother Baolin was setting up the venue, and I arrived early too. Unfortunately, we still could not find an imam to lead the prayer. However, a Hui Muslim brother from Xinjiang who had studied the scriptures stepped up. Even though he had a cold, he insisted on leading everyone in the Eid prayer. I will not post his photo.



After the prayer, I shared some thoughts on what I have learned from my travels over the years. I said the North American Chinese Muslim Association needs doers like Brother Baolin. Many people are well-read in scriptures but lack real-world experience. Their words and actions are disconnected from society, and they create division locally. Such 'smart' people do not help the faith. Throughout history, we have never lacked scholars who only talk. We need well-rounded, excellent people to strengthen our ability to take root and thrive in a foreign land.



After the sharing session, we went to the second floor to eat. Everyone brought food they prepared themselves, sharing their favorite hometown dishes. Those who did not have a specialty just contributed money.





For Hui Muslims, a holiday is not complete without fried dough (youxiang). This youxiang looks like the Henan style. There are many Henan friends (dost) in the community, so much so that before I came here, people told me there was a Henan Hui neighborhood in Canada. In reality, it is not just Henan people here. There are people from Beijing, Inner Mongolia, the Northwest, and Uyghurs.



The lamb soup (yangrou tang) and chive pockets (jiucai hezi) both have a Henan flair. They smelled delicious and were very good.



Some non-Chinese brothers also attended the event. They met Chinese Muslims through marriage.



As is the custom, Eid al-Adha (Qurban) ended in the morning. In the afternoon, Vice President Davei ZHU drove me to Toronto's most famous attraction, Niagara Falls, which often appears on the National Geographic channel.



Rainbow Bridge

Rainbow Bridge connects Canada and the United States and was built by both countries. Driving across this bridge takes you to New York State in the U.S. Canadian citizens do not need a visa to enter the U.S., and the process is very simple, so many Canadians choose to work in the U.S.



Niagara Falls spans both the U.S. and Canada, but the main view is on the Canadian side. You cannot see the full picture if you stand on the American side.



It took us over two hours to drive there, and we even hit traffic on the way. I chatted a lot with Vice President ZHU. His whole family has lived in Canada for over twenty years. As overseas Chinese, their longing for their hometown grows deeper with age.





When the weather is good, you can see a double rainbow at the waterfall.



There is no admission fee for natural scenery like the waterfall, but you have to pay if you want to take a boat for a close-up tour or ride the zipline.





A group of Muslims were having a picnic on the grass. The proportion of Muslims in Canada is very high, and you can see young women wearing beautiful headscarves everywhere on the street. However, Vice President ZHU warned me not to walk barefoot on the grass. He said that the number of drug addicts in Canada has increased over the years, and some of them carelessly throw used needles into the grass.



There are many halal restaurants around the waterfall, and there is a whole street full of halal food. We stumbled upon this Indian buffet restaurant by chance.



The buffet is 21 Canadian dollars per person. The selection is quite complete, and this price is actually not expensive. Even in Beijing, a similar Indian-Pakistani buffet would cost 98 yuan.



Indian-Pakistani cuisine is like Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles (Lanzhou lamian) in the eyes of Westerners; it is convenient, delicious, affordable, and accepted by people from all countries.



Near the big Ferris wheel is this halal food street. You do not have to worry about finding halal food in Canada at all; it is everywhere. However, halal food in North America mainly falls into three categories: Arab, Turkish, and Indo-Pakistani, and most of it is fast food or snacks.



This place serves Moroccan-style food.



After saying goodbye to President Zhu, I left Toronto the next day. On the way to the airport, I saw this mosque converted from a church. Many places of worship in the city are usually locked, and this one was not open.



It is very common to see young women wearing headscarves in public. The streets of Canada are very diverse with people of all races. I even saw many women wearing headscarves working as customs and airport staff.



On the way back, the president told me a story about someone he knew. When he first arrived in Canada, he lived with an international student from Beijing, and they later became good friends. This roommate was introverted, quiet, and grew up in a military compound, but he had a tense relationship with his family. After coming to Canada, he almost never contacted his family. He had a very small social circle and showed signs of depression. Later, they moved to different cities for work. They kept in touch occasionally but never met again. A few years ago, the president received a call from the Canadian police. The police said his friend was found dead in his car in a parking lot. They ruled out foul play, and it was likely an overdose. The only emergency contact number the friend had left was the president's, with no other family contact information.

Because the president was not a relative, the police could not provide more information. Later, the police buried him in a public cemetery as an unclaimed body. The president only knew his name was Zhang Qiang, he was from Beijing, and he was about 50 years old when he died. He was single, had no wife or children, and there was not even a single photo of him. He died alone in a foreign land, and his family still does not know where he is.

The president hoped I could find out about this person in Beijing, but there is too little useful information. I also feel that since his family does not know he has passed away, it might be better if they never find out. That way, his family can still hold onto the hope that he is alive somewhere in the world. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps issue 42 of the series, covering Huangcun West Street mosque-area food, bone broth rice noodles, malatang skewers, spicy soup, Indian food, Barbecue Li, farmhouse dishes, Hong Kong-style dim sum, Hui Muslim soup, and potstickers.

Beijing Halal Food Map (Issue 42) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I started updating my Xiaohongshu account with the same name this year. I found that Xiaohongshu gets much more attention than Weibo. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.



Yahya's Xiaohongshu

I started updating my Xiaohongshu account with the same name this year. I found that Xiaohongshu gets much more attention than Weibo. Just posting a few photos and text there brings in a lot of traffic. The audience on Xiaohongshu matches my insurance client profile perfectly: well-educated women around 30 years old living in first-tier cities. One big reason I like dealing with highly educated people is that communication is smooth. I just tell them the name of a restaurant, and they know where to find it without me needing to give the address.

However, with the traffic comes a lot of 'smart alecks.' These people are much milder than the anti-Muslim trolls on Weibo 10 years ago. I have been through so much that I don't even have the desire to reply to their strange comments. One thing is for sure: online trolls are all cowards and losers in real life. We should stay away from fools, give up the urge to help them, and respect everyone's own path. Don't try to change anyone. Everyone will get what they deserve for their words and actions.

The halal restaurants I visited for the first time in this issue are as follows:

1. Ding's Bone Broth Rice Noodles (Dingji Gutang Mixian)

2. Spicy Hot Pot Skewers (Malatang Chuanchuan)

3. Zhang Dahui Spicy Soup and Braised Noodles (Zhang Dahui Hulatang · Huimian)

4. Ganges Legend Indian Restaurant (Henghe Chuanqi · Yindu Canting)

5. Barbecue Li (Kaorou Li)

6. Ya'er Li's Farmhouse Courtyard (Ya'er Liji · Nongjiayuan)

7. Taihe Building (Taihelou)

8. Sanliujiuwan Hong Kong-style dim sum

9. Hui Muslims slow-cooked soup restaurant

10. Xiaoyao Old Yang Family spicy soup (hulatang)

11. Zhang's pan-fried dumplings (guotie)

1. Ding's Bone Broth Rice Noodles (Dingji Gutang Mixian)



This rice noodle shop is at the entrance of the mosque on Huangcun West Street. It is run by locals. You can choose between spicy or bone broth flavors. They are on Meituan for delivery. The rice noodles are thick and come with many toppings. Add a little sesame oil for a great aroma.



2. Spicy Hot Pot Skewers (Malatang Chuanchuan)



Located next to the mosque on Huangcun West Street, right by the bone broth rice noodle shop. This was my first time eating this kind of skewer hot pot (chuanchuan). When you walk in, grab a bowl, mix your dipping sauce, and find a seat. Pick whatever you want to eat. When you finish, they count the sticks to calculate the bill. Each stick is one yuan. This place and the fried skewer shop next door are the same business.











The fried skewers and the spicy hot pot skewers are the same business and are right next to each other.

3. Zhang Dahui spicy soup (hulatang)



The newly opened Zhang Dahui spicy soup shop in Baijiazhuang, Sanlitun, is open until midnight. It features the flavor of Xiaoyao Town and is not as spicy as Fang Zhongshan. Besides spicy soup, they also serve braised noodles (huimian). They serve spicy soup during the day and braised noodles at night.











fried dough fritters (youmotou)



pan-fried buns (shuijianbao)



beef pockets (niurouhe)



spicy pepper soup (hulatang)

If you want authentic Xiaoyao Town-style spicy pepper soup (hulatang) in Beijing, I think the version at Yuziwei in Huilongguan is the best.

4. Ganges Legend Indian Restaurant



This restaurant is on the basement level of The Place. The highlight is the lunch buffet, which costs 68 per person.





It is not true that you do not have to wait. Many people come for the lunch buffet, mostly Indian customers, so you need to queue. The food tastes quite good and offers great value for money.









5. Barbecue Li (Kaorou Li)



This restaurant blends Beijing-style griddle barbecue (zhizi kaorou) with Korean barbecue, and the owner is a local Beijinger.



It has been open for three years and has a good reputation in Fangshan. The service is attentive, and the staff honestly tell you which signature dishes are popular and which ones are just average.



Their lamb is worth recommending, but the beef is quite ordinary.







Grilled large slices of meat paired with cold noodles is the Korean-style way to eat, and servers help you grill it.



Meat cut into small strips, marinated in advance, and sprinkled with cilantro is how you make griddle-grilled meat (zhizi kaorou).



Pickled cucumber strips and spicy cabbage (labaicai) are also recommended side dishes, though I don't really eat pickled foods.



The restaurant is in Changyang, Fangshan, which is a bit out of the way, and the average cost per person is around 120 yuan.

6. Ya'er Liji Halal Farmhouse



This is a newly opened farmhouse restaurant by Ya'er Liji in Huairou. The place is quite spacious, with its own vegetable garden and chickens, ducks, and geese raised in the backyard.











The vegetables served in the restaurant are grown in the garden and taste very good.



Main meals include lamb spine hot pot (yangxiezi huoguo), hot pot meat (shuanrou), and several farmhouse dishes. The menu is not very extensive, and they also have charcoal-grilled skewers.







The grill for the skewers is set up in the courtyard, so they are grilled fresh when you order. The servers in the courtyard are all trusted staff of the owner who have followed him from Dezhou to Beijing for over twenty years.



The small courtyard offers accommodation with standard rooms and heated brick beds (huokang), all for 500 yuan a day, including a halal breakfast. The phone number is on Dazhong Dianping.









His backyard connects to a team-building activity area, and Fahim had so much fun there he didn't want to go home.





7. Taihe Building (Taihelou)



A roast duck restaurant recently opened near Guanzhuang that serves caviar roast duck and various seafood.













The roast duck is standard, but the restaurant has a nice atmosphere and plenty of parking spaces at the entrance.



8. Sanliujiuwan Hong Kong-style dim sum



I previously introduced the Hong Kong-style beef offal pot (niuzabao) at Sanliujiu Wan. I heard they were planning to launch dim sum, but I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly. This is a big deal for the completeness of Beijing's halal food scene, so I gathered a group of kids to come and try the dim sum.



Claypot rice (baozai fan)

Claypot rice is also a new dish. It must be made to order and takes 25 minutes. They use Thai jasmine rice topped with beef sausage, and you can choose how many grams of sausage you want to add based on your preference.



The curry fish balls are very bouncy. The owner says he developed the recipe himself. He is a Hui Muslim from Shandong and the son of an imam.



Our group of 12 people ate through the new dim sum menu twice, and the cost was about 120 yuan per person.

























After eating this Hong Kong-style dim sum, you could say there are no gaps left in Beijing's halal food scene, as you can now find halal versions of all major cuisines in the city.

9. Hui Muslim Family Braised Soup House (Wei Tang Guan)



It is rare to find a halal restaurant that specializes in soup, but a new one just opened in Beijing that focuses on various nourishing chicken soups.



The owner is from Wuzhong, Ningxia, and he ships chickens from Ningxia to Beijing to make his broth. The shop is located inside the Shimingxuan Northwest Restaurant in Dongcheng District. They mainly handle takeout orders through Douyin, so you can search for the shop name on Meituan or Douyin to place an order for delivery.







The pot comes with your delivery to keep it fresh. The soup on top is chicken soup with premium ingredients like goji berries, ginseng, and monkey head mushrooms (houtougu). The pot below is pigeon soup. Both the pigeon and chicken are stewed until very tender, which shows they are cooked for a long time. It is a great choice for nourishing the elders in your family.



10. Xiaoyao Old Yang Family spicy soup (hulatang)



Old Yang's spicy soup (hulatang) feels quite authentic, and the environment inside is clean and spacious.



They are located in Wangjing and serve spicy soup all day, even at night. The spice level of their soup is between Zhang Dahui and Fang Zhongshan, which I think is just right.







I had a mix of spicy soup and tofu pudding (doufunao) this time, and the complimentary pickles were quite tasty.



The meat pies (rouhe) and flatbreads (luomo) were just okay, but I was quite satisfied with the spicy soup. I heard their pan-fried buns (shuijianbao) are also excellent.



11. Zhang's pan-fried dumplings (guotie)



This is a 12-year-old shop that specializes in various types of potstickers (guotie). I really liked them after trying them; one bite reminded me of the taste of potstickers I had in Niujie when I was a child. However, this Zhangji is run by locals from Tongzhou and is not the same as the Zhangji in Niujie.



I ordered one serving of beef and chive filling and one serving of lamb and green onion filling. The potstickers had thin, crispy skins and plenty of filling. The price is also very cheap, averaging 20 yuan per serving, which is enough to fill one person up. The only downside is that there are too many people smoking and drinking in this old Beijing-style restaurant, making the environment noisy, but everything else is great.



Next to Zhang's Potstickers (Zhangji Guotie) are two other halal shops. There are many halal restaurants in this part of Tongzhou.



Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Beijing halal food guide maps issue 41 of the series, covering Bollywood Story Indian Restaurant, pizza and pasta, electric grilled skewers, Yangfang hot pot, Xinjiang Saimimi, beef offal pot, Lanzhou feast, Indonesian food, Tianshui malatang, and halal snacks.

Beijing Halal Food Map (Issue 41) is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Many people have asked me why I didn't write about this. Why not write about that. The account keeps its focus on Beijing Halal Food, Muslim Travel, Middle Eastern Food while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Many people have asked me why I didn't write about this. Why not write about that? I never said I would list every halal restaurant in Beijing. If I didn't write about one, it's because I haven't eaten there, I forgot, or I didn't think the place was special enough. There are many Northwest-style and Beijing-style spots, and I don't want to write about places with repetitive flavors. In fact, I have definitely eaten at more than 309 halal restaurants in Beijing since I was a kid. I will make the list more complete when I release a new edition, but don't expect me to include every single one. You didn't even tip me, yet you demand so much for free.

Here is the list of halal restaurants for this guide:

1. Bollywood Story Indian Restaurant

2. Tomato Pizza and Pasta (Super Hopson branch)

3. Zhenren Yimen Electric Grilled Skewers (Super Hopson branch)

4. Yangfang Hot Pot (Super Hopson branch)

5. Xinjiang Saimimi Restaurant (Super Hopson branch)

6. Sanliujiu Wan Charcoal Beef Offal Pot

7. Mailiya Lanzhou Feast

8. Walishan Yinshe Indonesian Cultural Exchange Center Restaurant

9. Zhangchuan Spicy Hot Pot (malatang)

10. Qingxiangbao

1. Bollywood Story Indian Restaurant



A new Bollywood-themed Indian restaurant just opened in the ground-floor shops of the Apple Community in Shuangjing. It is run by the same owners as the Dastan Indian Restaurant in Sanlitun. There is no halal sign in the shop, but the staff and the kitchen crew are all from South Asia. They promised me it is halal. It is actually easy to tell if an Indian restaurant is halal. First, check if the staff are of South Asian descent. If it is run by Hindus, it is likely a vegetarian restaurant, which is fine to eat at. If they have beef and lamb on the menu, it is almost certainly run by a Muslim friend (dosti).



The reason there is no sign is that the legal owner might not be from an ethnic minority, such as a Han Muslim owner, or the owner might be a foreigner. Regulations now forbid posting halal signs in restaurants without official approval, even if the sign is in Chinese characters. Do not be surprised; this is in line with international standards. It is the same in Malaysia, where you cannot post a halal sign without official government approval.



The Bollywood star posters hanging in the shop are all Indian Muslims.



Scan the QR code on the table to order. They have a very complete selection of Indian dishes.



Masala papad

This dish has a thin, crispy base topped with chopped salad. It is very crunchy and refreshing, a bit like eating a Mexican taco.



I always order the butter chicken curry, garlic naan bread, and cumin cilantro basmati rice when I eat Indian food.





The plain Indian yogurt (lassi) is very thick and sour. Drinking it after the curry helps cut the grease and balances the spicy taste in your mouth.



This is a type of Indian-style chewing gum. You grab a handful after a meal and chew it to freshen your breath. The food here is prepared with great care, and it is not expensive, costing less than 100 yuan per person.

2. Tomato Pizza & Pasta (The Hyper Hopson One store)



The newly opened Hyper Hopson One in Changping was packed with shoppers during the May Day holiday. A Tomato Pizza & Pasta opened on the B1 floor, and it is so busy that you have to wait in line during peak hours.



Some people used to argue with me about whether this place was halal, but now they have put up their halal certification, and this type of fast-food shop does not sell alcohol anyway.



Their specialties are pizza and pasta, which are both made on the spot, and the service is fast.



They have soda for 3.9 yuan a cup with free refills, which kids can really enjoy. Fahim especially loves their tomato pasta.



Another highlight is the low price. A pizza is only 20-something yuan and pasta is just over 10 yuan, but the quality of the ingredients is guaranteed.







3. Zhenren Yimen Electric Grilled Skewers (Super Hopson branch)



In the same block as Tomato Pizza & Pasta, there is another halal electric-grilled skewer stall. The owner is from the Zhao family of Hui Muslims in Sanlihe.



Besides skewers, they also have snacks like cheese and almond tofu (xingren doufu). I tried the almond tofu and it tasted good; it even comes with a small bag of rock sugar water to adjust the sweetness.



Their signature electric-grilled skewers also taste good. This stall is a great place to stop for a snack if you get tired while shopping.



4. Yangfang Hot Pot (Super Hopson branch)



There are four halal restaurants at Super Hopson. Yangfang Hot Pot (Yangfang Shuanrou) is the third one I am introducing, and you can see its location in the picture above.



Yangfang Victory Hot Pot has officially changed its name to Yangfang Hot Pot (Yangfang Shuanrou) and has become a local landmark.



One of their signature items is the live sunflower sprout (guazi miao). This hydroponic vegetable tastes very refreshing in hot pot. Just ask a server to come over and cut it for you when you are ready to eat to ensure it stays fresh.



The freshly fried chili oil is steaming hot and gives off a strong, spicy aroma.



As for the meat quality, I feel that most decent hot pot restaurants in Beijing today use good ingredients. The real difference lies in the dipping sauces and special services, and Yangfang Hot Pot stands out in this regard.



They really care about the service experience now, and it feels like they are trying to surpass Haidilao.







The grilled meat skewers were very tender. We ate four, but it wasn't enough, so we ordered four more.



The kids' meal we ordered for the baby looked very appetizing. After we finished eating, the restaurant manager gave us a set of children's tableware, so Fahim had something new to play with.



5. Xinjiang Saimimi Restaurant (Super Hopson branch)



This is the fourth halal restaurant in Super Hopson, and all the staff inside are Uyghurs. They have a restaurant area and a takeout window where you can buy naan bread (nang) and grilled skewers.



Restaurants run entirely by Uyghur staff usually serve great food.



I had their stir-fried meat with noodles (guoyou rou banmian) and rice pilaf (zhuafan). The flavors were fantastic, and the grilled meat skewers (kaorou) and baked buns (kaobaozi) were also authentically Xinjiang.







6. Sanliujiu Wan Charcoal Beef Offal Pot



This Hong Kong-style beef offal pot (niuzabao) shop near Puhuangyu has been open for over three years. It recently got a new Hui Muslim owner, so it switched to halal recipes. They plan to add Hong Kong-style dim sum soon, which will really round out the halal food scene in Beijing.







This place is very popular and you have to wait in line. The drink is their house-made duck-shit lemon tea, which tastes quite good. The other signature drink is their milk tea. This Cantonese-style milk tea is delicious.





The dipping sauce for the beef offal pot comes with young ginger and small lemons.



We ordered a chicken pot and a beef offal pot. The meat was tender and flavorful. It is truly delicious, so it is no wonder they are so busy.



7. Mailiya Lanzhou Feast



This shop is in Shijingshan and just opened recently. During the trial period, the hand-grabbed lamb (shouzhuayangrou) is half price.





We had their hand-grabbed lamb and roasted lamb leg. The meat quality was good, and it was prepared in the Dongxiang style, which is very fragrant.







This corn flatbread (yumibingzi) is genuinely delicious, soft, and tasty.

8. Walishan Yinshe Indonesian Cultural Exchange Center Restaurant



The Indonesian Cultural Exchange Center is located in the Langyuan Station complex in Chaoyang District. The owner is an Indonesian Chinese, and the Indonesian Ambassador to China attended the opening day. The restaurant is mid-to-high end, with two chefs from Indonesia and some ingredients imported from Indonesia.



You can also buy various Indonesian-style items here.









Indonesian sweet tea



Fried fish dumplings and fried tofu



Fish and shrimp skewers



Lamb stew



Grilled beef ribs



Bali street-style mixed rice



Dirty duck (bebek betutu)



Black glutinous rice porridge



Coffee



Grilled squid





Javanese-style fried chicken



Durian pancake

This restaurant makes very delicate dishes that taste great, and the service is good too. However, the portions are small and the prices are high. The six of us ordered everything on the menu, and it cost about 200 yuan per person.

9. Zhangchuan Spicy Hot Pot (malatang)



Zhangchuan is Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County, which is under the jurisdiction of Tianshui City, Gansu. The recently very popular Tianshui spicy hot pot (malatang) is not far from Zhangjiachuan.







Spicy hot pot in Gansu uses chili oil, but it is different from Tianshui spicy hot pot. If you want to eat authentic Tianshui spicy hot pot, you can come to Silk Road Yilan on Niu Street.



Tianshui spicy hot pot

This picture shows the Tianshui spicy hot pot at Silk Road Yilan. Tianshui spicy hot pot is served dry without soup, and the chili is fragrant rather than spicy.

10. Qingxiangbao



Near Xiajia Hutong in Fengtai District, there is a takeout stall selling burgers and fried chicken. The prices are very cheap, with a burger costing only 8 yuan. The burgers are made on the spot and taste good. Next to it is a halal Jiujiu Duck window.





The street-facing window of Tanguojü is the halal Jiujiu Duck. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim knowledge guide explains the Hanafi debate on eating shrimp, views from the four Sunni schools, classical scholar opinions, South Asian and Turkish practice, the broader halal seafood principle, and how Islamic food rulings affect daily Muslim life.

What Is the Hanafi School's View on Eating Shrimp? is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: About a dozen years ago, when I posted photos of myself eating seafood on social media, some people would leave comments asking if the shrimp in the meal was halal. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

About a dozen years ago, when I posted photos of myself eating seafood on social media, some people would leave comments asking if the shrimp in the meal was halal. The people questioning me claimed that the Hanafi school of law forbids eating shrimp and crab. As someone who is self-taught and never attended a formal school, I believe in learning from all sources and taking the best from everyone. I do not blindly follow one specific school of thought, so using the Hanafi label to pressure me does not convince me. However, I was curious about how the Hanafi school explains the issue of shrimp, so I looked up some information and found that the matter is not simple.

In fact, regarding whether shrimp can be eaten, three of the four major schools of Islamic law clearly state that shrimp is permissible. Only some Hanafi scholars classify shrimp as forbidden. Note that I am referring to some Hanafi scholars, not all of them.

The Hanafi school holds that among water animals, only fish are permissible to eat, and all others are not. This view includes animals from the ocean and is a consensus within the Hanafi school with no disagreement.

However, within the Hanafi school, there is a difference of opinion on whether shrimp can be eaten. One group of Hanafi scholars believes that all sea animals are fish, and therefore shrimp are fish. This is also the view of the Shafi'i school. Scholars who hold this view include Hadhrat Maulana Zafar Ahmad Uthmaani.

Scholars who support eating shrimp believe that the definition of 'fish' should not be based on biological classification or dictionary definitions, as these change over time. Instead, it should be based on how ancient Arabs understood 'fish,' and ancient Arabs often grouped shrimp and fish together.

The Hanafi jurist Ibn Abidin said that only seafood that the Arabs considered 'fish' is permitted for consumption. Scholars who hold this view also include Radd al-Muhtar. Other scholars include Ibn al-Humam and Al-Marghinani, authors of Fath al-Qadir 'ala al-Hidayah.

Some Hanafi scholars also take into account the views of the other three schools—Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali—which all permit eating shrimp, and therefore argue that the Hanafi school should be lenient in its ruling.

According to Allama Damiri, shrimp are fish. Based on this, Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi issued a ruling that shrimp is halal (Imdaadul Fataawa, Volume 3, Page 50). This is also the ruling of Mawlana ‘Abdul Hay Laknawi, Mufti ‘Abdul Rahim Lajpuri, and others.

On the other hand, Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah be pleased with him) did not consider shrimp to be fish, so he did not permit eating them. (Fataawa Rashidiyya, Volume 2, Page 122). Mawlana Khalil Ahmed Saharanpuri Rahmatullahi 'Alaihi held the same opinion. (Tazkiratul Khaleel, Page 200).

At the start of this article, I mentioned that over ten years ago, there were occasional online comments questioning seafood like shrimp. These have basically disappeared over the years. I think this has a lot to do with people's improved knowledge and the fact that the information we can access is becoming richer. In South Asia, where the Hanafi school is dominant, eating shrimp has always been very common. However, it is forbidden in Turkey, which is also Hanafi. This shows that it is not true, as some of us claim, that all Hanafi followers cannot eat shrimp.

Actually, deciding whether a food is permissible is not a complicated issue. According to the general principle, only foods explicitly mentioned as forbidden in the scriptures are off-limits; everything else is allowed. For details, see the list of non-halal foods mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.

It is easy for a scholar to label a food as illegal; they just have to say the word. But this creates unnecessary difficulties for everyone. Just imagine if a scholar who forbids eating shrimp and crab appeared in a Southeast Asian island nation—how would the local fishermen make a living? Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide to Mecca explains Saudi e-visa basics, ihram rules, routes from Jeddah and Madinah, hotels near Masjid al-Haram, namaz logistics, pilgrimage routes, Makkah landmarks, Jabal al-Nour, Jeddah Airport food, and practical Umrah notes.

Map of Mecca is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: My article was deleted for no reason, so I am reposting it after some edits. The account keeps its focus on Mosque Travel, Islamic Heritage, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

My article was deleted for no reason, so I am reposting it after some edits.

Friendly reminder: please follow local laws and regulations. Do not do anything against the rules, or you will be responsible for the consequences.

You can apply for a Saudi tourist visa online at this website.

The Saudi tourist e-visa is approved instantly. Once you pay, you get the visa. It costs 488 Saudi Riyals, which is about 930 RMB. It is valid for one year, allows multiple entries, and you can stay for up to 90 days each time.

Before you leave, it is best to prepare a credit card with a chip. You can use it abroad just like mobile payments by tapping it on the merchant's POS machine. Many merchants cannot accept cards that only have a magnetic stripe.

Before heading to Makkah, you need to plan where you will enter the sacred boundary. If you enter Makkah from Jeddah, you must enter the state of ihram before your plane lands in Jeddah, because Jeddah is over 70 kilometers from Makkah and is already past the boundary. If you enter Makkah from Madinah (which also has an airport), you can enter ihram anywhere in Madinah. Madinah is over 400 kilometers from Makkah, so you can enter ihram at your accommodation in Madinah and then take the light rail to Makkah.

Men must wear ihram garments, which are two pieces of white cloth wrapped around the upper and lower body. Do not wear anything underneath. Like a newborn, you wrap your body in the cloth. You can use a belt to keep the garments from slipping. We bought our ihram garments in Madinah. They are sold everywhere on the street, and prices range from 30 to 70 Riyals. If you fly directly from China to Jeddah and then go to Makkah, you need to buy your ihram garments in China. You must change into them at least 30 minutes before the plane lands, or you will have to sacrifice an animal as a penalty for entering the sacred boundary.

We chose to stay at the Hilton, which is a 400-meter walk from the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). Our room had a view of the mosque. In December, hotel rooms with views near the Sacred Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi) in Madinah cost over 2,000 RMB per night. The Sacred Mosque is unimaginably large. If you walk back and forth between your hotel and the mosque for every namaz, you will walk at least 10 kilometers a day.



Uber does not work well around the Sacred Mosque because the area is a no-parking zone and drivers cannot accept requests. During prayer times, roads leading to the mosque are closed to traffic. This is why I recommend staying as close to the mosque as possible; older people really cannot handle walking 10 kilometers every day.



It is standard for hotel rooms in Arab countries to have a marker showing the direction of the Kaaba. The Hilton in Mecca goes further by installing speakers in the rooms. You can hear the call to prayer (adhan) for every namaz at the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) clearly from inside. No guests complain about the noise here because only Muslims are allowed to enter Mecca.





The hotel uses agarwood (oud). Arab people really love using incense.



There is a tunnel on the basement level of the hotel that leads directly to the Sacred Mosque, passing by a Quran exhibition hosted by the Hilton.











Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram)





You cannot see the Kaaba from the first floor of the Sacred Mosque, but there are lines marked on the floor. You can just follow these lines to face the right direction for namaz.



Praying at the Sacred Mosque is different from other mosques. You are allowed to walk in front of people who are praying because the rows of worshippers form circles. If you do not walk in front of them, you would have no way to get through.





Wearing the pilgrim garment (ihram), I entered through the main gate of the Sacred Mosque and followed the crowd inside. Near the entrance to the Kaaba, guards stand watch. Only men wearing the ihram can walk into the Kaaba area, and women are not allowed to cover their faces.



In other mosques, it is encouraged to perform two rak'ahs of prayer as a greeting (tahiyat al-masjid) as a sunnah. It is different at the Sacred Mosque; the way to greet the mosque upon arrival is to perform the circumambulation (tawaf) of the Kaaba, not to pray.



Starting from the corner of the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) on the Kaaba, men must uncover their right shoulder and circle the Kaaba seven times. I pushed a stroller with Fahim and completed the seven laps. Some people push to the very front to kiss the Black Stone. This is a sunnah, but nothing more, and there is no extra reward for it. It is also very dangerous when it is crowded, so there is no problem if you do not do it. I saw people inside the circle clinging to the wall of the Kaaba, refusing to leave just to fight for the Black Stone, which is truly unseemly.



Even in December, the daytime temperature in Mecca reaches 30 degrees Celsius. The sun is strong, and walking barefoot to circle the Kaaba takes physical strength. It is a real test for older people, so it is better for young people to go as early as possible.





Men and women can perform the circumambulation together. There were even babies younger than Fahim in the crowd.



Station of Ibrahim (Maqam Ibrahim)

After praying two rak'ahs near the Station of Ibrahim, the ritual of circling the Kaaba is complete.



The area behind the station is spacious, so avoid praying in the middle of the crowd to keep from being stepped on.



Fahim watched cartoons in his stroller while circling the Kaaba, a unique sight that drew envious looks from many fellow believers (dosti).



After leaving the Kaaba, follow the crowd to find the Safa entrance. You must walk between Safa and Marwa seven times to follow the story of Hajar, the wife of Ibrahim, who searched for water for her son Ismail. This is how the Zamzam well was discovered.



The walk between the two hills covers about 700 meters. Saudi Arabia has built a large, air-conditioned hall between them, so pilgrims (hajjis) no longer have to worry about the wind or sun, making it easier to complete this duty.



Mount Safa



Walking from Safa to Marwa counts as one trip, and returning from Marwa to Safa counts as the second. You do this seven times. Volunteers provide wheelchairs for those with mobility issues. Men should jog in the area marked by green lights to follow the Sunnah.





Marwa



After leaving Marwa, use scissors or another tool you brought to cut a portion of your hair to signify the end of your state of ihram. You can also find someone at the entrance to shave your head. The entire process takes about two hours. If you booked through the Nusuk app, you will receive a certificate on the app now, but you can still go even if you did not book.



Hajj Certificate

I felt much lighter after finishing the duties, so we made the intention to go visit the historical sites of Mecca. Mecca has fewer historical sites than Medina. You can see them all in half a day, starting from the dawn prayer (fajr) and finishing by the afternoon prayer (asr).

Mount Thawr (Sha'er Shan)



Mount Thawr (Sha'er Shan)

The mountain in the distance is Mount Thawr, located 4 kilometers from the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). There is a cave on the mountain that only fits one person. The Prophet Muhammad once took refuge here. It takes an hour and a half to climb up to the cave.

Arafat



Arafat

Arafat is 22 kilometers from the Sacred Mosque. The name means 'to recognize,' as it is where the first humans, Adam and Eve (Hawa), recognized each other. It is also where the Archangel Gabriel (Jibril) taught the Prophet Ibrahim the rituals of Hajj. Arafat covers a large area of plains and hills. Staying at Arafat is one of the essential rituals of the Hajj.



Namirah Mosque

This mosque is located east of the foot of Mount Namirah in Arafat. The Prophet once stayed in a tent on Mount Namirah on the Day of Arafat. This mosque is not considered an ancient site and is usually closed, but you can pray two units of prayer (rak'ahs) at the entrance.



The site of Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice



Sacrifice pavilion (zaishengting)

Located on a hill near Mina and close to the Jamarat, this site is fenced off and inaccessible. It is the place where the story of Eid al-Adha took place, where the Prophet Ibrahim offered his son to Allah, and Allah replaced him with a sheep.

Mina



Mina tents

Along the way, you can see large areas of tent camps. These are high-end tents equipped with air conditioning and hotel-like facilities. They are only open during Hajj, as the tents are just a symbolic form.

Jamarat



Jamarat

Take the small pebbles you collected on the plains of Arafat and throw them at the Jamarat. Stoning here is also a symbolic act; you can just toss them easily.

Cave of Hira



Cave of Hira

Located northeast of the Masjid al-Haram, it is also called Jabal al-Nour. There is a cave at the top of the mountain. Before the Prophet Muhammad became a prophet, he often climbed up to this cave alone to meditate. It was in this cave that the Prophet received the first revelation from the Archangel. It takes about an hour to walk up the mountain. The summit is crowded and can be dangerous, so you might choose not to go.

Mosque of the Jinn



Mosque of the Jinn

Jinn Mosque (Masjid al-Jinn) is east of the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram), next to the Ma'la Cemetery and beside a pedestrian bridge. This is where a group of jinn pledged their loyalty to the Prophet. It is usually closed except during prayer times. Across from Jinn Mosque is Tree Mosque (Masjid al-Shajarah). The Prophet once called out to a tree here, and it came to him. He asked it a few questions and told it to return to its place. People later built a mosque here. Jinn Mosque and Tree Mosque look exactly the same.





Aisha Mosque (Masjid Aisha).



Located 7.5 kilometers north of the Sacred Mosque, this is the closest boundary of the sacred area. Aisha entered into the state of ihram here during the Farewell Pilgrimage in the 9th year of the Hijri calendar. At that time, the Prophet's wife Aisha could not perform the circumambulation of the Kaaba due to her period. She completed all other pilgrimage rites. After her period ended, the Prophet asked her brother to accompany her to this place to enter ihram, and she later circumambulated the Kaaba.



Many pilgrims (hajjis) specifically choose to enter ihram here. The mosque can hold 150,000 people for namaz.







This covers the main historical sites in Mecca. Like in Medina, many places mentioned in books look completely different today. The main task for people coming to Mecca is to pray in the Sacred Mosque. One prayer there is worth 100,000 prayers elsewhere, so these renovated historical sites do not attract much interest.

Hilton breakfast restaurant.



We mostly ate our three meals at the hotel. The hotel restaurant has good food and a comfortable environment. It does not distinguish between family rooms, the price does not change with the room rate, and it offers great value.











This Hilton sandwich costs only about 30 yuan. We ate it almost every day. We got to know the server, and he even brought us juice. Once you arrive in the sacred land, you realize that besides going to the mosque for namaz, you do not want to go anywhere else to wander around.

Hilton Lebanese restaurant.



We ate at the Hilton's Lebanese restaurant. During our 18 days in the Middle East, we mostly ate Arabic food. We adapted well to this diet, and Lebanese food is the best among Arabic cuisines.

















I only ate out twice. One time was for this camel pilaf (zhuafan). I had it in Medina and thought it was delicious, so my friend (dosti) insisted on having it again. Most restaurants in Mecca are in the city center, more than 10 kilometers away from the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). The city center is where the locals live and where many wealthy Saudis gather.



Dining in a family room is a unique experience. You can sit anywhere in these restaurants, and no one checks if you are actually a family.



Eating kunafa dessert in this type of restaurant tastes better than anywhere else.



This portion of camel pilaf is only one-quarter of the full size, yet it was enough for 8 people and we still couldn't finish it.





The national dish of Saudi Arabia is mandi pilaf. We asked a local friend to recommend this place; it is spacious and you do not need a reservation.





Our friend specifically insisted we try their kunafa dessert, saying you cannot find it anywhere else. After tasting it, we all agreed it was delicious.



You can find kunafa in Syrian restaurants in Beijing, but those versions are modified. In reality, there are many different flavors.



Mandi pilaf comes in a huge platter filled with rich ingredients, and the lamb is cooked until it is soft and tender.



A signature Arab salad is called tabbouleh salad (tabouli), made with chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat.



For the Arab-style grilled lamb, the meat here does not have a strong gamey smell. It is usually served with charred tomatoes and french fries. The tomatoes are intentionally charred to bring out their unique aroma.



One night at the Sacred Mosque, after we finished our night prayer (Isha), we planned to walk around the outside of the mosque. When we reached the new section, staff directed us into a line, which turned out to be a queue to receive a Quran.



This is an original Arabic version, and the stamp inside reads 'Property of Allah.' This is the third Quran I have received; the Hilton hotel is also giving them away to guests for free.



Property of Allah.



The view of the Kaaba from the second floor of the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram). After dark, the number of pilgrims (haji) circling the Kaaba surges. In Mecca and Medina, haji is the common term used between strangers.



People of various sects pray in the Sacred Mosque. An Iranian Shia believer once stood next to me; he did not fold his arms during prayer but kept them hanging at his sides. I also saw Uzbeks making dua with their hands pressed together like Buddhists. I greeted all of them.



The television programs are no different from those in our country; you can see the same shows in Mecca that you see abroad. People smoking are everywhere on the streets. Even in Mecca, smoking is not banned, and Arabs actually have quite a strong nicotine habit.



Jeddah Floating Mosque.

On your way back to Beijing from Jeddah, you can stop by the Jeddah Floating Mosque. It is a mosque built on the Red Sea with a very beautiful exterior.









This coastline gets very lively at night. During the day, the weather is hot and businesses are closed.





I ate at a very famous local fast-food place in a Jeddah shopping mall. It is like the Saudi version of KFC, but I felt it did not taste as good as Burger King.



I saw Cantonese food in the mall. I thought it was Cantonese cuisine, but it was actually just rice and stir-fried dishes. I usually do not eat Chinese food when I go abroad. I feel that since I traveled so far, I should eat things I cannot get back home. Besides, Chinese food abroad is not authentic, and if it tastes bad, I feel like I wasted my money.



Restaurants in Saudi Arabia do not display halal signs because everything is halal. It is not easy to find non-halal food. This is why some Arabs, when they first come to China, walk into any restaurant to eat. In the environment where they grew up, there are no non-halal restaurants, so they have no awareness of needing to specifically look for a halal shop.





A MADO shop in the mall. MADO is a famous Turkish ice cream and dessert shop that is very popular in Saudi Arabia. In China, there is only one store in Guangzhou.





Fast food at Jeddah Airport.



The Hijaz fast-food restaurant in the post-security commercial area of Jeddah Airport is excellent. I had a chive and egg pie (jiucai jidan xianbing) and it wasn't enough, so I ordered another cheese and egg with flatbread (kaobing).



The flatbread is baked fresh. It is very soft, like naan, but even softer. It smells great, and I highly recommend it to anyone transferring at Jeddah Airport.



Jeddah is only 70 kilometers from Mecca. In Jeddah, you can see girls without headscarves everywhere, and even girls with bare legs, though I felt it was inappropriate to take photos.



The prayer room at Jeddah Airport has no full-time imam. Travelers organize themselves and choose someone to lead the namaz. In Saudi Arabia, prayer rooms are standard, just like public restrooms, and they are everywhere.



The multimedia system on Saudi Arabian Airlines has many religious programs.



There are dedicated prayer areas in the back and middle of the cabin. In terms of supporting services, they are ahead of other Arab countries.

This trip to Mecca is coming to an end. Rationally speaking, completing the pilgrimage is an obligation, but emotionally, the experience was not pleasant. The commercial atmosphere in the holy city is too strong, and it lacks a sense of holiness. Following the principle of not spreading bad news, I will not go into detail about some of what I saw and heard. But Allah sees what people do. All of this was described in the prophecies of the Prophet. Everyone will receive their due reward in the afterlife, so let us wait and see. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim travel guide explains how the author applied for a Canadian tourist visa without an agency, including GCKey, the IRCC portal, U.S. visa simplified processing, fingerprints, passport submission, visa center details, costs, timelines, and Canada halal trip planning.

A Step-by-step Guide to Applying for a Canadian Visa on Your Own is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I always handle my own visa applications when traveling abroad and never use an agency. The account keeps its focus on Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

I always handle my own visa applications when traveling abroad and never use an agency. The most complicated visa I had done before was the U.S. visa, but applying for a Canadian visa this time felt even more complex. Even though I used the simplified channel for U.S. visa holders, there were still many details I could not find information for online. I am writing this guide to the application process to help others who might be just as confused.

There are two channels for Canadian tourist visa applications:

One is GCKey.

The website is https://clegc-gckey.gc.ca. This channel requires a VPN and cannot be accessed from mainland China. It also requires filling out a lot of information and answering many questions. Its advantage is that it allows uploading larger files, but after trying it, I found it too complicated and switched to the other one.

The IRCC portal.

The website is https://portal-portail.apps.ci... %3Den

This application channel can be opened directly in mainland China. It is a new, simplified application channel developed by the Canadian immigration authorities, and the process requires much less work. The downside is that uploaded files are limited to 2MB, but there are ways to overcome this, so I recommend using this for your application.

Because I have a 10-year valid U.S. visa, I could use the simplified Canadian visa process. This meant I only needed to submit my passport and a photo of my U.S. visa. Other documents like proof of finances, employment verification, travel itineraries, and photos were not required.

My U.S. visa is in my old passport. When submitting my documents, I needed to provide photos of the information pages from both my new and old passports, specifically the pages showing my U.S. visa and entry/exit records. I did not provide any other visa pages.

Even with the simplified process, it took nearly a month from the time I submitted my application on March 6 to receiving my passport with the visa on April 5. Canadian visa processing times are a mystery; I have seen some people online who still had not received theirs after more than half a year.

The process for getting a Canadian tourist visa mainly consists of three steps:

1. Fill out the application form online;

2. Go to the Canada Visa Application Centre to provide your fingerprints.

3. Get the visa sticker in your passport.

After you finish the application form, you will usually get a confirmation email that same day or the next. Then, pay the 185 Canadian dollar fee, which includes the fingerprinting cost. This is about 984 Chinese yuan and covers the entire cost of my visa. After paying, you can book your fingerprinting appointment online. Fingerprints are valid for 10 years. You do not need to provide them again if you apply for a Canadian visa within that 10-year period.

To provide fingerprints, you must log in to the VFS official website at https://www.vfsglobal.cn/.

This is a company officially authorized to handle visas for many countries. Note that the online booking link often fails to open or you might not receive the verification code. The easiest way is to call during business hours to book, or just refresh the page a few times. You can usually book a fingerprinting slot for a week later.



Canada Visa Application Centre in Beijing

The Canada Visa Application Centre in Beijing is located in basement level B1 of Tower C at Guanghua Road SOHO. You can enter through the west entrance or take the elevator down from Tower C.

You need to bring these paper documents for fingerprinting:

1. Original passport and a photocopy.

2. Canada Visa Application Centre consent form and terms of use.

3. Canada visa application center appointment letter;

4. Consent Form;

5. Biometric Instruction Letter.



The B1 basement level has windows for processing visas for various countries, and the Canada entrance is the most crowded.



If you do not have time to print your documents, you can print them at the entrance of the visa center, but it is very expensive. Printing one sheet of paper costs 5 yuan, and photocopying costs 1 yuan.

Line up at the entrance according to your appointment time, take a number, and go to the window to submit your materials, take photos, and provide fingerprints. The whole process takes about 30 minutes, and then you can go home and wait for the review results. If you find any errors in your personal information during this time, you can search for "webform" on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website. You can use the webform to correct personal information. If you find errors in your name, passport, or other details, you can fix them in the webform. You can also use the webform to submit additional documents, or even file an appeal after a visa refusal.



I finished my fingerprinting on March 13th, and on March 29th, I received an email saying my application was approved and I could submit my passport for the visa stamp.

You do not need an appointment to submit your passport; you can go directly to the visa center, but you must bring:

1. Original passport;

2. Photocopy of the passport information page;

3. Fingerprint collection receipt;

If you choose to mail it instead of submitting it in person, you need to pay the postage according to the instructions in the image below.



I live nearby and have a flexible schedule, so I chose to submit it myself to save the 96 yuan courier fee. I did not need to pay for SMS notifications because I received progress updates via email.



I had to take a number and wait to submit my passport. It took over an hour before it was my turn.



When submitting your own visa, check the visa center's holiday schedule. Canada's working hours do not always match our public holidays. For example, today is the Qingming Festival holiday, but they were open, which is how I got my passport today.



It takes about 3 to 4 days from submission to pickup. Once you receive the email shown below, you can head to the visa center to collect your passport.



To collect your passport, you need to bring:

1. Original ID card.

2. A copy of your passport (stamped by the visa center).

3. A printed copy of the PDF confirmation and receipt from your email.



I clearly remember picking up my passport at window number 1. I received the envelope shown in the picture, opened it to find my passport, and checked the visa information for errors in front of the staff.



The validity of a Canadian tourist visa matches the validity of your passport. The visa expires whenever your passport expires. My passport is new, so I received a 10-year visa.

Next, I need to plan my trip to Canada in June. If you know Canada well, please leave a comment with any halal-related information you have. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Muslim life guide from Beijing reflects on spending a fifth Ramadan at Mingya, shorter fasting days, Niujie Mosque iftar and Taraweeh, ethnic minority partners at work, MDRT goals, and balancing worship with professional life.

The Fifth Ramadan I Have Spent in Mingya is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: This year marks my fifth Ramadan at Mingya. It also happens to be the company's 19th anniversary, which we celebrated with a two-day event at the Beijing Hotel. The account keeps its focus on Mosque Travel, Islamic Heritage, Beijing while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

This year marks my fifth Ramadan at Mingya. It also happens to be the company's 19th anniversary, which we celebrated with a two-day event at the Beijing Hotel.



These past five Ramadans have been the easiest for me to observe. The weather plays a part, as Ramadan in Beijing is shifting toward winter, making the daylight fasting hours shorter each year. My work situation also helps; I haven't worked a standard office schedule for five years. I can manage my own time and pace during Ramadan, and Mingya has never interfered with my worship. This is one of the main reasons I chose to work here.



In recent years, open flames have been banned in historic buildings within the Second Ring Road, so the Niujie Mosque no longer serves full iftar meals, offering only light refreshments instead. Occasionally, we get iftar meal sets donated by nearby restaurants, but fewer people come to the mosque to break their fast now.



However, plenty of people still come for Taraweeh prayers. If I don't have any dinner plans, I usually break my fast and pray at the Niujie Mosque. I try to keep things simple and avoid overeating during Ramadan, though I still keep working.



Ramadan is also the best time for me to look back and review my work achievements from the past year.



Mingya's annual report this year was impressive as always. New policy premiums topped 10 billion, and total premiums exceeded 20 billion. We have maintained positive growth for 19 consecutive years, putting us far ahead of any other insurance brokerage in the country; you could say we have no rivals.



Mingya has a group of young, talented elites whose achievements set the gold standard for the insurance brokerage industry.



MDRT stands for Million Dollar Round Table, and I am honored to be one of the people behind these numbers.



This June, I will travel to Canada for the MDRT annual meeting to meet the best insurance professionals from around the world.



When our boss spoke about how Mingya has maintained growth since its founding in 2004, regardless of whether the market was booming or struggling, he said the company has the protection of "Allah." He said this because he is a devout Christian, and I have realized that Mingya's corporate culture is deeply tied to his personal character.



In this year's annual report, I noticed a new statistic on the percentage of ethnic minority partners. I think the company must have realized that more and more minority partners are joining us. Mingya has over 28,000 employees nationwide, and a 4.3% share means about 1,200 people, a ratio I believe is higher than most well-known domestic companies. Also, 77.7% of our staff are women, which proves we are a female-friendly company.



I also finished a big project this Ramadan. At the invitation of the Posts and Telecom Press, I wrote a book on insurance and financial planning. The manuscript is finished and going through the publishing process, and I expect it to be on the market in the second half of this year.



Writing a book was one of the goals I set last year to finish this year. I want to write a book about the insurance profession as a gift for my team members to help them quickly get started as professional consultants. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Malaysia mosque travel guide visits eight Kuala Lumpur-area mosques, including the Federal Territory Mosque, Tabung Haji Mosque, Selangor Royal Mosque, Blue Mosque, Pink Mosque, KLCC Mosque, Jamek Mosque, and National Mosque.

8 Beautiful Mosques in Kuala Lumpur is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Kuala Lumpur has many beautiful mosques that are great spots for tourists to take photos. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Mosque Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

Kuala Lumpur has many beautiful mosques that are great spots for tourists to take photos. These mosques are open to the public, and you can visit for free as long as you are dressed modestly. Some popular mosques even provide robes, headscarves, and guided tours. I did not think much of this when I first visited Kuala Lumpur, but after visiting mosques in Egypt where I was frequently charged entry fees, asked for tips, and even found mosques closed, I realized how lovely Malaysia is by comparison.

1. Federal Territory Mosque

(Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan)



Built next to the federal government buildings and completed in 2000, this was the 44th mosque funded by the government. It uses Ottoman-style architecture and can hold 17,000 people for namaz.





























2. Pilgrimage Fund Board Mosque (Tabung Haji Surau TH)



I discovered this mosque by chance next to the Pilgrimage Fund Board building. It is actually a prayer room, but it looks very delicate from the outside and even has a minaret, making it look like a miniature model of the Tabung Haji building next door, which was built in 1984.



Inside the entrance, there are two floors. The air conditioning is very strong, and some people were taking a nap in the main prayer hall.







3. Selangor Royal Mosque

(Masjid Tengku Ampuan Jemaah)



This is the second state mosque of Selangor. It was built in 2013 and named after the late Queen, Almarhumah Tengku Ampuan Jemaah, who was the second Queen of Malaysia.





























4. Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque

(Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah)



This is the Selangor State Mosque, the largest mosque in Malaysia. It was built in 1988 and is commonly known as the Blue Mosque.



The mosque's minaret stands 142.3 meters tall. It once held a Guinness World Record before being surpassed by the 210-meter minaret of the Hassan II Mosque in Morocco.



































5. Putra Mosque

(Masjid Putra)



Putra Mosque is commonly known as the Pink Mosque because its dome is made of rose-colored granite. Built in 1997, it can hold 15,000 people for namaz, which is about the same capacity as the National Mosque.







































6. Asy-Syakirin Mosque

(Masjid Asy-Syakirin KLCC)



Asy-Syakirin Mosque is also called the KLCC Mosque. It is the closest mosque to the Petronas Twin Towers and the one nearest to our home in Kuala Lumpur. It is only a 200-meter walk from Musa Lanzhou Beef Noodles, and I usually go there for namaz.

This mosque was built in 2009 and can hold 12,000 people for namaz. Asy-Syakirin means "the grateful people."





The mosque has an open plaza without walls. People often rest or sleep there, and no one bothers them.



7. Jamek Mosque

(Jamek Mosque)



Built in 1909, this was the first large mosque in Kuala Lumpur's history. It was designed by a British man named Arthur Benison. Part of the funding came from the British government, and the rest was donated by the Malay community. The building mixes Moorish and Indian Mughal styles. Before the National Mosque was built, this was the most important mosque in Kuala Lumpur. The word Jamek means a place for congregational prayer in Malay, and it sounds similar to the Arabic word.













8. National Mosque

(Masjid Negara)



The National Mosque was built in 1965 on the former site of the Brethren Gospel Hall, which the government bought in 1961. That church is now called the Imbi Chapel. The mosque was originally going to be named after Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, but he declined. It was named the National Mosque instead to celebrate Malaysia gaining independence from Britain without bloodshed.



From a distance, the main building of the National Mosque looks like an open umbrella. It was designed by a team of three: British architect Howard Ashley, and Malaysians Ikmal Hisham Albakri and Baharuddin Kassim.



Next to the National Mosque is the Heroes' Mausoleum (Makam Pahlawan), which is the burial site for several Malaysian Muslim leaders.











That covers the eight mosques in Kuala Lumpur. I have saved many other beautiful mosques on Google Maps, but it takes a lot of time to visit them all because they are far apart. Since I will be traveling to Kuala Lumpur often, I am not in a rush to see every single one. If you have the chance, you can rent a car. You can drive in Malaysia using a translated copy of your Chinese driver's license and go on a tour of Kuala Lumpur's mosques. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This Kuala Lumpur halal food guide introduces local Muslim dining, Musa Lanzhou Beef Noodles, Arabic barbecue, mamak food, MOZA, Nyonya flavors, street dining, Japanese, Korean, Thai options, and Cantonese-style dim sum.

A Guide to Halal Food in Kuala Lumpur is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: This is my third time visiting Malaysia. I spent a long time in Kuala Lumpur, totaling 15 days, plus three days on Redang Island and one day in Malacca. The account keeps its focus on Halal Travel, Yiwu Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.

This is my third time visiting Malaysia. I spent a long time in Kuala Lumpur, totaling 15 days, plus three days on Redang Island and one day in Malacca. I ate at 16 restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and tried 16 different flavors. The food in Kuala Lumpur is so rich, delicious, and affordable that my love for Malaysia has grown even more.

The list of Kuala Lumpur restaurants featured in this post is as follows:

1. Musa Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Musa Lanzhou niurou lamian)

2. HABIBI SURIA Arabic BBQ

3. SELERA AMPANG Indian Mamak stall

4. Islamic Arts Museum MOZA Restaurant

5. KENNY HILLS BISTRO Four Seasons Hotel Afternoon Tea

6. RasaNya Nyonya Restaurant

7. Tapak Urban Street Dining night market

8. DOZO Japanese Cuisine

9. Hong Kong Xuan Chuan Cantonese Restaurant

10. KUNG JUNG Korean BBQ

11. Absolute Thai restaurant

12. PEONY CANTON BOY Cantonese dim sum

13. DOLLY DIM SUM Cantonese dim sum

14. Taco Bell Mexican fast food

15. Din Tai Fung Taiwanese food

16. MAKAN Malaysian buffet

1. Musa Lanzhou Ramen



Musa Lanzhou Ramen is located on the ground floor of Wisma Central, right along the street. It is the first ramen shop my mother-in-law opened in Kuala Lumpur. The shop is right next to the Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC), so it is very easy to find. The restaurant is smoke-free and alcohol-free, and it is clean and hygienic.



I know many friends struggle with Southeast Asian food, so you can choose to come here for a bowl of ramen.



Besides ramen, they also serve mixed noodles, big plate chicken (dapanji), dumplings, and kebabs. The restaurant has been open for over a year and is doing great business, with most customers being Malay.



I have hosted many friends from Kuala Lumpur at the shop, and the most popular dishes are the ramen and the kebabs.



A fresh pot of big plate chicken (dapanji) with wide belt noodles (pidaimian) is also very satisfying, though Malay people prefer mixed noodles (banmian).



2. Habibi Suria



Next door to Musalan Beef Ramen is an Arab-owned grilled meat and pizza shop. Their signature grilled meat wrap (shawarma) isn't as good as their pizza, so when I've had too much ramen, I occasionally go there to order a pizza.





Their pizza is definitely much better than their shawarma. It is always freshly baked and very cheap.



3. SELERA AMPANG Indian Stall



This shop is on the ground floor at the front of the Wisma Central building, while the ramen shop is on the side. This is an Indian fast-food spot. We all like their flatbread wraps (roti). A wrap with a side of grilled chicken makes a great lunch for many office workers, and with a drink, it costs around 20 ringgit.



4. Islamic Arts Museum MOZA Restaurant



There is an Islamic Arts Museum next to the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. This is my second time visiting. My friend from Beijing had an event there, so we met up. After touring the museum, he recommended the MOZA restaurant inside.



The design of MOZA restaurant incorporates many Islamic historical elements. It is full of style and is the biggest highlight of the restaurant.



My friend told me that this museum is actually private and houses many precious Islamic artifacts.



The restaurant serves mostly Southeast Asian fusion food along with some Arab-style dishes. The prices are quite affordable, with an average cost of no more than 50 Malaysian ringgit, which is less than 80 Chinese yuan. If you visit the Islamic Arts Museum, remember to eat at the restaurant. The museum entrance fee is only 20 ringgit.









5. KENNY HILLS BISTRO Four Seasons Hotel breakfast and afternoon tea



My wife and sister-in-law brought me to this local trendy restaurant on the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. It has a Western style and is famous for its afternoon tea desserts. This shop is near our home in Kuala Lumpur, just a 5-minute walk from KLCC, and they have other chain locations too.



You can see many beautiful Malay ladies taking photos here. The desserts and coffee taste good, and they serve breakfast starting at 8:00 AM.







6. RasaNya Nyonya restaurant



This Nyonya restaurant is on the 8th floor of the Pavilion shopping center. Nyonya people are the descendants of mixed Malay and Chinese heritage, and they have a unique food culture. If you travel to Malaysia, you must try halal Nyonya food, as most Nyonya dishes are not halal. I once ate at one in Malacca, but this Kuala Lumpur location is more upscale and worth a try.



The restaurant's decor caught my eye; it has the elegant vibe of a Nanyang noblewoman.













The menu says Muslim Friendly, which means it is a pork-free restaurant. Some restaurants write Pork Free, which also means no pork. In Malaysia, as long as a restaurant has no pork, you can eat there because other meats like chicken, beef, and lamb are halal.



You might wonder why they don't just display a halal certification label. Applying for a Malaysian halal label involves a complicated process and high certification fees. Once certified, restaurants face regular and surprise inspections. Inspectors check that every ingredient has a halal certificate. Even additives without non-halal ingredients are not allowed if they lack certification. Businesses face penalties for non-compliance. That is why you will notice that most restaurants with official halal labels are large chains. Many small and medium-sized restaurants do not display the label and instead hang a dua in the shop. This does not stop Malay people from eating there. You can feel safe eating there if you see Malay people wearing headscarves dining in the shop.



This Nyonya restaurant serves Nanyang-style hot pot with very fresh ingredients, and the dipping sauce bowls come in different colors.







We chose a split pot with tomato broth and black truffle broth. I was surprised when we asked for a refill; the server brought two different pitchers to add broth separately instead of just adding water. It was very thoughtful.



Wagyu beef is expensive in Malaysia, and this was the most expensive meal I had in Kuala Lumpur, costing about 250 yuan per person.













The restaurant adds a 10% service charge. If you skip the hot pot and just order Nyonya cuisine (niangre cai), you won't actually spend that much. The rice and seasonings in the Nyonya cuisine are quite delicious.

7. Tapak Urban Street Dining night market



We stayed near KLCC, so our activities were mostly within a one-kilometer radius. You will notice that the restaurants I recommend are all near KLCC, including this night market. You can see the lit-up Petronas Twin Towers not far from the market.



This night market opens at 18:00. It is entirely halal and stays open until the early morning every day. There is even a live band performing, mostly singing Chinese pop songs.











I tried many snacks at this night market myself, and they were all delicious with no bad surprises. Just be sure to bring some small change, as some stalls do not accept Alipay.





What attracted me most was the fruit juice at the night market. I accidentally bought a cup of apple juice at this stall and it was incredibly good. Since then, I have wandered over here every few days to buy juice. In Malaysia, I love drinking juice the most because it is all freshly squeezed from real fruit with no artificial additives.

One day, while I was holding a cup of juice downstairs at KLCC, a Chinese girl stopped me to ask where I bought the drink.



I bought the fried rice shown in the picture below. Paired with the apple juice I bought earlier, this meal only cost 10 yuan.



8. DOZO Japanese Restaurant



Don't miss the halal Japanese food that is common in Malaysia but rare back home. Since Malaysia was once a Japanese colony, it was influenced by Japanese culture, and the Japanese food here is very close to the quality you find in Japan. The name of this shop means 'please come in' in Japanese. It has high ratings and reasonable prices.



You can eat a full range of famous Japanese dishes here, including grilled meat, sushi, sashimi, udon noodles, tempura, and more.







I have to praise the texture of this salmon sashimi; it is excellent. One bite and you know it is not rainbow trout.





I really love the drinks in Malaysia. This peach juice was buy-one-get-one-free, so both cups are mine.





9. Hong Kong Xuan Chuan Cantonese Restaurant



This Hong Kong Xuan restaurant is right across the street from where we are staying. I pass by every day and see it packed with people, mostly Malay locals.



This shop serves dim sum (zaocha) after 11:00 a.m. I do not know why it starts so late; maybe people in Kuala Lumpur are not used to waking up early. Where I live, the earliest you can get breakfast is after 8:00 a.m.



I must say the dim sum at Hong Kong Xuan tastes very authentic. Even the restaurant atmosphere feels like a Hong Kong tea house, and the staff look like traditional Cantonese people. Each dim sum dish only costs a few ringgit. The three of us spent about 100 ringgit for this meal. I have tried three dim sum places in Kuala Lumpur, and every one of them is better than the Hui Muslim restaurant in Guangzhou.















10. KUNG JUNG Korean BBQ



There is a Korean barbecue restaurant upstairs from Hong Kong Xuan that is incredibly busy. You need to book in advance, or you will have to wait in line. We are lucky to stay in this area. We just walk downstairs for 5 to 10 minutes to find all kinds of delicious restaurants.



The contact information and address are on the business card.



Malay people really like eating Korean barbecue. It seems like they are not very picky about what they eat.





The barbecue at this shop tastes great, but I didn't really like the cold noodles. Compared to barbecue back home, I still prefer eating in Beijing, where you get better value for your money. The average cost per person at this shop is over 150 yuan. If the price were a bit lower, I would feel it was a great deal.











11. Absolute Thai restaurant



I want to make up for the halal Thai food I can't get in Beijing while I'm in Kuala Lumpur. Thai food in Kuala Lumpur is basically all halal.



This refined Thai restaurant inside the TRX mall suits my taste perfectly. The pineapple fried rice and the seasoning of the desserts were also amazing.











12. PEONY CANTON BOY



One of my biggest joys in Kuala Lumpur is trying out different styles of morning tea (yum cha). I love eating a rich meal in the morning, which is something I can't enjoy in Beijing. This newly opened Canton Boy is an authentic Cantonese restaurant. Besides morning tea, they also serve main courses. We ate here twice, and I have to say the morning tea satisfied me more.



The shop is at the entrance on the first floor of the AK mall. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows and fresh decor are a delight to the eyes. Some staff are Chinese and can speak Chinese, and every server in the restaurant wears a headscarf, which means this is a halal restaurant.



Morning tea starts at 9:00, but that's a bit too late for me. I've already been up for 3 hours by then and am starving, but you don't see many people on the streets here at 9 o'clock.

















Besides morning tea, I also hosted my brother-in-law's family here. They are second-generation Pakistani immigrants from the UK. They didn't seem used to this Cantonese food; they preferred the mixed noodles at Musa Lanzhou Ramen.













13. DOLLY DIM SUM



There are so many choices for morning tea in Kuala Lumpur that you could eat something different every day. Nearly half the people here are Chinese, mostly with roots in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, so you can trust the quality of their morning tea. Dolly Dim Sum (Duo Li) is a chain restaurant. This location is on the fourth floor of KLCC, and you will need to wait in line during peak hours.



















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