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Summary: This travel note introduces Turpan Halal Travel Guide in May: Ancient Sites and Uyghur Food (Part 1). During the 2021 May Day holiday, I returned to Urumqi with Zaynab, and we used two of those days for a family road trip to Turpan to look around. It is useful for readers interested in Turpan Travel, Uyghur Food, Xinjiang Travel.

During the 2021 May Day holiday, I returned to Urumqi with Zaynab, and we used two of those days for a family road trip to Turpan to look around. This was my third time visiting Turpan, and I visited several historical sites I had not been to before.

We set off from Urumqi to Turpan in the morning, but we ran into a level-12 gale in the Thirty-Mile Wind Zone, causing all expressways and national highways to close. We took a provincial road as a detour instead, which actually allowed us to see scenery we couldn't see on the expressway: snow-capped mountains, meadows, and wilderness on the Tianshan Mountains.











We took a detour through Toksun County, which was the perfect opportunity to try authentic Toksun banmian (hand-pulled noodles). The most popular spot in Toksun County is this place called Lao Sihao; it was packed at mealtime, with locals as well as people who had come specifically from Turpan. Their specialty is black goat guoyourou banmian (hand-pulled noodles with oil-fried meat). Black goats are a local specialty that live on the cliffs of the Tianshan Mountains; they are much more expensive than regular lamb, but the taste and texture are truly different from regular lamb, and I think they are much more delicious.











Continuing from Toksun toward Turpan, we first arrived at Aydingkol Town, where there are two ancient mazar (shrines). The first is the Andijan Khoja Mazar, from the Qing Dynasty. Andijan is located in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan. The entire building is constructed of raw mud bricks, with the outer walls plastered with mud and straw. In the past, every Thursday was the day to visit the mazar, and everyone would come here to make dua and pray for various wishes.



















Then we went to the Khizr Khoja Mazar in Aydingkol Town, which is the highest-ranking mausoleum in the Turpan area.

Khizr Khoja was the youngest son of Tughlugh Timur, the founding Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, and the third Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate. After Khan Tughlugh Timur passed away, the Dughlat noble Qamar ud-Din massacred almost all of the Khan's descendants in 1368, with only the infant youngest son, Khizr Khoja, being hidden away. It was not until 1389, after Qamar ud-Din was completely defeated by Tamerlane the Great, that Khizr Khoja, who had been in hiding for many years, was able to ascend the throne as the third Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

Because Tamerlane in the west was too powerful, Khizr Khoja chose to conquer eastward, taking the two towns of Qara-Khoja (the ancient city of Gaochang) and Turpan (the ancient city of Anle), and moved the Khan's court to Turpan.

Between 1402 and 1404, Khizr Khoja passed away in Turpan. Chen Cheng, an envoy sent to the Western Regions during the Ming Dynasty, wrote in his 1415 'Record of the Mountains, Rivers, and Customs of the Western Regions': 'In the city, there are two high mounds, surrounded by trees and enclosed by walls; these are the graves of the former King Khizr Khoja and his wife. Near the graves, there is a small mound, said to be where his favorite minister was buried with him.' ”



















After leaving Aydingkol, we went to visit the Karez Well scenic area, but it was developed in a way that felt a bit too commercial, so I didn't take many photos, and then we went to the Turpan Hui Muslim city. The Turpan Hui Muslim city is also called the New City; it was built in 1871 by the forces of Yaqub Beg. The main residents were Hui Muslims and Uyghurs, with most of the Hui Muslims having ancestral roots in Shaanxi and Gansu.

The Turpan East Mosque is located inside the Turpan Hui Muslim city. It is a Hui mosque, originally built in 1871 and renovated in 1911. Because the weather in Turpan is hot, the mosque expanded the traditional front porch into an 'outer hall' used for outdoor prayer in the summer. The outer hall has a ridge-roofed xieshan (hip-and-gable) roof, a beam-lifting wooden structure, and is supported by 32 pillars.

The mosque gate features authentic Shaanxi-style calligraphy brick carvings, and there is a minaret similar to the Emin Minaret inside the mosque, though unfortunately, the upper part has collapsed. This type of minaret is extremely rare in Hui Muslim mosques.



















The Turpan West Mosque was originally built in 1859 and is the oldest among the Hui Muslim mosques in Turpan.





During the Republic of China era, the Turpan Hui Muslim city (New City) was filled with shops and was bustling and prosperous; today, many historical buildings are still preserved.





























This used to be an old hardware company.





A post office from over sixty years ago.







In the evening, we ate qorqur (dumplings) with onions and beans, and barbecue across from the Turpan Museum, and then we had lamb-braised youtazi (steamed twisted rolls). This is quite rare; here in the eastern part of Xinjiang, it is usually lamb-braised flatbread.



















Turpan Night Market.





The next morning, we ate the incredibly popular Koshimaklar baked buns at the Turpan Museum. When I visited Turpan in the past, their shop was the 'Twin Baked Buns' stall at the entrance of the Big Cross Bazaar, but this time I found they had moved to their current location. We arrived at 8:30 in the morning to catch the first batch, and we even had to get a queue card when buying; there were many people lined up behind us.

However, their baked buns are indeed very delicious. First of all, they are baked over charcoal, which is hard to find in Urumqi. Also, the filling inside isn't too fatty and has plenty of meat. Freshly baked buns paired with fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice are truly refreshing.



















I highly recommend breakfast at the Bayawan Food Hall on Old City East Road in Turpan! The variety is very rich, and it is semi-self-service where you pick your own food and pay at the end. We ate pilaf, steamed buns with thin skins, milk tea with thick milk skin, bone soup, a platter of side dishes, and a fruit platter. Eating well gives you a good mood for the whole day.



















After breakfast, we went to visit the Emin Minaret. The Emin Minaret, also known as the 'Emin Tower,' was built in 1778 by the Turpan Prince Emin Khoja and his son Suleiman. It is the tallest historical minaret building in Xinjiang. Emin Khoja came from a religious family in Turpan. After the Qing Dynasty entered Turpan in 1720, Emin Khoja led his people to submit to them. He subsequently performed many military feats, and in 1756, the Qing Dynasty handed over the rule of Turpan to Emin Khoja. In 1759, Emin Khoja made a great contribution to the Qing Dynasty's pacification of the rebellion of the two Khojas and was granted the title of Prince.

In 1772, Emin Khoja returned to his hometown of Turpan. In his later years, he used 7,000 taels of silver and ordered his son Suleiman to build a mosque. In 1777, before the mosque was completed, Emin Khoja returned to Allah. Afterward, Suleiman inherited the title of Prince and completed the construction of the mosque in 1778. Because the mosque has a tall minaret, it is called the Emin Minaret Mosque.



The mosque gate is built with heavy raw mud walls, and the facade is composed of recessed niches, creating a strong sense of shadow.





The main hall is rectangular and divided into three parts: the front hall, the prayer hall, and the rear hall. The prayer hall consists of a colonnade of 32 wooden pillars. It has no ridge and no tiles, using wooden rafters, branches, and mud to make the roof, which is the traditional flat-roof architectural style of Turpan. The roof has high windows and light wells for lighting and ventilation. The front hall and the rear hall are built with large raw mud domes using the corbeling method.









On both sides of the main hall, there are madrasas (Islamic schools), with each of the twenty small rooms having a small dome and holes for ventilation and lighting.



The minaret is 44 meters high and is built of bricks using the corbeling method. The tower body has 15 different geometric patterns, such as waves, diamonds, and floral designs. Inside the tower, there are 72 spiral stairs, and at the top of the tower, there is a pavilion with windows where you can look out into the distance. The top of the tower originally had eaves, but after the Turpan earthquake in 1916, the top was destroyed, and local craftsmen subsequently changed it to a dome.



The ancient city of Anle is located south of the Emin Minaret, 300 meters wide from north to south and 700 meters long from east to west, with a Karez well running underground through the city. The south side of the city rises 8 to 10 meters above the ground, and every courtyard or house in the city has storage pits and wells.

In 1389, after the 16-year-old prince of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, Khizr Khoja, proclaimed himself Khan, Tamerlane the Great immediately led his army to fight a decisive battle, defeating the army of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate in one fell swoop and plundering a large number of subjects and livestock. Because the Timurid Empire in the west was too powerful, Khizr Khoja chose to conquer the city of Anle in Turpan around 1392. Khizr Khoja promoted Islam in Turpan, making the city of Anle gradually become a center of Islamic culture.

In 1422, the Eastern Chagatai Khan, Uwais Khan, defeated the Oirats and reoccupied the city of Anle, using it as his main residence. Since then, the city of Anle has been an important city of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate.

In the second half of the 15th century, the Eastern Chagatai Khanate split again. Ahmad Alaq (reigned 1487–1503) ruled the eastern part of the Khanate with the city of Anle as the center. In the 'History of Ming,' it is called the 'Turpan Khanate,' and the city of Anle was subsequently replaced by the name Turpan.

In 1514, Sultan Said Khan founded the Yarkand Khanate, and his elder brother, Mansur Khan (reigned 1503–1543), continued to rule the eastern part of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate with Turpan as his capital. In 1570, the army of the Yarkand Khanate invaded Turpan, and the last Khan of the 'Turpan Khanate,' Muhammad Khan, was captured, leading to the fall of the Turpan Khanate.

In 1679, Turpan was occupied by Galdan, the Khan of the Dzungar Khanate. After that, it was repeatedly contested with the Qing Dynasty until it was finally incorporated into the Qing Dynasty in 1755. In 1780, the Qing Dynasty built the city of Guang'an northwest of the city of Anle. The administrative center of Turpan was subsequently moved to the city of Guang'an (the current urban area of Turpan), and the city of Anle was gradually abandoned.



















I picked some incredibly sweet mulberries in the ancient city! It was like eating honey. May is truly the season for mulberries.











The entrance to the Emin Minaret is also full of people selling mulberries.









From the Emin Minaret, we headed east to Huoyanshan Town, where the Turpan Prince's Tomb is located in Sanbao Township, right on the west side of the ancient city of Gaochang.











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Summary: This travel note introduces Turpan Halal Travel Guide in May: Ancient Sites and Uyghur Food (Part 2). At noon, we ate huangmian kaorou (yellow noodles with grilled meat) in Huoyanshan Town. It is useful for readers interested in Turpan Travel, Uyghur Food, Xinjiang Travel.





At noon, we ate huangmian kaorou (yellow noodles with grilled meat) in Huoyanshan Town. Huoyanshan Town is famous for its huangmian kaorou, and the whole street is filled with shops selling it. The most famous one is called 'Huoyanshan Famous Huangmian Kaorou Restaurant,' but it was fully booked when we arrived, so we ate at the place across the street. We ordered a mix of yellow noodles and liangpi (cold starch noodles). After the grilled meat was cooked, it was taken off the skewers and placed on top of the yellow noodles. It was so refreshing to eat in the summer, and it felt really suitable for the climate of the Flaming Mountains. We also had grilled fish, and everyone agreed that the meat was very fresh, tender, and delicious.

















The beef head meat had a great texture from the gelatin, and the portion was very large. We also drank a fermented beverage made from raisins and dried apricots, which is a specialty of Huoyanshan Town; it is richer than kvass.













We also drank date water from the street, which was cool and thirst-quenching.







Stewed meat and corn nang (flatbread) on the streets of Huoyanshan Town.









After lunch, we headed to Tuyugou. We bought dried mulberries and sorghum nang in Tuyugou. The prices here are very cheap and definitely not tourist prices.





Dried cantaloupe is not often seen.







The sorghum nang was made by this young woman herself.





Tuyugou Mazar Aldi Village means 'in front of the cemetery'. Above Mazar Village is the famous Al-Sahab Kahfi Mazar, commonly known as the 'Holy Tomb'. I visited the Mazar in 2013, but unfortunately, it is no longer open for visits.

The traditional houses in Mazar Village are made of raw earth architecture. The walls are built with mud bricks or rammed earth. When laying the bricks, no mortar is used; instead, the moisture of the mud bricks themselves is used for adhesion, and the walls are covered with fine mud after being built. The roofs are divided into two types: wooden ribbed flat roofs and earthen arched roofs. The wooden ribbed flat roof is made by placing multiple thin wooden beams on the walls, covering the beams with reed mats, and then covering them with fine mud. Most of the wood used is local fast-growing poplar. The earthen arched roofs are made entirely of raw earth, and some roofs are plastered with straw-mud to serve as drying platforms for raisins. Because they have received charity from Muslims visiting the Mazar for generations, most villagers in Mazar Village only grow grapes and not crops, and raisins are also the main income for Mazar Village.



















Tuyugou Grand Canyon and the Mazar.











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Summary: This travel note introduces Urumqi Hui Muslim Home Cooking Guide: Everyday Halal Food in Xinjiang (Part 1). On January 22, 2020, Zainab and I returned to Urumqi, where she had lived until she was 18, in a residential compound with over sixty years of history. It is useful for readers interested in Urumqi Food, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang Travel.

On January 22, 2020, Zainab and I returned to Urumqi, where she had lived until she was 18, in a residential compound with over sixty years of history. We originally planned to have a good time in Urumqi, but then Xinjiang launched a Level 1 emergency response on January 25. All restaurants closed, and the residential compound was semi-locked down, so we had to stay at home. During these days of staying at home, my mother-in-law made us delicious food with great variety every day, and we were able to taste all kinds of authentic Hui Muslim home-cooked dishes from Urumqi (Part 1).





The menu of what we ate these past few days is as follows:

January 22

Lunch: Four types of banmian (hand-pulled noodles with toppings): celery and meat, pickled cabbage and meat, eggplant and meat, and onion and cherry radish with meat.

Afternoon: Tangfan (noodle soup).

January 23

Morning: Milk tea with shredded potatoes, dried chili peppers, and meat.

January 27

Morning: Tangningningzi (a type of fried dough twist) soaked in milk.

Lunch: Shredded potato and guoyourou (oil-seared meat) banmian.

Afternoon: Fentang (starch noodle soup).

January 28

Lunch: Baobaozi (steamed buns with thin skin).

Afternoon: Bantang (a thick noodle soup).

January 29

Lunch: Lamb leg zhuafan (pilaf).

Afternoon: Tangfan with nang (flatbread).

January 30

Lunch: Mayezi (fried sesame dough crisps) and egg sanzi (deep-fried dough twists).

Afternoon: Chive pockets and homemade yogurt.

January 31

Afternoon: Fried menzi (steamed meat paste) and pickled cabbage with vermicelli.

February 1

Afternoon: Dapanji (big plate chicken).

February 2nd

Morning: Milk tea with soaked nang and steamed youxiang (fried dough).

Afternoon: Onion and lamb fat meat dumplings.

January 22

The first meal back in Urumqi, four types of banmian: celery and meat, onion and cherry radish, eggplant and meat, and pickled cabbage and meat—delicious. This time, the latiaozi (hand-pulled noodles) were made using the 'panzi mian' method, where the dough is rolled out and then coiled to rest.













The tangfan we had in the afternoon was made with mianqizi (small square dough pieces), not hand-torn dough pieces, so it was quite simple.



January 23

Woke up in the morning to boil milk tea using special brick tea, served with shredded potatoes, dried chili peppers, meat, and steamed buns.









January 27

Breakfast included milk, jiaomaji (peppery chicken), steamed youxiang, and tianpanzi (sweet dish). A particularly tasty way to eat is soaking tangningningzi in milk.



At noon, my mother-in-law taught me how to make latiaozi. Urumqi Hui Muslims make latiaozi in two ways: 'panzi mian' and 'zhangzi mian'. Panzi mian is the coiled method like the Uyghurs use, while this time we made the simpler zhangzi mian.

First, knead the dough.



Knead the dough to this consistency; you have to judge how much water to add by feel, don't add too much at once.



Cover the dough with a basin to let it rest. After resting for a while, the outside will become smooth, and then you start kneading it again. Kneading needs to be done three times, with about ten minutes of resting in between, until the surface is completely smooth. You can prepare the banmian toppings while the dough rests. Next is rolling the dough, roll it to the thickness of a finger, then brush with oil, and cover with the basin again.









Wait until the banmian toppings are ready before cutting the dough; cut only as much as you will eat. After cutting, roll it thin, stretch it out, slap it on the cutting board, and finally toss it into the pot. A dish of Xinjiang zhangzi mian is finished.





We ate two types of banmian: guoyourou and shredded potatoes. The guoyourou is a home version, not the restaurant version. First sear the meat in oil, then add chili peppers, then onions, and you can also add cabbage. For the shredded potatoes, you must add meat, dried chili peppers, and tomatoes; the tomatoes eventually melt into a sauce and disappear.



















We had fentang for dinner. The first step is to stir-fry the meat slices, then add garlic, then green onions, dried chili peppers, and tomatoes, then add various vegetables; you can mix and match vegetables as you like. Next, add the lamb broth that was previously stewed and frozen. After the broth melts, add pea starch jelly cubes, then add the large chunks of previously stewed lamb, and finally add pepper and cilantro for flavor. The most classic pairing for fentang is youxiang. After eating the lamb, break open the youxiang and soak it in the fentang; that is the authentic Urumqi Hui Muslim lifestyle.



















January 28

Woke up in the morning and had a bowl of fentang with youxiang, very delicious.



At noon, we made baobaozi with onion and meat filling, and finally sprinkled with pepper powder.













In the evening, we had bantang. The method is similar to tangfan, but instead of tearing dough pieces, you just rub the dough with your hands and drop it into the pot. Also, anything liquid can be soaked with nang!







January 29

We were having zhuafan for lunch, so I went out in the morning to buy front leg meat at the entrance of the compound. Nowadays, front legs come with ribs attached; you can't buy just the front leg. Some shops have very fatty ribs, so you have to choose carefully.







Then I also bought dried chili peppers; Xinjiang home cooking basically requires them.



This is the most expensive kind.



This is the cheapest kind.



Went home and cut the front leg and ribs.





First fry the onions, and after the onions are charred, sprinkle with large-grain salt, then add the meat. After the meat darkens in color, use another pot to stir-fry the carrots and yellow carrots. After the carrots and meat are charred, spread the meat over the carrots, add sugar, then spread the rice over the meat (we had too much meat this time, so it wasn't spread perfectly), cover and simmer for forty minutes, and it's done.



















January 30

A new day starts with a pot of milk tea.



On the left is the dough made with eggs for egg sanzi, and on the right is the dough made with sesame for mayezi.



For egg sanzi, first knead the dough with eggs, let it rest, roll it thin with a large rolling pin, then use a 'gong-gong-zi' (a special grooved rolling tool) to cut it into strips, coiling them as you cut. After cutting, deep-fry in oil, and sprinkle with granulated sugar when finished.



















Urumqi Hui Muslim version of mayezi: knead the dough with sesame, roll it thin with a rolling pin, use a 'gong-gong-zi' to cut into quadrilaterals, and deep-fry in oil.















Fresh milk bought at the compound entrance; drink the milk skin first, and scoop out a portion of the milk below to make yogurt.



The milk is from cows raised by Hui Muslims in Cangfanggou, Urumqi. The Uyghur uncle at the compound entrance sells both milk and nang.





The starter is Xiyuchun brand old yogurt; when eating, I sprinkled it with dried mulberries and raisins.









Urumqi Hui Muslim version of chive pockets, with chives, dried shrimp, ginger, and scrambled eggs as the filling. Using an electric griddle makes it a bit dry.















Ate using a family heirloom porcelain plate made in Ukraine in 1926, instantly transported back to a Hui Muslim home in the southern gate of Dihua city a hundred years ago.



Served with corn grits added with crushed walnuts.



January 31

Urumqi Hui Muslim banquet dish 'Fish Drilling Through the Net', which is fried menzi.

Bought meat at the market near home before the New Year and had it ground into filling. The filling for menzi needs to go through the meat grinder twice, finer than that for meatballs. After returning home, steam the filling into menzi, then slice it. When cooking, coat the menzi with egg and starch, deep-fry it, and finally sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, and salt.

















Pickled cabbage and vermicelli made with homemade pickled cabbage.





February 1

Preparation for dapanji: thaw and cut the chicken, add green onion segments, ginger slices, and garlic; knead the dough, roll it out, and brush with oil; peel potatoes and soak dried chili peppers in water.













Stir-fry the cleaned chicken in a pot, adding salt, Sichuan peppercorn powder, seasonings, soy sauce, tomato paste, dried chili peppers, garlic, and potatoes in order. Because we bought a layer hen, we had to use a pressure cooker after stir-frying; if it were a young chicken, it wouldn't be necessary. Put eight spoonfuls of water in the pressure cooker, taking eighteen minutes. After eating the chicken for a while, add the 'belt noodles' (wide hand-pulled noodles), which should soak up the dapanji sauce.

The secret to our family's dapanji is the seasoning made from over ten types of spices, a recipe left by Zainab's great-uncle. After making it, the dapanji absolutely has no raw taste, only fragrance.





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Summary: This travel note introduces Urumqi Hui Muslim Home Cooking Guide: Everyday Halal Food in Xinjiang (Part 2). A new day begins with milk tea soaked with nang (flatbread). It is useful for readers interested in Urumqi Food, Hui Muslims, Xinjiang Travel.







February 2nd

A new day begins with milk tea soaked with nang (flatbread).



The picture below shows steamed youxiang (fried dough), though we usually make the steamed version when there is no feast; like the fried version, it must be broken by hand to be eaten.



There is a saying: 'dumplings for departure, noodles for return,' and today we are making dumplings with piyazi (onion) and meat.



Rendering lamb tail fat, and once it is ready, adding it into the filling.







Then I used the lamb tail fat to make chili oil, a delicious companion for the dumplings.



I made three kinds: celery, lentils, and cabbage; the meat is a mix of lamb and beef, and every filling has piyazi and lamb fat in it.











Appendix: A century-old Soviet porcelain plate.

With the help of my neighbors, I found out the origin of the few porcelain plates left behind by Grandma Zainab! It turns out they were produced by the Budyansky Faience Factory in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, between 1926 and 1928, so they are nearly 100 years old now. Grandma was born in 1928, so these plates were likely bought by her father in Urumqi back then; they can be considered a witness to the history of Urumqi. I have been using these plates to eat for the past few days, and now I feel a bit differently about them.









The stone-lens glasses left behind by Grandpa Zainab.



I am heading back to Beijing, and I will always miss my home in Urumqi.

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Summary: This travel note introduces Zhengzhou, Bo'ai and Qinyang Spring Halal Travel Guide (Part 1). In mid-March 2021, Beijing lifted travel restrictions, and Zainab and I went to Henan for a trip on the last weekend of March, visiting Zhengzhou, Bo'ai, and Qinyang. It is useful for readers interested in Henan Travel, China Mosques, Halal Food.

In mid-March 2021, Beijing lifted travel restrictions, and Zainab and I went to Henan for a trip on the last weekend of March, visiting Zhengzhou, Bo'ai, and Qinyang.

We took a high-speed train to Zhengzhou on Friday night, got off, transferred to the subway, and headed straight to the North Mosque. We ate Laoshuncheng Xiaolong Guantangbao (steamed soup dumplings) on Mosque Street. The soup dumplings were very fresh and delicious. Zainab was very satisfied with Zhengzhou's cold dish culture, where you can mix and match dishes as you like.











After finishing the soup dumplings, we went to the nearby Lu Laoda Mutton Soup on Shangcheng Road. Their shop is open 24 hours, so you can drink mutton soup even late at night. We ordered mutton soup and Xiaosuru (crispy stir-fried meat). It was Zainab's first time drinking milky-white mutton soup, and she was very surprised. We also ordered bean products and gluten stewed with chicken frames, but it was a bit salty.















Early Saturday morning, we went to Mashan Doumo Shop on Shuncheng Street to drink doumo (millet flour porridge) and eat caijiao (vegetable-filled fried dough pockets). Mashan Doumo Shop was founded in Huayuankou in 1938 and moved to Shuncheng Street in the 1950s. It is the oldest doumo shop in Zhengzhou. Doumo is popular in Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. I have had it before in Kaifeng and Jinan. It is made of millet flour, soybeans, and peanuts, seasoned with various spices.













Then we had breakfast at a nearby shop on Old Shuncheng Street, eating hulatang (spicy pepper soup) with shuijianbao (pan-fried buns). I really liked the lively atmosphere of Shuncheng Street when I visited Zhengzhou before. It has become much quieter after renovations, but the breakfast shops are still as busy as ever. It is said that Zhengzhou's hulatang used to be less spicy, but later some shops followed Fang Zhongshan's style and added more chili powder.













Visiting the Zhengzhou North Mosque. The North Mosque is located on North Street in the old city of Zhengzhou. It is said to have been built in the Ming Dynasty, features the typical architectural style of Central Plains mosques, and is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The main gate was built in 1725 (the third year of the Yongzheng reign).





The Moon-Watching Tower also serves as the minaret. The first floor is a hallway. Judging by the architectural structure, it is very likely an original Ming Dynasty piece, but the dougong (bracket sets) and eaves rafters were likely replaced during the Qing Dynasty. According to records, it was renovated in 1887 (the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign).







The Moon-Watching Tower has three pairs of Chinese couplets:

Observe, listen, and hear the words; to fully understand the essence of the present is to understand all of creation.

Whether in prosperity or decline, honor or disgrace, to realize the subtle turning point is to realize the mystery within.

The hustle and bustle of the world, even if you are proud and happy, is but a fleeting distraction.

Within the body and mind, no matter what you do, when you finally close your eyes, only two things will follow you closely.

Follow the Quran to promote the righteous path.

Follow the Sunnah so the truth lasts forever.







The other side has Arabic couplets.







There are also couplets on the doors on both sides of the Moon-Watching Tower:

The five daily prayers are the key to opening the door.

The holy scripture is the lamp that guides the way.

To recognize the pearl, one must return to the shore.

If you think of the sea, repair your boat early.







Stone inscriptions in the courtyard.





The main prayer hall was renovated twice, in 1802 (the seventh year of the Jiaqing reign) and 1907 (the thirty-third year of the Guangxu reign), and consists of a porch, the main hall, and the rear dome hall. The main hall features a lift-beam wooden frame with exposed rafters. The beams and rafters are covered with cloud and floral patterns, making it unique and elegant. There is a floral screen between the main hall and the dome hall, filled with openwork patterns. Light shines from the bright dome hall through the screen into the main hall, creating a delicate and translucent effect on the screen.

There are two century-old osmanthus trees in front of the main hall.









Couplets inside the main hall:

The painting of the heavens, know that there is no second artist.

The writings across the earth, one must ponder who holds the brush.





Recognize the True Lord, who has no form or shadow, and let all things serve as proof.

To contemplate creation is not to seek the high and distant, but to keep the one truth in your heart.

















Behind the main hall, next to the dome hall, there is a Chinese juniper tree over 400 years old.







After visiting the North Mosque, we had youcha (oil tea) and almond tea at Yang's Youcha across the street. I drank youcha at their place last time I visited Zhengzhou and even bought youcha powder to take home. Their almond tea is also very good and includes rose jam.











Bo'ai Xiguan.

At noon, we took a train from Zhengzhou to Jiaozuo, then took a taxi to Bo'ai to visit the famous Bo'ai Xiguan Mosque. The Xiguan Mosque was founded in the Yuan Dynasty, and the main hall was expanded in 1405 (the third year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty). It is currently a national cultural heritage site and is known as the "First Mosque of Northern Henan."

The main hall consists of a porch, a front hall, a dome hall (middle hall), and a rear hall. In 1863 (the second year of the Tongzhi reign), the dome hall was burned down by the Nian Army and later rebuilt to its original appearance. In 1941, a rear hall was added behind the dome hall, making the dome hall the middle hall. The main hall has a lift-beam wooden frame supported by 16 pillars in 4 rows. The middle hall has 4 tall pillars supporting the dome roof. Inside the dome roof is a caisson ceiling, and the exterior is a triple-eave, four-corner cross-ridge roof.













I performed salah in the mosque and also caught the dhikr.







Main gate.



Glazed archway.



Jumu'ah plaque.



After the prayer, many restaurants were closed, so we ate zaban (mixed meat stew) and chicken diced heluo noodles at Linji Kouwan Shaguoju (casserole restaurant). Bo'ai zaban is a specialty dish from traditional Bo'ai water banquets. It is made by braising various ingredients such as wood ear mushrooms, white fungus, bamboo shoots, crispy meatballs, boiled meatballs, white meatballs, and beef slices. It is very satisfying to eat.









On Sunday afternoon, we came back to Bo'ai Xiguan to eat and explore, and had the local specialty, jiangmiantiao (fermented bean paste noodles). It is made by boiling the liquid squeezed out when making tofu into a paste, served with soybeans, peanuts, celery, and crushed sesame sauce. It tastes sour and fragrant, and I feel it would be even better in the summer.







Then we ate the specialty cai-tuanzi (vegetable dumplings). They are made by rolling celery, peanuts, soybeans, carrots, and corn grits into balls, wrapping them in corn flour, and deep-frying them. The texture is very rich, and as a corn lover, I was very satisfied.







We bought Liji crispy chicken. The stewed chicken is fried again and sprinkled with secret seasonings, making it very fragrant. However, it is a bit salty to eat on its own, so it was perfect to eat with the flatbread we bought in Xiguan on the train back to Beijing.









We also bought Xiaoche Beef (cart beef) at the Xiguan intersection. This is a delicacy popular in the Taihang Mountains area at the junction of Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei. After the beef is braised, it is wrapped in rich meat broth, cooled, and pressed into meat jelly, then sold from a cart in the market. Because the meat jelly melts when the temperature rises, Xiaoche Beef is traditionally unavailable in the summer.







Some door couplets on Xiguan Street.







Qinyang.

On Saturday afternoon, we took a taxi from Bo'ai to Qinyang to visit the Qinyang North Mosque, which I had been longing to see for a long time. In my mind, it definitely ranks in the top three among historical mosque buildings in Henan. The North Mosque was moved to its current location in 1561 (the fortieth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty), burned down in 1628 (the first year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty), and rebuilt in 1631. It is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The overall layout of the North Mosque is quite classic, consisting mainly of the main gate, a hallway, a lecture hall, and the main prayer hall. Next, I will share it with you bit by bit. Because of the lighting, I took photos twice, on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

The main gate was built in 1799 (the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign) and uses peacock blue glazed tiles, which are relatively rare in mosque architecture and look very refreshing.



















The hallway was built in 1631 (the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty).



The lecture hall was built in 1909 (the first year of the Xuantong reign). The north and south lecture halls have hard-gabled roofs, with hanging flower columns under the eaves and diamond-patterned doors and windows, simple and elegant.











Scripture boxes in the Imam's office.



The main prayer hall consists of a porch, a front hall, a middle hall, and a dome hall. This style, with a hip-and-gable roof for the front hall, a gabled roof for the middle hall, and a raised dome hall, is unique to the Qinyang area. First, I will share the exterior of the porch and the front hall.



















The beautiful Qing Dynasty paintings inside the main hall. Thanks to Imam Ma Hongjie for the wonderful introduction. The main hall of the North Mosque was occupied by a factory in the 1960s and 1970s. The lower paintings all faded, and only the paintings on the top were luckily preserved.

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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Kaifeng Halal Food Guide: Simen Soup Pot and Muslim Night Market. In early November 2018, I took advantage of the weekend to visit Kaifeng, arriving in three and a half hours by high-speed train from Beijing. It is useful for readers interested in Kaifeng Travel, Halal Food, Muslim Night Market. This is part 2 of 2.







I ate mutton trotters and clay pot here. The ingredients in the clay pot are similar to Siweicai, but it is very warm to eat at night while it is bubbling.









2. Henan University West Gate Night Market

The old Henan University West Gate night market also has many halal stalls, but the biggest difference from the Xueyuanmen night market is that the audience here is mainly students from Henan University and surrounding schools. Therefore, there are almost no stalls for drinking and chatting, but mainly various snacks loved by students. I really envy these college students who come to eat late-night snacks at night!



The stall with the longest line at the Henan University West Gate night market is this Cao Ji Braised Roasted Chicken Leg. The students line up so long that they block other stalls, and they have to manage the line from time to time. You can choose whether to have the roasted chicken leg in a bun or not, and you can also choose whether it is crispy or tender, which is very user-friendly. Their taste is also really delicious. After I bought it, I originally planned to eat a couple of bites and then put it away to save room for other places, but I couldn't stop after one bite and ate it all in one go.









Then I went to eat this Luo Ji almond tea. Kaifeng's almond tea is not the same as Beijing's. Kaifeng's ingredients are very rich, a bit like babaozhou (eight-treasure porridge). When you eat it, you have to savor the various textures mixed together.







Then I ate this shuan niudu (boiled beef tripe). The skewers are very small, and you eat a whole bunch at once. The beef tripe is very tender and fragrant.









3. Dongsimen Night Market

Dongsimen Night Market is at the intersection of Dongdajie and Jiefang Road. The night market itself is not big, but the atmosphere is very good, with locals coming to eat and chat.



First, I ate this traditional-style mutton kanmo (pan-baked flatbread with mutton). Mutton kanmo is pan-baked with mutton fat, so it must be eaten hot to be delicious. I chose the most expensive one, and the master added the best mutton for me.













Then I ate qiangguomian (stir-fried noodle soup) and huangmuyu (braised yellow croaker) here. Both of these are classic foods of the Kaifeng night market, suitable for eating while a whole family is chatting.







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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Ethnic Restaurants in China: Halal and Minority Food Guide (Part 1). In my travels over the past few years, I have encountered some very interesting ethnic groups. It is useful for readers interested in Ethnic Food, Halal Food, China Travel. This is part 2 of 4.

Bitter melon served with a type of fish ball called featherback; I looked it up and it seems to be translated as the bronze featherback fish.





The mosque in the menu is the Jamiul Aman Mosque located in Chau Phu District, An Giang Province, Vietnam, built in 1965.



This is the Jamiul Azhar Mosque in Phu Tan District, An Giang Province, Vietnam. It is said to have been built in 1425 and is the mosque with the highest status among the orthodox Muslims of the Cham people in Vietnam.



5. Tamil Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

Penang, also known as Pulau Pinang, is an island in northwestern Malaysia. Over 90% of Indians in Penang are Tamils from southeastern India and northern Sri Lanka. As early as 1790, four years after George Town in Penang was built, the British East India Company mentioned that Tamils were opening shops and farming in Penang. In the late 19th century, with the increase in wages caused by labor shortages in Penang, Indian immigration to Penang was officially legalized in 1872, and in 1887, subsidies for Indian immigrant ship tickets began, leading to an increasing number of Tamil immigrants to Penang.

Tamil Muslims are called "Mamak" in Malaysia, which comes from the Tamil word for "uncle" (maa-ma). In Malaysia and Singapore, Tamil children often address Tamil male elders this way, especially in Tamil Muslim restaurants, so Malays began to call the entire Tamil Muslim ethnic group "Mamak," where the final "k" is not pronounced in Malay.

Penang's Tamil Muslims are most famous for their "Mamak stall" and "Mamak restaurant" food culture, and one of the oldest century-old Mamak restaurants is Hameediyah Restaurant, which opened in 1907.





The founder of Hameediyah Restaurant was named Mohamed, who came from a Tamil Muslim village in the southernmost state of Tamil Nadu, India. Mohamed came to Penang in 1890, and shortly after, he rented the land where the restaurant is now located. At first, he only used this place to prepare food, and usually carried it on a shoulder pole to sell along the street, which is the famous "Nasi Kandar" (literally "shoulder-pole rice"). In 1907, Mohamed officially founded Hameediyah Restaurant and hired two helpers.

Mohamed learned many Tamil delicacies from his mother when he was young in South India, among which Biryani (spiced rice) and Murtabak (stuffed pancake) were his specialties.

After opening, the diners who came to the restaurant included port immigrant workers, rickshaw pullers, local traders, and government employees, etc. Some diners affectionately called Mohamed and his staff "Mamak." It was also during this period that restaurants opened by South Indian Tamil Muslims in Penang were gradually called Mamak restaurants.

After Mohamed passed away in 1927, his son Kander took over the restaurant, and later his grandson took over, and the restaurant's business was very prosperous. In 1941, Penang suffered a devastating air raid by the Japanese army. Hameediyah Restaurant insisted on staying open during this period and miraculously survived the bombing. In 1945, after Japan was defeated, Kander's grandson, the fourth-generation successor Abu Bakar, took over the restaurant, and later passed it on to his relative Abdul Sukkoor. Today, Abdul Sukkoor's eldest son Seeni Pakir and youngest son Syed Ibrahim have become the restaurant's chefs and are responsible for daily operations.



Nasi Kandar is a delicacy invented by South Indian Tamil Muslims in Penang, which is rice served with various curries of beef, mutton, chicken, fish, shrimp, and side dishes. When Tamil Muslims first arrived in Penang in the 19th century, most of them carried food on shoulder poles to sell along the street, so the food they sold was called "Nasi Kandar." By the 20th century, Tamil Muslims began to open restaurants and stalls, but the name "Nasi Kandar" has been used to this day. This time at Hameediyah Restaurant, I had Biryani Kosong (plain spiced rice) with lamb shank, chicken, and cabbage.





Murtabak is a thick pancake filled with eggs, onions, minced meat, and shrimp. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the way Murtabak is made is basically the same as the way Roti canai (Indian flatbread) is made. The Malaysian version has less meat and more eggs than the Singaporean one. One theory is that Murtabak comes from the Arabic word "Mutabbaq," meaning "folded," so it may have been brought to India by Indian Muslims from Yemen, and then brought to the Malay Archipelago by South Indian Tamil Muslims. Another theory is that Murtabak comes from Kerala, South India, where "muta" means egg and "bar" is an abbreviation for "barota" bread.









6. Chinese Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

Restoran Haji Sharin Low Grand is the largest Chinese Muslim restaurant chain in Southeast Asia, with over 17 branches in Malaysia and Indonesia. The headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, and the founder is Chinese Muslim Tuan Haji Sharin Low.



We ordered Nyonya flower crab, Teochew-style steamed grouper, Low's claypot tofu, and mee sua (wheat vermicelli) soup. They were all delicious~ And in one table of dishes, there were local Nyonya styles, as well as Teochew and Minnan styles, and they were all halal ingredients, which was a great cultural fusion.









After the meal, we chatted with the landlady for a while. The landlady is a local Chinese Muslim. I was very excited to finally be able to communicate face-to-face with this ethnic group that I had previously only learned about in news and papers. The landlady was very enthusiastic and said to come and visit again when we have time. We also learned that the local Chinese mosque in Penang was going to start construction in 2020, so Penang could have a social center for local Chinese Muslims.







7. The Jawi Peranakan community in Penang, Malaysia

Malaysia has a unique ethnic group called Jawi Peranakan, which refers to a Malay-speaking Muslim ethnic group formed after the intermarriage of Indian Muslim (also including Arab and Persian, etc.) men and Malay women. "Jawi" means "Southeast Asian Muslim" in Arabic, and "Peranakan" means "locally born" in Malay.

The Jawi Peranakan community does not prioritize the ethnic group of the other party when getting married, but first looks at the other party's wealth and status. Therefore, after the mid-19th century, the Jawi Peranakan had become the elite class of British Malaya. Jawi Peranakan attached great importance to English education, so many people held positions in the colonial government. At the same time, Jawi Peranakan also attached great importance to cultural development; the first Malay-language newspaper was founded by Jawi Peranakan.

After the 20th century, with the decline of the British Empire, the Jawi Peranakan community began to integrate into the Malays. Today, most Jawi Peranakan are counted as "Malays" by the government. Despite this, the Jawi Peranakan community still strives to pass on its unique culture, which can be reflected in architecture, clothing, jewelry, and food. Collapse Read »

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Ethnic Restaurants in China: Halal and Minority Food Guide (Part 1). In my travels over the past few years, I have encountered some very interesting ethnic groups. It is useful for readers interested in Ethnic Food, Halal Food, China Travel. This is part 1 of 4.

In my travels over the past few years, I have encountered some very interesting ethnic groups. In this diary, I will introduce twenty ethnic groups through twenty restaurants, hoping to increase everyone's understanding of these groups.

1. Kazan Tatars in Moscow

2. Crimean Tatars on the Crimean Peninsula

3. Gulf Bedouins in Dubai

4. The Cham people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

5. Tamil Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

6. Chinese Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

7. The Jawi Peranakan community in Penang, Malaysia

8. The Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia

9. The Javanese people in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

10. The Bantenese people on Java Island, Indonesia

11. Yunnan Hui Muslims in Chiang Mai, Thailand

12. Korean-speaking Muslims in Itaewon, Seoul

13. Chinese Muslims in Hong Kong

14. The Huihui people of Sanya, Hainan

15. The Tatars of Urumqi

16. The Dongxiang people of Xiaoxihu, Lanzhou

17. The Tibetan Muslims of Lhasa, Tibet

18. The Paxi Dai of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

19. The Bai Hui of Dali, Yunnan

20. The Salar people of Xunhua, Qinghai

1. Kazan Tatars in Moscow

After the 17th century, with the establishment of the Romanov dynasty, Moscow gradually prospered, and many Tatars from the Volga River and steppe regions came to do business. The Tatar community (Tatarskaya sloboda) was formally formed south of the Moskva River, opposite the Kremlin. The community's main street, Tatarskaya Street, was first mentioned in documents in 1682.

The historic Tatar community has a Tatar restaurant called Kazan Tea Bar, which is also the center for Tatar cultural activities in Moscow, frequently organizing various Tatar cultural events.







Inside, I ate Beshbarmak (five-finger stew), Kystyby (flatbread with filling), the Tatar version of horse sausage Kazy, pilaf, Kazan chicken salad, and Tatar milk tea. Tatar milk tea is made of black tea + green tea + thyme + linden leaves + chamomile flowers + oregano leaves + mint leaves + sage.













2. Crimean Tatars on the Crimean Peninsula

In the summer of 2019, I went to an ancient city in the mountains of the Crimean Peninsula—Bakhchysarai. Bakhchysarai was founded by the Crimean Tatars and became the capital of the Crimean Khanate in 1532. Although it became an ordinary town after Russia occupied the Crimean Khanate in 1783, it remains the cultural center of the Crimean Tatars, preserving their unique culture and customs.

The dietary culture of the Crimean Tatars is closely related to their history. Because the Crimean Khanate was a long-term vassal of the Ottoman Empire, it possesses many Ottoman-related foods, such as Turkish coffee, Baklava (Turkish dessert), and Dolma (stuffed grape leaves). After being exiled to Uzbekistan in 1944, a large amount of Uzbek cuisine was added to the Crimean Tatar diet, including pilaf, lagman (pulled noodles), samsa (baked buns), manti (steamed buns), and naan. In addition, the Crimean Tatars also have some unique delicacies, one of which is Chebureki (fried meat turnover), known as a Crimean Tatar national delicacy.

This time I stayed at a very beautiful traditional Crimean Tatar courtyard house, Bahitgul Boutique-Hotel. They serve traditional Crimean Tatar meals, so I basically ate breakfast at my accommodation. Moreover, the view while eating at their place is particularly good, overlooking the entire ancient capital.













For the first breakfast, I had Lagman (pulled noodles), Omlet (omelet), Lepyoshka (naan), and traditional coffee. The coffee comes from the Ottoman Empire, and the lagman comes from the exile in Uzbekistan.











Tatar Ash (small dumplings) dipped in yogurt, Kasha v Assortimente (assorted porridge), and Bliny (thin pancakes) dipped in jam.











3. Gulf Bedouins in Dubai

The Al Ras neighborhood in Dubai literally means "cape" or "headland." It is surrounded by Dubai Creek on three sides and is the oldest neighborhood in Dubai's Deira area. There is a traditional Gulf Bedouin restaurant in the neighborhood called "Al Bait Alqadeem," which means "the old house" in Arabic. This restaurant is located in a traditional Gulf courtyard house built in 1909. The house was built by pearl boat owner Abdulla Bin Jamaan, who was also a guard for the then-ruler of Dubai. In 1954, Abdulla Bin Jamaan became the first mayor of Dubai.









The freshly baked bread is particularly crispy and tastes great, and these large enamel plates also have a special feel.



The grilled fish is recommended by the chef and is also excellent.





I also drank cucumber honey water, which I liked very much.



4. The Cham people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Chams are an Austronesian-speaking people who migrated from Borneo to the Indochinese Peninsula and established Champa in southern Vietnam in 192 AD. Due to the narrow and fragmented land, Champa always focused on developing maritime trade, becoming an important trading port on the Maritime Silk Road during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

After the 12th century, Champa fell into long-term war. After the Champa capital Vijaya was captured by Vietnam in 1471, a large number of Cham people fled to Cambodia for refuge. Before this, in the 14th and 15th centuries, many Malay Muslims had already moved to Cambodia. These Malay Muslims integrated with the Cham people, who also spoke Austronesian languages of the Indonesian branch, through trade, intermarriage, and other means, and the Cambodian Cham people gradually converted to Islam.

After the 18th century, some Cambodian Cham people began to move to the Mekong Delta on the Vietnam-Cambodia border to live. After France occupied Saigon in 1862, because of the relatively loose autonomy policy implemented for the Cham people, more and more Cham people settled in Saigon.

Saigon Green House is the best Cham restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, with a rich variety of dishes that are all delicious.





First, eat Phở!





Pineapple fried rice.



Fried spring rolls.





Drink iced tea.

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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Ethnic Restaurants in China: Halal and Minority Food Guide (Part 2). Qingzhen Huiji is currently the only local traditional halal snack shop on Hong Kong Island. It is useful for readers interested in Ethnic Food, Halal Food, China Travel. This is part 2 of 2.



Rose sanpaotai; I wanted more after finishing it, so I finally bought a lot at the supermarket to take home.



17. The Tibetan Muslims of Lhasa, Tibet

Today, there are three Muslim ethnic groups in Lhasa: Tibetan-speaking Muslims whose ancestors were from Kashmir, Nepal, etc.; Tibetan-speaking Muslims whose ancestors were from Sichuan, Yunnan, etc.; and Chinese-speaking Muslims who came from Gansu and Qinghai to do business after the 1980s—these are what we often call Kashmiris, Tibetan Muslims, and Gansu-Qinghai Hui Muslims. In the Tibetan language, Muslims are called "Khache," which was translated as "Kaqi" in Qing Dynasty documents, derived from the Tibetan name for Kashmir, "Khache Yul." After the 14th century, Kashmir, west of the Tibetan region, completed its Islamization. Kashmiri Muslims traveled to the Tibetan region for business and settled in Lhasa in the 17th century. After the 18th century, the Qing army began to be stationed in Tibet. The Hui Muslim officers and soldiers in the Qing army stationed in Tibet became the second Muslim ethnic group to arrive in Lhasa.

These Muslims who settled in Lhasa intermarried with local Tibetans for hundreds of years and gradually became "Fan-Kaqi" who speak Tibetan, wear Tibetan clothes, drink butter tea, and live in Tibetan-style houses. "Fan" in Tibetan represents "Tibetan."

Hebalin, where the Lhasa Great Mosque is located, is the main residential area for Tibetan Muslims, and there are some restaurants run by Tibetan Muslims here. Yibire Baozi Shop is a very famous Tibetan Muslim restaurant located in the small alleys of Hebalin.



Tibetan-style sweet tea actually originated from black tea with milk and sugar introduced to India by the British, and it became popular in Lhasa in the early 20th century.





Eating zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)



Red oil dumplings



A Tibetan Muslim teenager wearing Adidas



Basically all local Tibetans







Menu



18. The Paxi Dai of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

The Paxi Dai live in two villages, "Manluan Hui" and "Mansai Hui," in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture. "Man" means "village" in the Dai language. The Paxi Dai call themselves "Paxi," believe in Islam, observe the faith, but speak the Dai language, use the Dai script, and make halal Dai-style food. It can be said that they have maintained their Hui Muslim identity while integrating into Dai culture.

During the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty, Menghai became an important transit point for Yunnan horse caravans traveling to Myanmar and Thailand for business. A Hui Muslim caravan leader named Ma Wulong from Dali came to Menghai and gave the Menghai Zhaomeng (local chieftain) leader Zha Yakun 3 loads of salt, which led the Zhaomeng to agree to set aside a small mountain valley for Ma Wulong to live in. Ma Wulong later married a Dai woman, had a son named Yan Han, and then returned to his hometown. After Yan Han grew up, he also married a Dai woman and had four sons and two daughters, gradually forming the current Paxi Dai village, "Manluan Hui."

There is a restaurant called "Paxi Dai" at the Ganbai Street Night Market in Jinghong, and the landlady is a Paxi Dai from Manluan Hui. The restaurant is by the lake, opposite the famous Starlight Night Market, so you can enjoy the night view while eating.

We ordered a nanmi (Dai-style dipping sauce) platter, stir-fried porcini mushrooms, Dai-style pounded chicken feet, passion fruit stewed tilapia, lemon hand-shredded beef jerky, and beef pineapple rice.

Nanmi is a Dai-style dipping sauce with a sour and spicy flavor, used for dipping fried beef skin, cucumber, and cowpeas. This was my first time eating fried beef skin; the texture is a bit like shrimp crackers, but harder.

The pounded chicken feet were very sour and spicy, and my mouth was burning from eating them. The Dai-style passion fruit stewed fish is very flavorful, comparable to the starfruit sour soup fish of the Sanya Huihui people, but the sourness is stronger; I could only drink a little bit of this soup.

Our whole family liked the beef pineapple rice the most. This kind of fried rice is rare locally, and we thought it was better than any other fried rice we had eaten before.



























19. The Bai Hui of Dali, Yunnan

In the Hui Muslim villages of Jiming, Shipang, and Sanmei in Eryuan County, Dali, because they are located in a Bai ethnic area, the Hui Muslims here speak the Bai language, wear traditional Bai clothing, and their architecture is also strongly influenced by the Bai people, so they are also called "Bai Hui" by outsiders.

A Bai Hui restaurant was discovered in Yousuo Town, Eryuan, opened by a Hui Muslim surnamed Ma from Shipang Village. I ate salty rushan (milk fan cheese) and liangpian (cold sliced meat) at this restaurant. The liangpian was very spicy but extremely fragrant; it was the first time I had eaten liangpian that went so well with rice.









Aunties carrying rushan in the Bai Hui village



20. The Salar people of Xunhua, Qinghai

The Salar people, who speak the Salar language of the Turkic language family, live in Xunhua County, Qinghai, and surrounding areas. In the legends of the Salar people, Ahman and Qarman originally lived in the Samarkand area of Central Asia. Because they were oppressed by the rulers, they led their people across the Tianshan Mountains all the way east and finally settled in Xunhua.

Eating stir-fried beef and jiaotuan (a thick paste made of flour) at a Salar family farmhouse in Xunhua County. Jiaotuan is made by stir-frying flour, adding water to boil, and then adding refined vegetable oil; it tastes very fragrant. Salar households in Xunhua are divided into tea restaurants and farmhouses. The cuisine in tea restaurants is more mixed. If you want to eat authentic Salar food, it is recommended to go to a farmhouse.







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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Kaifeng Halal Food Guide: Simen Soup Pot and Muslim Night Market. In early November 2018, I took advantage of the weekend to visit Kaifeng, arriving in three and a half hours by high-speed train from Beijing. It is useful for readers interested in Kaifeng Travel, Halal Food, Muslim Night Market.

In early November 2018, I took advantage of the weekend to visit Kaifeng, arriving in three and a half hours by high-speed train from Beijing. Because I only had two days, the itinerary was very tight. I drank soup at Simen in the morning, visited the mosque's ancient architecture during the day, and ate at the halal night market in the evening, hoping to record the style of the Kaifeng Muslim community as much as possible during these two days. Below, I will share my experience of Kaifeng halal food with everyone.

Drinking soup at Simen

The 'bad habit' of the Xiangfu people is that they love to drink soup. As long as they have some money in their pockets, regardless of whether they have food for tomorrow or not, they will enjoy a bowl of soup today. Where is the best soup in Xiangfu city? Of course, it is the soup at Simen. — 'Simen'

'Simen' (Mosque Gate) is the soul of the Kaifeng Muslim community. 'Simen' refers to the gate of the Kaifeng Dongda Mosque. Historically, the Dongda Mosque has suffered many times from Yellow River floods. Each time it was destroyed, it was rebuilt. The current building is the appearance after it was rebuilt in 1846 (the 26th year of the Daoguang reign) following the Yellow River flood in 1841 (the 21st year of the Daoguang reign).



The Muslim community centered on the Dongda Mosque is known as the 'First Community of Henan.' It includes more than 20 streets and alleys with over 20,000 people. It is the only one of the three major Muslim residential areas in Kaifeng's history (Dongda Mosque, Beida Mosque, and Wenshu Mosque) that has not undergone large-scale demolition and renovation, and it still maintains the traditional form of a Muslim community.



From 'Locality of Urban Hui Muslim Communities: A Study Based on Place Attachment in the Dongda Mosque Hui Muslim Community of Kaifeng'

Various halal delicacies gather on Qingping North and South Streets at the entrance of the Dongda Mosque. These eateries generally operate from dawn until after one o'clock in the afternoon; in the afternoon, there are only cooked food and pastry shops.









Outside of Qingping North and South Streets, most of the area around the Dongda Mosque is still these quiet little alleys.







1. Siweicai (four-flavor dish) and shaobing (baked flatbread)

Siweicai is a famous Kaifeng breakfast, which is made by braising daylily, gluten, beef meatballs, and mutton in mutton soup. It has a very rich flavor when eaten. This Zhao Family Siweicai is a very famous one in Simen. When I got into the taxi from the high-speed railway station to the city, the driver heard I was going to Simen and urged me to try the Zhao family's Siweicai.



There is a long line on weekend mornings.





When eating Siweicai, it is usually paired with guokui (hard-crusted flatbread) or shaobing. I chose shaobing this time. This is the first time I have seen this kind of large sesame shaobing. When it is fresh, it is hot to hold, fragrant, and crispy. It can be soaked in the soup or bitten open to stuff with Siweicai. Eating it makes one feel very comfortable.









This is how shaobing is made.





2. Mutton soup and guokui

Besides Siweicai, the most classic is still this mutton soup paired with guokui. The one I ate at is Yanji Mutton Fresh Soup right across from the Dongda Mosque. When serving the soup, the uncle asks if you want oil, which is a great treat for mutton fat lovers.











3. Hulatang (spicy soup) paired with jidan budai (egg-stuffed fried dough)

Next to Zhao Family Siweicai is Ma Liu Mutton Hulatang. Unlike the freshness of mutton soup, drinking Hulatang is more about that refreshing feeling in late autumn. After eating it, your whole body feels clear, and you have a good mood for the day.







Paired with Hulatang is jidan budai, also called jidan hebao (egg pouch) or zha laohu (fried tiger). This is hard to see in Beijing now, but it still exists in Tianjin.



4. Mutton steamed dumplings

Between the Siweicai and Hulatang is Li Ji Steamed Dumplings and Shaomai (steamed dumplings). Because I was too full, I didn't have room, so the steamed dumplings in the photo are actually from the next table.





5. Duck gizzard four-treasure vermicelli soup

Opposite the Siweicai is the only duck gizzard four-treasure vermicelli soup in Simen, which can also be served with mutton fat. This place gives a very generous portion, and I think the duck liver in the soup is the most delicious.







6. Beef huoshao (baked wheat cake)

Continuing north is Mu Family Beef Huoshao. This is very suitable for eating while walking around the alleys of Simen, feeling relaxed and content.









There are also stalls selling pickles in Simen, which are even better when paired with soup.



7. Doumo (bean paste soup) paired with caijiao (vegetable dumplings)

Besides Simen, there are actually many halal breakfast eateries in Kaifeng. During this trip to Kaifeng, I ate doumo and caijiao at a Hulatang eatery near Wenshu Mosque. Doumo is a breakfast popular in the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan regions. Kaifeng's five-spice doumo is made by mixing millet flour with various seasonings, adding shredded tofu, peanuts, spinach, and vermicelli, and finally drizzling with sesame paste.







Lively night market

1. Xueyuanmen Halal Night Market

On the west side of Jiefang Road, not far west of Simen, is Kaifeng's only halal night market, Xueyuanmen Night Market. Everything sold here is authentic Kaifeng halal late-night snacks. For me, living in Beijing where there are no night markets, visiting a night market is really great! I want to try everything; I really hate that my stomach isn't big enough.



This place sells stir-fried seafood and crayfish, very night-market style. The stir-fried seafood is spicy and very satisfying.







Coming to Kaifeng, of course, you have to try the soup-filled xiaolongbao (small steamed buns). Taking a bite, the slightly sweet soup fills your mouth. After eating, it can truly be described as leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.







I ate mutton trotters and clay pot here. The ingredients in the clay pot are similar to Siweicai, but it is very warm to eat at night while it is bubbling.









2. Henan University West Gate Night Market

The old Henan University West Gate night market also has many halal stalls, but the biggest difference from the Xueyuanmen night market is that the audience here is mainly students from Henan University and surrounding schools. Therefore, there are almost no stalls for drinking and chatting, but mainly various snacks loved by students. I really envy these college students who come to eat late-night snacks at night!



The stall with the longest line at the Henan University West Gate night market is this Cao Ji Braised Roasted Chicken Leg. The students line up so long that they block other stalls, and they have to manage the line from time to time. You can choose whether to have the roasted chicken leg in a bun or not, and you can also choose whether it is crispy or tender, which is very user-friendly. Their taste is also really delicious. After I bought it, I originally planned to eat a couple of bites and then put it away to save room for other places, but I couldn't stop after one bite and ate it all in one go.









Then I went to eat this Luo Ji almond tea. Kaifeng's almond tea is not the same as Beijing's. Kaifeng's ingredients are very rich, a bit like babaozhou (eight-treasure porridge). When you eat it, you have to savor the various textures mixed together.







Then I ate this shuan niudu (boiled beef tripe). The skewers are very small, and you eat a whole bunch at once. The beef tripe is very tender and fragrant.









3. Dongsimen Night Market

Dongsimen Night Market is at the intersection of Dongdajie and Jiefang Road. The night market itself is not big, but the atmosphere is very good, with locals coming to eat and chat.



First, I ate this traditional-style mutton kanmo (pan-baked flatbread with mutton). Mutton kanmo is pan-baked with mutton fat, so it must be eaten hot to be delicious. I chose the most expensive one, and the master added the best mutton for me.













Then I ate qiangguomian (stir-fried noodle soup) and huangmuyu (braised yellow croaker) here. Both of these are classic foods of the Kaifeng night market, suitable for eating while a whole family is chatting.







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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Ethnic Restaurants in China: Halal and Minority Food Guide (Part 1). In my travels over the past few years, I have encountered some very interesting ethnic groups. It is useful for readers interested in Ethnic Food, Halal Food, China Travel.

In my travels over the past few years, I have encountered some very interesting ethnic groups. In this diary, I will introduce twenty ethnic groups through twenty restaurants, hoping to increase everyone's understanding of these groups.

1. Kazan Tatars in Moscow

2. Crimean Tatars on the Crimean Peninsula

3. Gulf Bedouins in Dubai

4. The Cham people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

5. Tamil Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

6. Chinese Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

7. The Jawi Peranakan community in Penang, Malaysia

8. The Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia

9. The Javanese people in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

10. The Bantenese people on Java Island, Indonesia

11. Yunnan Hui Muslims in Chiang Mai, Thailand

12. Korean-speaking Muslims in Itaewon, Seoul

13. Chinese Muslims in Hong Kong

14. The Huihui people of Sanya, Hainan

15. The Tatars of Urumqi

16. The Dongxiang people of Xiaoxihu, Lanzhou

17. The Tibetan Muslims of Lhasa, Tibet

18. The Paxi Dai of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

19. The Bai Hui of Dali, Yunnan

20. The Salar people of Xunhua, Qinghai

1. Kazan Tatars in Moscow

After the 17th century, with the establishment of the Romanov dynasty, Moscow gradually prospered, and many Tatars from the Volga River and steppe regions came to do business. The Tatar community (Tatarskaya sloboda) was formally formed south of the Moskva River, opposite the Kremlin. The community's main street, Tatarskaya Street, was first mentioned in documents in 1682.

The historic Tatar community has a Tatar restaurant called Kazan Tea Bar, which is also the center for Tatar cultural activities in Moscow, frequently organizing various Tatar cultural events.







Inside, I ate Beshbarmak (five-finger stew), Kystyby (flatbread with filling), the Tatar version of horse sausage Kazy, pilaf, Kazan chicken salad, and Tatar milk tea. Tatar milk tea is made of black tea + green tea + thyme + linden leaves + chamomile flowers + oregano leaves + mint leaves + sage.













2. Crimean Tatars on the Crimean Peninsula

In the summer of 2019, I went to an ancient city in the mountains of the Crimean Peninsula—Bakhchysarai. Bakhchysarai was founded by the Crimean Tatars and became the capital of the Crimean Khanate in 1532. Although it became an ordinary town after Russia occupied the Crimean Khanate in 1783, it remains the cultural center of the Crimean Tatars, preserving their unique culture and customs.

The dietary culture of the Crimean Tatars is closely related to their history. Because the Crimean Khanate was a long-term vassal of the Ottoman Empire, it possesses many Ottoman-related foods, such as Turkish coffee, Baklava (Turkish dessert), and Dolma (stuffed grape leaves). After being exiled to Uzbekistan in 1944, a large amount of Uzbek cuisine was added to the Crimean Tatar diet, including pilaf, lagman (pulled noodles), samsa (baked buns), manti (steamed buns), and naan. In addition, the Crimean Tatars also have some unique delicacies, one of which is Chebureki (fried meat turnover), known as a Crimean Tatar national delicacy.

This time I stayed at a very beautiful traditional Crimean Tatar courtyard house, Bahitgul Boutique-Hotel. They serve traditional Crimean Tatar meals, so I basically ate breakfast at my accommodation. Moreover, the view while eating at their place is particularly good, overlooking the entire ancient capital.













For the first breakfast, I had Lagman (pulled noodles), Omlet (omelet), Lepyoshka (naan), and traditional coffee. The coffee comes from the Ottoman Empire, and the lagman comes from the exile in Uzbekistan.











Tatar Ash (small dumplings) dipped in yogurt, Kasha v Assortimente (assorted porridge), and Bliny (thin pancakes) dipped in jam.











3. Gulf Bedouins in Dubai

The Al Ras neighborhood in Dubai literally means "cape" or "headland." It is surrounded by Dubai Creek on three sides and is the oldest neighborhood in Dubai's Deira area. There is a traditional Gulf Bedouin restaurant in the neighborhood called "Al Bait Alqadeem," which means "the old house" in Arabic. This restaurant is located in a traditional Gulf courtyard house built in 1909. The house was built by pearl boat owner Abdulla Bin Jamaan, who was also a guard for the then-ruler of Dubai. In 1954, Abdulla Bin Jamaan became the first mayor of Dubai.









The freshly baked bread is particularly crispy and tastes great, and these large enamel plates also have a special feel.



The grilled fish is recommended by the chef and is also excellent.





I also drank cucumber honey water, which I liked very much.



4. The Cham people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The Chams are an Austronesian-speaking people who migrated from Borneo to the Indochinese Peninsula and established Champa in southern Vietnam in 192 AD. Due to the narrow and fragmented land, Champa always focused on developing maritime trade, becoming an important trading port on the Maritime Silk Road during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

After the 12th century, Champa fell into long-term war. After the Champa capital Vijaya was captured by Vietnam in 1471, a large number of Cham people fled to Cambodia for refuge. Before this, in the 14th and 15th centuries, many Malay Muslims had already moved to Cambodia. These Malay Muslims integrated with the Cham people, who also spoke Austronesian languages of the Indonesian branch, through trade, intermarriage, and other means, and the Cambodian Cham people gradually converted to Islam.

After the 18th century, some Cambodian Cham people began to move to the Mekong Delta on the Vietnam-Cambodia border to live. After France occupied Saigon in 1862, because of the relatively loose autonomy policy implemented for the Cham people, more and more Cham people settled in Saigon.

Saigon Green House is the best Cham restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, with a rich variety of dishes that are all delicious.





First, eat Phở!





Pineapple fried rice.



Fried spring rolls.





Drink iced tea.



Bitter melon served with a type of fish ball called featherback; I looked it up and it seems to be translated as the bronze featherback fish.





The mosque in the menu is the Jamiul Aman Mosque located in Chau Phu District, An Giang Province, Vietnam, built in 1965.



This is the Jamiul Azhar Mosque in Phu Tan District, An Giang Province, Vietnam. It is said to have been built in 1425 and is the mosque with the highest status among the orthodox Muslims of the Cham people in Vietnam.



5. Tamil Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

Penang, also known as Pulau Pinang, is an island in northwestern Malaysia. Over 90% of Indians in Penang are Tamils from southeastern India and northern Sri Lanka. As early as 1790, four years after George Town in Penang was built, the British East India Company mentioned that Tamils were opening shops and farming in Penang. In the late 19th century, with the increase in wages caused by labor shortages in Penang, Indian immigration to Penang was officially legalized in 1872, and in 1887, subsidies for Indian immigrant ship tickets began, leading to an increasing number of Tamil immigrants to Penang.

Tamil Muslims are called "Mamak" in Malaysia, which comes from the Tamil word for "uncle" (maa-ma). In Malaysia and Singapore, Tamil children often address Tamil male elders this way, especially in Tamil Muslim restaurants, so Malays began to call the entire Tamil Muslim ethnic group "Mamak," where the final "k" is not pronounced in Malay.

Penang's Tamil Muslims are most famous for their "Mamak stall" and "Mamak restaurant" food culture, and one of the oldest century-old Mamak restaurants is Hameediyah Restaurant, which opened in 1907.





The founder of Hameediyah Restaurant was named Mohamed, who came from a Tamil Muslim village in the southernmost state of Tamil Nadu, India. Mohamed came to Penang in 1890, and shortly after, he rented the land where the restaurant is now located. At first, he only used this place to prepare food, and usually carried it on a shoulder pole to sell along the street, which is the famous "Nasi Kandar" (literally "shoulder-pole rice"). In 1907, Mohamed officially founded Hameediyah Restaurant and hired two helpers.

Mohamed learned many Tamil delicacies from his mother when he was young in South India, among which Biryani (spiced rice) and Murtabak (stuffed pancake) were his specialties.

After opening, the diners who came to the restaurant included port immigrant workers, rickshaw pullers, local traders, and government employees, etc. Some diners affectionately called Mohamed and his staff "Mamak." It was also during this period that restaurants opened by South Indian Tamil Muslims in Penang were gradually called Mamak restaurants.

After Mohamed passed away in 1927, his son Kander took over the restaurant, and later his grandson took over, and the restaurant's business was very prosperous. In 1941, Penang suffered a devastating air raid by the Japanese army. Hameediyah Restaurant insisted on staying open during this period and miraculously survived the bombing. In 1945, after Japan was defeated, Kander's grandson, the fourth-generation successor Abu Bakar, took over the restaurant, and later passed it on to his relative Abdul Sukkoor. Today, Abdul Sukkoor's eldest son Seeni Pakir and youngest son Syed Ibrahim have become the restaurant's chefs and are responsible for daily operations.



Nasi Kandar is a delicacy invented by South Indian Tamil Muslims in Penang, which is rice served with various curries of beef, mutton, chicken, fish, shrimp, and side dishes. When Tamil Muslims first arrived in Penang in the 19th century, most of them carried food on shoulder poles to sell along the street, so the food they sold was called "Nasi Kandar." By the 20th century, Tamil Muslims began to open restaurants and stalls, but the name "Nasi Kandar" has been used to this day. This time at Hameediyah Restaurant, I had Biryani Kosong (plain spiced rice) with lamb shank, chicken, and cabbage.





Murtabak is a thick pancake filled with eggs, onions, minced meat, and shrimp. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the way Murtabak is made is basically the same as the way Roti canai (Indian flatbread) is made. The Malaysian version has less meat and more eggs than the Singaporean one. One theory is that Murtabak comes from the Arabic word "Mutabbaq," meaning "folded," so it may have been brought to India by Indian Muslims from Yemen, and then brought to the Malay Archipelago by South Indian Tamil Muslims. Another theory is that Murtabak comes from Kerala, South India, where "muta" means egg and "bar" is an abbreviation for "barota" bread.









6. Chinese Muslims in Penang, Malaysia

Restoran Haji Sharin Low Grand is the largest Chinese Muslim restaurant chain in Southeast Asia, with over 17 branches in Malaysia and Indonesia. The headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, and the founder is Chinese Muslim Tuan Haji Sharin Low.



We ordered Nyonya flower crab, Teochew-style steamed grouper, Low's claypot tofu, and mee sua (wheat vermicelli) soup. They were all delicious~ And in one table of dishes, there were local Nyonya styles, as well as Teochew and Minnan styles, and they were all halal ingredients, which was a great cultural fusion.









After the meal, we chatted with the landlady for a while. The landlady is a local Chinese Muslim. I was very excited to finally be able to communicate face-to-face with this ethnic group that I had previously only learned about in news and papers. The landlady was very enthusiastic and said to come and visit again when we have time. We also learned that the local Chinese mosque in Penang was going to start construction in 2020, so Penang could have a social center for local Chinese Muslims.







7. The Jawi Peranakan community in Penang, Malaysia

Malaysia has a unique ethnic group called Jawi Peranakan, which refers to a Malay-speaking Muslim ethnic group formed after the intermarriage of Indian Muslim (also including Arab and Persian, etc.) men and Malay women. "Jawi" means "Southeast Asian Muslim" in Arabic, and "Peranakan" means "locally born" in Malay.

The Jawi Peranakan community does not prioritize the ethnic group of the other party when getting married, but first looks at the other party's wealth and status. Therefore, after the mid-19th century, the Jawi Peranakan had become the elite class of British Malaya. Jawi Peranakan attached great importance to English education, so many people held positions in the colonial government. At the same time, Jawi Peranakan also attached great importance to cultural development; the first Malay-language newspaper was founded by Jawi Peranakan.

After the 20th century, with the decline of the British Empire, the Jawi Peranakan community began to integrate into the Malays. Today, most Jawi Peranakan are counted as "Malays" by the government. Despite this, the Jawi Peranakan community still strives to pass on its unique culture, which can be reflected in architecture, clothing, jewelry, and food.

Today, the place where you can best experience the Jawi Peranakan culture in Penang is Jawi House Cafe Gallery. This building was originally a Straits Eclectic-style Chinese shophouse built in the 1860s, with Malay-style decorations, and later it was an Indian Muslim coppersmith shop. Armenian Street (Lebuh Armenian, originally named Malay lane) where the shop is located was the earliest settlement area for the Jawi Peranakan community. In 2012, the Karim family, who had lived in Penang for six generations and had Punjabi roots, opened Jawi House here to make the most authentic Jawi Peranakan food.









We ate Cucur Udang (fried shrimp fritters), Nasi Lemuni (chaste tree berry rice), Jawi Chicken Curry, drank Penang Nutmeg and Arabian Sherbet, and also had Sago Pudding for dessert.

Cucur Udang is made by coating shrimp and scallions in flour and deep-frying them, then dipping them in peanut sauce. "Cucur" means fried fritter in Malay, and "Udang" means shrimp.



Nasi Lemuni is rice cooked with coconut milk, lemongrass, and blue Lemuni (chaste tree) flowers, served with fried anchovies and sambal (spicy chili paste). In the past, Lemuni rice was a traditional food for Malay women during their postpartum confinement, and it is said to promote blood circulation.



Jawi Chicken Curry is the Jawi Peranakan version of chicken curry. As a fusion ethnic group, Jawi Peranakan curry is also a fusion version of Indian curry and Malay curry.



Nutmeg is the meaning of nutmeg, and honey and lemon are added to the drink, which is a special way of drinking in Penang, sweet and sour.

Sherbet comes from the Persian word "Sharbat," meaning non-alcoholic sugar water. In medieval Arabia, people liked to add syrup and honey to Sharbat to increase sweetness, and also liked to add various almonds, lemons, apples, pomegranates, tamarinds, dates, sumac berries, musk, and mint. With the spread of Arabs and Persians, Sharbat is now popular in West Asia, South Asia, and the Malay Archipelago, especially during Ramadan. The Arabian Sherbet made by Jawi House is made with rose syrup, mallow nuts, gum arabic, and basil seeds, and the taste is very rich.



The Jawi Peranakan special version of sago pudding is drizzled with coconut cream and rich palm sugar syrup, and then sprinkled with crushed peanuts, which feels very exquisite.



Jawi House exhibits a series of old photos of Penang Jawi Peranakan, as well as paintings of the Penang Muslim community.



8. The Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia

In 1619, the Dutch razed Jakarta under the rule of the Banten Sultanate to the ground and renamed it Batavia, serving as the trading and administrative center of the Dutch East India Company. In 1684, the Dutch East India Company signed a peace treaty with the Banten Sultanate, and many ethnic groups including Malays, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and Bugis began to reclaim and settle in the swamp areas outside the walls of Batavia. After one or two hundred years of integration, these ethnic groups finally formed the Betawi people in the early 20th century.

The Betawi people use a Malay language mixed with Hokkien Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch, called Betawi Malay, which is the only Malay-speaking region on the northern coast of Java. The diet of the Betawi people is also strongly influenced by Indonesian Chinese, Arab, European, local Sundanese, and Javanese diets.

The City Hall built in 1710 in the center of the old city of Batavia has now become the Jakarta History Museum. When I visited the museum in 2019, there was a small area in the courtyard that specifically provided Betawi snacks. I ate Kerak telor (spicy egg crust) and Selendang Mayang (iced drink). It is a great pity that I didn't know at the time that the snacks sold here were Betawi specialties that are hard to eat elsewhere, otherwise I should have tasted every one of them.



Kerak telor is made of glutinous rice and eggs with fried coconut shreds, topped with fried scallions and dried shrimp. In the colonial era, this food could only be eaten at gatherings of Dutch or wealthy Betawi merchants, and it was invented to increase the texture of glutinous rice.

Selendang Mayang is now rarely seen. It is a long-standing Batavia iced drink made from rice flour, vanilla powder, pandan leaves, red sugar syrup, and coconut milk.









9. The Javanese people in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Yogyakarta is an ancient cultural city in central Java, still ruled by a Sultan. In addition to traditional Javanese architecture, Gamelan music, and Wayang shadow puppetry, Yogyakarta also has many Javanese specialties.

nDalem Joyokusuman next to the Yogyakarta Sultan's Palace is the residence of Sultan's Prince Gusti Haryo Haji Joyokusumo, and it is now open as a cultural center and restaurant. I ate Nasi Blawong and Telo ijo here. Nasi Blawong is a specialty of the Sultan of Yogyakarta. It used to be eaten only at the Sultan's birthday banquet, and the reddish Blawong rice used in it is considered sacred. Telo ijo is a cassava pastry drizzled with pandan coconut milk.





nDalem Joyokusuman was built in 1916 during the reign of the eighth Sultan of Yogyakarta, Hamengkubuwono VIII, and has been inhabited by members of the Sultan's family ever since.

Peringgitan is the inner hall behind the large living room, where the prince's family activities take place, and it contains valuable gifts received by the prince.



Sentong Kiwo in Figure 4 was originally a guest room and is now used as an exhibition hall.



The place where Gamelan is performed in the courtyard.



10. The Bantenese people on Java Island, Indonesia

Banten is located at the westernmost tip of Java Island, facing Sumatra across the Sunda Strait. The local residents, the Bantenese, belong to a branch of the Sundanese. In the 16th century, the Banten Sultanate rose to become a maritime trading power in western Java, controlling the pepper trade in Southeast Asia.

The Great Mosque of Banten (Masjid Agung Banten), built in 1566, is a famous Javanese-style mosque. Muslims come to visit every day, and a very lively bazaar has formed around the mosque. I drank Es Campur (iced drink made with coconut milk, red sugar syrup, coconut meat, and fruit jelly) at the bazaar, and also had the simplest street egg noodles, Mie Rebus. Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota) is sold everywhere in the bazaar, which is sweet and delicious. Sapodilla is native to Central America and the Caribbean, introduced to the Philippines by Spanish colonists, and then widely planted in Southeast Asia. It is called sawo in Indonesia.























11. Yunnan Hui Muslims in Chiang Mai, Thailand

There is a Yunnan Hui Muslim community called "Wang He" by the Ping River outside the east gate of the ancient city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. In Thai, "Wang" means village, and "He" originally referred to the horse caravan merchants who came from Yunnan to engage in cross-border trade. From the 19th century to the early 20th century, Yunnan horse caravans controlled the trade route from Yunnan to northern Thailand. They transported tea, silk, hardware, and copperware from Yunnan to northern Thailand, and transported raw cotton and tobacco from northern Thailand back to Yunnan. In 1904, Zheng Chonglin, a Hui Muslim horse caravan merchant from Yuxi, Yunnan, established his own large horse inn in the east of Chiang Mai, which became the base for Yunnan horse caravans in Chiang Mai. Many Yunnan Hui Muslim horse caravan members came to live near the horse inn, and the Wang He community gradually formed.

There are several halal restaurants opened by Yunnan Hui Muslims on Wang He Street. I ate the famous northern Thai curry noodle khao soi at this KAO SOI FUENG FAH restaurant. It is said that this noodle was brought to northern Thailand by Yunnanese people. Slightly spicy noodle soup, sprinkled with sanzi (fried dough strips) and served with raw onions and lemon, the taste is quite good.



















Northern Thai pineapple cakes are very likely produced by the northern Thai isolated army.







12. Korean-speaking Muslims in Itaewon, Seoul

In 1952, the US military stationed in the Korean Peninsula officially established its headquarters in Yongsan, and after 1957 it became the headquarters of the US Forces Korea. To meet the living needs of a large number of US troops stationed in Korea, various foreign restaurants began to appear in Itaewon, not far east of the Yongsan base, and Muslims also began to come to Itaewon to open halal restaurants.

In 1976, President Park Chung-hee provided land to the KMF (Korea Muslim Federation) to build the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, and a halal commercial street was formed in Itaewon. After the 1990s, with Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other places coming to work, the number of Muslims in South Korea reached 150,000. Currently, it is estimated that there are 100,000 Muslims in South Korea, 40,000 of whom are local converts.

Although there are so many Middle Eastern, Indian, and Turkish halal restaurants in Itaewon, the most distinctive one is of course the halal Korean restaurant, and Makan is one of the most famous.



This sister is the chef.



Serving side dishes before eating is a feature of Korean restaurants here.



Grilled fish.



Doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).



Soak the rice in the soup.



Korean-style bibimbap with grilled meat; the meat was covered by an egg, so I didn't take a picture.







Teppanyaki squid with rice cakes.



The person in the front right of the picture is also the chef.



In addition to the main store south of the mosque, Makan also has a store west of the mosque that specializes in Korean fried chicken and jajangmyeon (black bean noodles). The chef is an uncle, and it is the same business as the main store.



Korean-style jajangmyeon, the taste is different from Beijing jajangmyeon, and the noodles are a bit like udon noodles.



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Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Twenty Ethnic Restaurants in China: Halal and Minority Food Guide (Part 2). Qingzhen Huiji is currently the only local traditional halal snack shop on Hong Kong Island. It is useful for readers interested in Ethnic Food, Halal Food, China Travel.





Chinese Muslims in Hong Kong

Qingzhen Huiji is currently the only local traditional halal snack shop on Hong Kong Island. It is located inside the Gwan-Ying Street Market on Bowrington Road in Wan Chai. It is not very easy to find, so if you cannot find it after entering the market, you can ask a local stall owner.





It is said that Qingzhen Huiji has been operating at the Wan Chai Gwan-Ying Bridge for over 60 years, and it moved into the Gwan-Ying Street Market after the market opened in 1979. Qingzhen Huiji's dine-in hours are from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so friends planning to go in the afternoon must arrive early.



Qingzhen Huiji is famous for its traditional hanging-oven roasted duck and Taiye chicken (soy-sauce chicken), as well as their own original curry lamb brisket. To be honest, this is the best curry lamb brisket I have ever eaten; the flavor is exceptionally authentic.











14. The Huihui people of Sanya, Hainan

The Huihui people are a Muslim ethnic group living in Huihui Village and Huixin Village in Sanya City, Hainan, with a population of nearly 10,000. The Huihui language they use belongs to the Austronesian language family and shares the same origin as the Chamic languages of southern Vietnam. The lifestyle of the Huihui people is strongly influenced by local Hainan ethnic groups, but they simultaneously maintain a devout Islamic faith, making them a very unique ethnic group on the southeast coast of China.

Starting from the 10th century, Champa, located in southern Vietnam, fought successive wars with Dai Viet, Chenla (Cambodia), and the Yuan Dynasty. Many Arab and Persian merchants from Champa sailed across the sea to Hainan. The History of Song: Champa contains the earliest record of a Champa person named Pu Luo'e leading over a hundred clansmen to Danzhou, Hainan, to submit to the empire in 986.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Muslims living in Yazhou, Wanzhou, Qiongshan, and other parts of Hainan gradually moved to the Sanya Lifan Village (now Sanya Huixin Village). During the Qing Dynasty, Muslim communities across Hainan experienced Sinicization, Li-ization, or Dan-ization. Sanya Lifan Village became the only Muslim community in Hainan and eventually formed the modern Huihui people.

In addition, some Huihui people came from the mainland. The ancestors of the Ha surname among the Huihui people came from Shaanxi. Later, the whole family moved to Dadan Port in Yazhou, Hainan. During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, they moved to Sanya Lifan Village together with another group of Hui Muslims surnamed Liu.

In Huixin Village, we happened to encounter a banquet being held for a child of the Ha family who was admitted to Tsinghua University.





Watching the Huihui people make traditional coconut rice.

First, you must use old coconuts with thick meat, scrape all the coconut meat into coconut shreds, and then use cheesecloth to squeeze out all the coconut oil.

The rice is steamed using a traditional Li ethnic pottery steamer (tao zeng). After the rice is steamed, the coconut milk and rice are thoroughly mixed together. At this stage, the coconut rice is very firm and chewy.

Then, the mixed coconut rice is steamed a second time in the pottery steamer. At this point, the coconut rice is softer and stickier than in the first stage, and the coconut milk and rice are completely fused together.



















They used beef slaughtered the previous day for Eid al-Adha. First, stew the meat, then add wood ear mushrooms and yuba (dried bean curd sheets). This is a classic main dish at Huihui banquets.













15. The Tatars of Urumqi

The Tatar ethnic group is the smallest ethnic group in China, with only about 3,000 people. Most of the Tatars in Urumqi belong to the Kazan Tatars, who moved here successively from the Kazan area along the Volga River from the 19th century to the early 20th century. At that time, most Tatars were intellectuals or merchants, and they played an important role in promoting the establishment of modern education in Xinjiang.

The Tatar pastry shop in Urumqi is located on the site of a former Russian trading port. A hundred years ago, this was a place where Russians, Tatars, and various Central Asian merchants traded, a bit like Sanlitun in Beijing. The Tatar pastry shop is also a witness to this history.

Their most classic cake consists of six layers of pastry sandwiched with six layers of cream. The pastry is made from milk, eggs, ghee, and honey, without adding water, and it tastes exceptionally fragrant.



















16. The Dongxiang people of Xiaoxihu, Lanzhou

The Dongxiang people are a Muslim ethnic group that uses the Dongxiang language of the Mongolic language family. They are mainly distributed in Dongxiang County, Hezheng County, and Guanghe County in Linxia, Gansu. The loess hills where the Dongxiang people live are relatively barren, so after the 1980s, many people chose to go to Lanzhou to make a living. Xiaoxihu is located at the end of the road from Linxia to Lanzhou, close to the Hui Muslim communities of Xiyuan and Xihu that have formed since the Qing Dynasty. Coupled with the commercial development driven by the Xiaoxihu Yiwu Trade City since the 1990s, Xiaoxihu has become the main residential area for the Dongxiang people in Lanzhou.

The Dongxiang people in Xiaoxihu are most concentrated in Baishu Lane, Jiangouyan, and Shangxiyuan, where you can eat various Dongxiang delicacies.

The owner of Zhonghua Shouzhua Dawang (Zhonghua Hand-Grabbed Mutton King) is named Ma Zhonghua, and it is a very popular Dongxiang hand-grabbed mutton shop in Lanzhou. Drinking sanpaotai (a traditional tea with three ingredients) while eating half a jin (250 grams) of hand-grabbed mutton ribs, a small bowl of lentil sparrow-tongue noodles, and a plate of liangpi (cold skin noodles), I felt very satisfied. This place has a good environment and good service; they refill the water frequently, and of course, the sanpaotai itself is also delicious.





The mutton tastes very authentic; basically, it is one piece of meat with one clove of garlic, and the garlic is also very fragrant.





Liangpi (cold skin noodles)



Lentil sparrow-tongue noodles



Rose sanpaotai; I wanted more after finishing it, so I finally bought a lot at the supermarket to take home.



17. The Tibetan Muslims of Lhasa, Tibet

Today, there are three Muslim ethnic groups in Lhasa: Tibetan-speaking Muslims whose ancestors were from Kashmir, Nepal, etc.; Tibetan-speaking Muslims whose ancestors were from Sichuan, Yunnan, etc.; and Chinese-speaking Muslims who came from Gansu and Qinghai to do business after the 1980s—these are what we often call Kashmiris, Tibetan Muslims, and Gansu-Qinghai Hui Muslims. In the Tibetan language, Muslims are called "Khache," which was translated as "Kaqi" in Qing Dynasty documents, derived from the Tibetan name for Kashmir, "Khache Yul." After the 14th century, Kashmir, west of the Tibetan region, completed its Islamization. Kashmiri Muslims traveled to the Tibetan region for business and settled in Lhasa in the 17th century. After the 18th century, the Qing army began to be stationed in Tibet. The Hui Muslim officers and soldiers in the Qing army stationed in Tibet became the second Muslim ethnic group to arrive in Lhasa.

These Muslims who settled in Lhasa intermarried with local Tibetans for hundreds of years and gradually became "Fan-Kaqi" who speak Tibetan, wear Tibetan clothes, drink butter tea, and live in Tibetan-style houses. "Fan" in Tibetan represents "Tibetan."

Hebalin, where the Lhasa Great Mosque is located, is the main residential area for Tibetan Muslims, and there are some restaurants run by Tibetan Muslims here. Yibire Baozi Shop is a very famous Tibetan Muslim restaurant located in the small alleys of Hebalin.



Tibetan-style sweet tea actually originated from black tea with milk and sugar introduced to India by the British, and it became popular in Lhasa in the early 20th century.





Eating zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)



Red oil dumplings



A Tibetan Muslim teenager wearing Adidas



Basically all local Tibetans







Menu



18. The Paxi Dai of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

The Paxi Dai live in two villages, "Manluan Hui" and "Mansai Hui," in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture. "Man" means "village" in the Dai language. The Paxi Dai call themselves "Paxi," believe in Islam, observe the faith, but speak the Dai language, use the Dai script, and make halal Dai-style food. It can be said that they have maintained their Hui Muslim identity while integrating into Dai culture.

During the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty, Menghai became an important transit point for Yunnan horse caravans traveling to Myanmar and Thailand for business. A Hui Muslim caravan leader named Ma Wulong from Dali came to Menghai and gave the Menghai Zhaomeng (local chieftain) leader Zha Yakun 3 loads of salt, which led the Zhaomeng to agree to set aside a small mountain valley for Ma Wulong to live in. Ma Wulong later married a Dai woman, had a son named Yan Han, and then returned to his hometown. After Yan Han grew up, he also married a Dai woman and had four sons and two daughters, gradually forming the current Paxi Dai village, "Manluan Hui."

There is a restaurant called "Paxi Dai" at the Ganbai Street Night Market in Jinghong, and the landlady is a Paxi Dai from Manluan Hui. The restaurant is by the lake, opposite the famous Starlight Night Market, so you can enjoy the night view while eating.

We ordered a nanmi (Dai-style dipping sauce) platter, stir-fried porcini mushrooms, Dai-style pounded chicken feet, passion fruit stewed tilapia, lemon hand-shredded beef jerky, and beef pineapple rice.

Nanmi is a Dai-style dipping sauce with a sour and spicy flavor, used for dipping fried beef skin, cucumber, and cowpeas. This was my first time eating fried beef skin; the texture is a bit like shrimp crackers, but harder.

The pounded chicken feet were very sour and spicy, and my mouth was burning from eating them. The Dai-style passion fruit stewed fish is very flavorful, comparable to the starfruit sour soup fish of the Sanya Huihui people, but the sourness is stronger; I could only drink a little bit of this soup.

Our whole family liked the beef pineapple rice the most. This kind of fried rice is rare locally, and we thought it was better than any other fried rice we had eaten before.



























19. The Bai Hui of Dali, Yunnan

In the Hui Muslim villages of Jiming, Shipang, and Sanmei in Eryuan County, Dali, because they are located in a Bai ethnic area, the Hui Muslims here speak the Bai language, wear traditional Bai clothing, and their architecture is also strongly influenced by the Bai people, so they are also called "Bai Hui" by outsiders.

A Bai Hui restaurant was discovered in Yousuo Town, Eryuan, opened by a Hui Muslim surnamed Ma from Shipang Village. I ate salty rushan (milk fan cheese) and liangpian (cold sliced meat) at this restaurant. The liangpian was very spicy but extremely fragrant; it was the first time I had eaten liangpian that went so well with rice.









Aunties carrying rushan in the Bai Hui village



20. The Salar people of Xunhua, Qinghai

The Salar people, who speak the Salar language of the Turkic language family, live in Xunhua County, Qinghai, and surrounding areas. In the legends of the Salar people, Ahman and Qarman originally lived in the Samarkand area of Central Asia. Because they were oppressed by the rulers, they led their people across the Tianshan Mountains all the way east and finally settled in Xunhua.

Eating stir-fried beef and jiaotuan (a thick paste made of flour) at a Salar family farmhouse in Xunhua County. Jiaotuan is made by stir-frying flour, adding water to boil, and then adding refined vegetable oil; it tastes very fragrant. Salar households in Xunhua are divided into tea restaurants and farmhouses. The cuisine in tea restaurants is more mixed. If you want to eat authentic Salar food, it is recommended to go to a farmhouse.







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Reposted from the web

Summary: This is Part 1 of Quanzhou Muslim Heritage: The Ding Hui Muslims of Chendai. It preserves the original travel notes and historical details, with images kept in their original order. It is useful for readers interested in Quanzhou Muslims, Hui Muslims, Islamic History.

The Ding family of Chendai is a branch of Hui Muslims living in Chendai Town, Jinjiang, south of Quanzhou city. They arrived in Quanzhou during the Yuan Dynasty, and between the end of the Yuan and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, they moved to Chendai, abandoned commerce for farming, and during the mid-Ming Dynasty, they abandoned their Islamic faith through 'clan-building' and 'imperial examination-oriented' processes; today, most follow the traditional religions of the Minnan region. After the Republic of China era, a small number of the Chendai Ding family returned to the Islamic faith and, after the 1980s, established a mosque and an Islamic association.

Today, one can still see traces left by the Chendai Ding family from various historical periods in Quanzhou. Next to the Lingshan Holy Tomb in the east of Quanzhou city, one can see several traditional Islamic tombstones of the Chendai Ding family from the early Ming Dynasty, which still bear Quranic verses from exactly 600 years ago. In Chendai Town, one can see a series of ancestral halls and ancestral homes built by the Ding family since the Ming and Qing dynasties, which are symbols of the clan-building of the Chendai Ding family. In addition, next to the Ding family ancestral hall is the Chendai Mosque, built in 1990, which is a testament to the small number of Chendai Ding family members who have returned to the Islamic faith since the Republic of China era.

Table of Contents

I. Two Hundred Years of Islam — The Ding Family Cemetery

1. Joint tomb of the first, second, and third generations

2. Tomb of the fourth generation Ding Shan and his wife Zhuang Xiniang

3. Tomb of the fifth generation Ding Mabao and his wives, Pu and Wang

4. Tombs of the fifth generation Ding Guanbao, sixth generation Ding Kuan, and sixth generation Ding Min

5. Tomb of the fifth generation Ding Fubao and his wife Shi Dingniang

6. Tomb of the seventh generation Ding Lun and his wife Zhuang

II. Gradual Change to Conform to Rites — The Ding Family Ancestral Halls

1. The Ding Family Grand Ancestral Hall

2. Yizhai Ding Gong Ancestral Hall

3. Fenxi Ding Gong Ancestral Residence

4. Ding Yanzhong's Jinshi Residence

III. The Reappearance of Islam — Chendai Mosque

I. Two Hundred Years of Islam — The Ding Family Cemetery

According to the genealogy, the first ancestor of the Chendai Ding family, Ding Jin (1251-1298), was originally from Suzhou and settled in Quanzhou due to trade. By the time of the third ancestor, Ding Kui (1298-1379), he brought the fourth ancestor, Ding Shan (1343-1420), from Quanzhou city to Chendai, more than twenty li (a unit of distance) south of the city, but the third ancestor traveled between Suzhou and Quanzhou for trade for a long time and did not settle down until the early Ming Dynasty, when the fourth ancestor truly settled in Chendai.

There are many reasons for the Ding family's move to Chendai, the main one being that the Quanzhou port declined at the end of the Yuan and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, trade was cut off, and the Ding family had no business to conduct, so they chose to abandon commerce for farming, coming to Chendai for tidal flat work and rice cultivation.

The Islamic faith of the Chendai Ding family was maintained for ten generations, spanning more than two hundred years from the 13th to the 16th century. The tenth generation Ding Yanxia, born around 1517, recorded in his 'Zujiao Shuo' (Discourse on Ancestral Religion) the Islamic customs he experienced in his childhood in great detail. However, according to calculations, by the eighth to ninth generations, the Chendai Ding family no longer valued scripture education:

'The shroud is not layered, the coffin is not made of wood, and burial does not exceed three days. The mound is like a horse's mane and shallow, mourning clothes are made of cotton, no ancestral tablets are set up for worship, and no offerings are arranged. For prayer times, at sunset, they gather and face west to pray to Allah. They fast once a year, eating when they see the stars in the morning and evening, and remaining hungry throughout the day. They offer only incense and flowers to the divine, do not set up wine or fruit, and do not burn paper offerings. They recite the pure scriptures, imitating the transmitted foreign sounds, without understanding the meaning, nor seeking to understand it, and use them for both auspicious and inauspicious occasions. Animals must be slaughtered by their own butchers before being eaten, and pork is not consumed. They bathe constantly, for they dare not approach the divine otherwise. They prefer cotton clothing over silk, generally valuing brightness and cleanliness. This is what I, Xia, saw in my youth. ”

The existing Islamic relics of the Chendai Ding family are the several Ming Dynasty Islamic tombstones within the Lingshan Holy Tomb.

1. Joint tomb of the first, second, and third generations

Before the Ding family established their base in Chendai, the first, second, and third generations were all buried at Lingshan, east of Quanzhou city. Lingshan was the main burial area for Muslims in Quanzhou during the Song and Yuan dynasties, built in 1162 by the Song Dynasty Arab merchant Shi Nawei. It was called the 'Foreign Merchant Tomb' during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

After the fourth generation Ding Shan established the base in Chendai, he entrusted the ancestral tombs to others for management. Later, the son of the second manager, Xu Fen, named Xu Fu, continuously encroached on the ancestral tomb land, and the Ding family endured it in silence. It was not until 18 years later, in 1505, that the eighth generation Ding Yi passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and after returning to his hometown, he filed a lawsuit and finally reclaimed the ancestral tomb land.

During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, the descendants of the Ding family buried the first, second, and third generation ancestors together. In 1993, due to the need for road construction, a large number of Chendai Ding family tombstones were moved from outside the East Gate of Quanzhou, Luyuan, and other places to the Lingshan Holy Tomb; the current joint tomb of the first, second, and third generations was also rebuilt during this period. The tombstones and monuments seen now are not the originals. The Chendai Ding family has legends from the Ming Dynasty that their ancestor was the Yuan Dynasty politician Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, so the cemetery is inscribed with words stating they are descendants of a saint.



















2. Tomb of the fourth generation Ding Shan and his wife Zhuang Xiniang

Ding Shan (1343-1420), courtesy name Yanren, pseudonym Ren'an, followed his father from Quanzhou to Chendai at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and officially established the base in Chendai at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, founding the Chendai Ding clan. His wife, Zhuang Xiniang, courtesy name Runxiu, was the sixth-generation granddaughter of Zhuang Xia, who was enfeoffed as a founding baron and junior preceptor in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Zhuang family was prominent in the late Southern Song Dynasty but gradually declined after the Yuan Dynasty, and their relatives left Quanzhou one after another; only Zhuang Xiniang's father still lived in the Zhuang mansion south of the city. At that time, the Ding family and the Zhuang family were neighbors, so they became husband and wife, and shortly after the marriage, Ding Shan and his father moved to Chendai. The Ding family's move to Chendai was likely related to Zhuang Xiniang, because near Chendai at that time was Qingyang, where the Zhuang clan lived, a powerful clan known as the 'Qingyang Zhuang family'.

Ding Shan and Zhuang Xiniang were originally buried in Luyuan, east of Quanzhou city; 'Luyuan' means 'Paradise', which is the 'Garden' (Jannah) in the Quran. The tomb is a traditional Islamic chlorite tomb, with two sumeru-pedestal style five-layer tombstones placed on a sumeru-pedestal altar platform. The first layer of the tombstone has six gnomon feet, carved with ruyi (auspicious) patterns; The second layer is carved with continuous scrolling patterns; The third layer is carved with overlapping lotus patterns; The fourth layer is carved with Quranic verses; The fifth layer is a curved arch-shaped tombstone top. Behind the tombstone is a monument erected in 1910.

The verses on the tombstone are from the Quran, Chapter 2, Verse 255.









3. Tomb of the fifth generation Ding Mabao and his wives, Pu and Wang

Ding Mabao (1366-1431), courtesy name Shilong, pseudonym Yi'an, was the eldest son of the fourth generation Ding Shan who established the base in Chendai, and the founding ancestor of the main branch of the Chendai Ding family; he was originally buried with his two wives in the Chengui Baoxue (a geomantically auspicious site) on Daping Mountain, east of Quanzhou city.



4. Tombs of the fifth generation Ding Guanbao, sixth generation Ding Kuan, and sixth generation Ding Min

Ding Guanbao (1369-1436), courtesy name Shifu, pseudonym Chengzhai, was the second son of Ding Shan and the founding ancestor of the second main branch of the Chendai Ding family. He was originally buried at the foot of Shuiuniulin, east of Quanzhou city.

Ding Kuan (1395-1446), courtesy name Tingyu, pseudonym Longyin, was the second son of Ding Guanbao and was originally buried to the left of Ding Shan's tomb in Luyuan Mountain.

Ding Min (1407-1456), courtesy name Tingxue, pseudonym Yizhai, was the fourth son of Ding Guanbao and was originally buried at the foot of Shuiuniulin, east of Quanzhou city. Ding Min was the earliest local worthy among the Chendai Ding family to promote literary education.







5. Tomb of the fifth generation Ding Fubao and his wife Shi Dingniang

Ding Fubao (1375-1432), courtesy name Shizhang, pseudonym Yingjie, was the third son of Ding Shan and the founding ancestor of the third main branch of the Chendai Ding family, buried at Lingshan, east of Quanzhou city. The tomb consists of two sumeru-pedestal stone tombs placed on a traditional Islamic sumeru-pedestal altar platform, with swastikas and double lions playing with a pearl carved on the waist of the platform.











6. Tomb of the seventh generation Ding Lun and his wife Zhuang

Ding Lun (1442-1485), courtesy name Zhaorui, was the third son of the sixth generation Ding Xin.







For information on the Ming Dynasty Islamic tombstones of the Chendai Ding family, see 'Quanzhou Religious Stone Carvings'.



II. Gradual Change to Conform to Rites — The Ding Family Ancestral Halls

By the mid-16th century, the religious customs of the Chendai Ding family had undergone significant changes; Ding Yanxia recorded in 'Zujiao Shuo':

'Later, shrouds were layered, coffins were made of wood, and burials were delayed. Mourning clothes were half cotton, ancestral tablets were set up, mounds were large, offerings were arranged, animals were fat, and prayers to Allah were rare. Fasting disappeared, and animals did not have to be slaughtered by their own butchers. Clothing was made of silk, bathing was not required for approaching the divine, wine and fruit were set out, and cotton and silk were burned for other gods, though not for ancestors. The offering of incense and flowers remained as before. ”

Finally, by the late 16th century, the Chendai Ding family had completely abandoned Islam; 'Zujiao Shuo' records:

'Now, when worshipping ancestors, some burn cotton and silk, animals do not have to be slaughtered by their own butchers, mourning clothes are all made of hemp without cotton, burials are delayed for more than ten years, Taoist priests and Buddhist monks are used for auspicious and inauspicious occasions, and pork is eaten. ”

According to folklore, the Chendai Ding family began eating pork in 1592 when the eleventh generation Ding Qijun, who became a Jinshi, was gifted food by the Wanli Emperor. However, the statement by the twelfth generation Ding Qing in 'Jiyi Jiyan' (Records of Sacrificial Rites) in 1698 is more credible:

'Fenxi Gong (Ding Yi) was the first to enter the official ranks, and he worshipped his ancestors according to the rites of a high official, not daring to violate the Islamic faith. But the three generations of Huai Gong (Ding Zishen), Wuting Gong (Ding Rijn), and Zhechu Gong (Ding Qijun) all passed the imperial examinations, and the family's reputation grew, while the Islamic faith almost ceased. ”

The Chendai Ding family began their official careers starting with the eighth generation Ding Yi, and by the tenth generation, 20 people had become Jinshi; these people used Confucian ethics and principles as their standard everywhere, which had an important impact on the Chendai Ding family and accelerated the dissolution of the Islamic faith. This is what Ding Yanxia referred to as 'gradually conforming to the rites', living according to Confucian behavioral standards. Wang Ke's book 'The Vanishing "Nationals"' provides an in-depth discussion of the 'clan-building' and 'imperial examination-oriented' processes of the Chendai Ding family; interested friends can take a look.



1. The Ding Family Grand Ancestral Hall

The most important sign of the Chendai Ding family's departure from Islam was the reconstruction of the Ding family ancestral hall in 1561. The early Ding family ancestral hall is presumed to have been built in the early 15th century, was destroyed by war in 1561, was rebuilt shortly after under the leadership of Ding Yi and Ding Zishen, and was rebuilt and expanded again by Ding Rijn in 1599 to its current scale.

The ancestral hall enshrines the spirit tablets of the first to fifth generation ancestors and ancestors who held titles and merits, but initially, there were no spirit tablets; instead, there were small wooden screens handwritten by the eighth generation Ding Yi (1472-1521) listing the first to fourth generation ancestors.

In 1561, the Ding family ancestral hall was destroyed due to 'Japanese pirate disturbances', and in 1562, Ding Yanxia initiated the formulation of the 'Sacrificial Covenant', which officially determined the way the Chendai Ding family worshipped their ancestors. The 'Sacrificial Covenant' mentions 'kneeling in order to offer incense, bowing four times to the spirits, and kneeling to offer wine', which was already completely in line with traditional Chinese customs.











In addition to the Grand Ancestral Hall, the Chendai Ding family has many small ancestral halls and ancestral homes for worshipping ancestors. The 6 small ancestral halls are the 'Yi'an Ding Gong Ancestral Hall' for the fifth generation Ding Mabao, the 'Zhongzhai Ding Family Ancestral Hall' for the sixth generation Ding Xin, the 'Yizhai Ding Gong Ancestral Hall' for the sixth generation Ding Min, the 'Dunpu Ding Gong Ancestral Hall' for the seventh generation Ding Chang, the 'Gusu Ding Gong Ancestral Hall' for the eighth generation Ding Gui, and the 'Daozhen Ding Gong Ancestral Hall' for the twelfth generation Ding Shibo. The establishment of small ancestral halls is usually for the prosperity of the descendants of a specific branch, built to bring honor to the ancestors.

Below the small ancestral halls are ancestral homes, which enshrine the ancestors of the branch and their descendants, formed as descendants multiplied and families branched out; there are about 200 of them.

2.

Yizhai Ding Gong Ancestral Hall

The sixth generation Ding Min (1407-1456), courtesy name Tingxue, pseudonym Yizhai, was the earliest local worthy among the Chendai Ding family to promote literary education.





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