What was I doing there?
To give you a little background to this ordeal, I was in Beijing in the summer of 2019 for 14 weeks. It was a temporary work project. I opted to travel alone. And the first 3 and a half weeks of that period just happened to be Ramadan too.
What was it like fasting in Beijing?
In terms of weather, it was of course a lot warmer than England. But as always, after a few days you get used to the weather and environment you’re in when fasting. So, the fasting act itself wasn’t so difficult or any different to how it is at home.
What did you have to open your fast with?
Halal food is readily available – you’ll find at least one halal joint in each neighbourhood. So, food wise it wasn’t an issue either. And it was super delicious too! But more specifically for Ramadan – after discovering a mosque that was located about 20 minutes away from me, I realised that there’s this wonderful Ramadan tradition. Basically, local families cook home cooked food, bring it to the mosque before sunset and serve anyone and everyone who comes to the mosque for Iftar (opening of the fast). This included local Hui Chinese Muslims and foreigners from many parts of the world. It was a wonderful sight as people from all walks of life and all parts of the world came together round one table to break their fast. The local families would serve something different every day – this was the perfect opportunity to sample some local delicacies. Halal and homemade!! Win win! This included the Beijing classic – Zhajiangmian and also the best meat baozis I have ever had! More on the food under one of your questions below. So, some nights I broke my fast at the mosque and other nights the 7/11 convenience store came to the rescue! 7/11 need to come to England… seriously! They deserve a post of their own though.
Was I able to pray in a mosque?
There are plenty of mosques scattered around the city. Thankfully, I wasn’t too far away from one. And walking there just before sunset proved to be a nice walk to be fair – as the weather was more pleasant at that time. Also, did check out a couple other mosques including the oldest one in China (built in 996!!!) – I broke my fast their one night too. This was in the Niujie area (read more about that here).
How were the people?
I would get a lot of stares and I mean A LOT! Intense stares! It was a little overwhelming at times and on some nights it did deter me from even coming out of my apartment. However, the stares were never malicious, they were just very curious stares. And I assume it’s just not rude in that culture to stare (and sometimes point and laugh). Others would get photographed and filmed too!! Thankfully, I didn’t get that that much. Bringing it back to Ramadan though, the people I met at the mosque were wonderful people. Even though most of us did not speak the same language, there was love, compassion and I was welcomed into their community with open arms. I did meet one person who spoke excellent English. We became good friends and are still in touch. He invited me to a family Iftar gathering (I wish I had taken pictures of the food on show here!!!) and I also had Iftar with him at one of his favourite restaurants. He showed me some true gems in Beijing during and after Ramadan.
What did I miss the most?
Family. Even though the community feeling was there at the mosque. Language was a massive barrier. So, communication or a lack of it made the simplest of tasks extremely difficult. Also, I wasn’t able to get to the mosque every evening. Which meant that I’d be breaking my fast all alone in my apartment (sad).
Your questions:
Would Chinese people ask to take pics with you?
Yes lol. Particularly in the tourist spots. One time I literally had a queue of people waiting to take pictures with me. No lie. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually liked it haha – wierdly made me feel famous.
Was it difficult to communicate with family back home?
For those that don’t know, many forms of social media and the internet is not accessible legally in China. That means, no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, YouTube, Google!! I know. I know you’re thinking… how did you survive!? VPN is the way round that hurdle, but the connection was poor most of the time, so even that didn’t work. Communication was difficult, yes. Also, Zoom helped (this was back when Zoom was some unknown video conferencing tool).
What is the traditional Iftar meal in Beijing?
In the mosques, it was dates, fruits (watermelons being very popular) and some sweet snacks to start off with. Then we would pray, then it would be the main meal – usually a meat dish and a tofu dish with either rice or noodles. Baozis were very popular and I can sense the excitement when it was baozi day. Oh the jasmine tea… wow… I never was a fan, but I was truly converted. Sooo good!! Also, there was this white milky kind of drink which absolutely stank – I couldn’t finish it tbh. Apparently, its very popular with the older generation. I think it was some kind of a bean juice (read more about it here). In the family Iftar I was invited – there was a maaasive round table full of all sorts of food. So much. Probably too much. I didn’t take pictures and unfortunately I don’t remember much of what was eaten.
What was it like being a Muslim in China?
An excellent question that probably requires a separate post. But briefly, I don’t think my religion affected how people treated me or stared at me, it’s just because I was foreign to them. Practising anything that you believe in is easier when you have like minded people around you, so this was tough. This was a completely alien culture I entered into and one that was definitely eye opening and made me appreciate the diversity the England.
