Linxia - a very Muslim town

From Hohhot, we head west to Linxia in Gansu province. It's a bit out of the way as it's not exactly in the rail network but getting there wasn't that difficult. Linxia is not exactly on the tourist trail and there's not much here but we were attracted to Linxia by the lure of it's Muslimness. We all know that there are millions of them scattered around in China and that Islam came to China through the Silk Road. But what of their language, their custom and their culture? Who are these Muslims who have long lived in obscurity from the rest of the Muslim world?

That guy with skullcap was the imam who helped us to get to Linxia.

On the train we were lucky to be placed in the same carriage with a group of Chinese imams who were heading back to their hometown Linxia. They happily greeted us and were pleased to have met Muslims from far-flung places. What's more, Usman's being a European Muslim must've ignited such a curiosity. Both sides tried to engage in conversation but our Chinese was too basic. The imams were a funny and loud (but never over-the-top) bunch and for their advanced age it seemed odd. Hardly the image of a restraint character you would expect from people of their stature. These imams are pretty well-travelled, they speak Arabic fluently (at least that's what we thought) and told us to learn it - we felt slightly inadequate. One imam had lived in both Saudi and Pakistan and are able to speak Urdu. It was pretty surreal to see Usman and a Chinese person spoke Urdu. Another had studied in an imam-training college for Chinese nationals in Malaysia. Apart from counting 1 to 3 in Malay, he couldn't speak it (he said Malaysian place names in Chinese, which was funny. "Kuala Lumpur - Jilompo").

When we arrived in Lanzhou, the imams helped us to get to Linxia. Instead of getting the bus which was cheaper, they decided to take the taxi as this would be easier for us. One even helped us right till we checked in and have put all our bags in our room. He gave us his number in case we needed any help.

Even before arriving in Linxia we were struck by the sheer number of mosques in the region. We saw almost a hundred mosques just on the way to the town. The two imams that were in the same taxi as us must've thought we were being a bit weird for getting a bit excited every two seconds. As we move closer to the town, the Muslim character began to dominate every part of the landscape. More and more men wear skullcaps ("topi" as Usman call it, normal people call it kopiah) and women with headscarf - some wear a distinct Chinese-style hijab and many with the Malaysian-style tudung.

In one of the many mosques in Linxia. This one in particular is one of the most beautiful I've seen.

Linxia itself feels like a Muslim country, but still remarkably Chinese. The skyline is dominated by mosques, everyone wears a skullcap or hijab, almost everything here is halal but they have deeply assimilated into a Chinese identity. It's bustling place with commerce and summer produce lining up all the streets. It's not exactly Shanghai but not deprived as well. I'm glad Muslims here are doing quite well.




Linxia rarely gets foreign visitors, so it was natural that we got stared at all the time here. Although when we were there, we met a group of Americans, which surprised both us (and them). The Americans thought we were English-speaking Uighurs. Don't blame them, we confused everyone on this trip, our identities aren't easy to figure out. But unsurprisingly, being Muslims most people in Linxia knew Usman is Pakistani and I'm Malaysian. One old guy kept on saying "Malayu! Malayu!" whenever I walk past his antique shop.

-Ihsan