Exploring Niujie, Beijing's Oldest Muslim Quarter During Ramadan

Niujie, Beijing’s oldest Muslim quarter in Xicheng District, about five kilometres from the city centre, grows busier and more vibrant during Ramadan with halal food bazaars and worship activities at the capital’s oldest mosque. Niujie has been known as a Muslim settlement in Beijing for more than a thousand years. The area is home to around 10,000 Muslims from the Hui minority who maintain Chinese cultural traditions in their daily lives.

‘There are many halal foods along Niujie Street, and the atmosphere is like a Ramadan bazaar in Indonesia, but with Chinese halal dishes. We also want to experience the iftar atmosphere and Maghrib prayers at the first mosque in Beijing,’ said Akbar Rayzen, a Master’s student at Tsinghua University from Bandung, who was interviewed by Antara in the Niujie area last week.

Akbar arrived with two friends from Solo and Riau. He said he was keen to feel the bustle of seeking takjil and the sense of togetherness when breaking fast with the local Muslim community, which is seldom encountered in Beijing.

Along about a kilometre of streets in the area, halal shops and eateries line the roads, selling Hui ethnic dishes such as beef noodle, lamb bao, goat kidney satay, and mooncakes filled with five kinds of nuts. Food prices start from six yuan or around Rp14,000.