Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter
During the era of the silk road, Muslim traders settled in a section of Xi’an. Their descendents are still there, living in their own section of town. They consider themselves to be Chinese, but they have maintained the faith of the ancesctors for centuries upon centuries. Walking down their street, it felt like I was transported to Old Shanghai – or at least the way I always imagined it to be. A narrow brick street, lined with thin, decorative trees. On each side, one story gray brick buildings stretched all the way down the block, topped with traditional tile roofs. Each shop sold it’s individual speciality – dried fruits, nuts, noodles, etc. There were Muslim restaurants that were a fusion of Chinese ingredients with Arabic spices and techniques. The residences of this quarter work with the rest of the city and have friends who are Han Chinese (Han is the ethnic majority of China), but for all this time they have maintained their own lifestyle in the Muslim quarter. Although they interact with the Han Chinese as friends and coworkers, they never share a meal together. By tradition they will only eat with each other. By the way, under the one child policy they are considered an ethnic minority so they can have two children.
