By Amina Liu, Halal China Tours
Huxi Mosque is among the most historical and most important mosques in Shanghai. Located on Changde Road, the white dome architecture was the first moque in Shanghai to be renovated after the People’s Republic of China was founded.
Every Friday, the mosque gathers a large Muslim population for the Jumah prayer. On Eid, tens of thousands Muslims in Shanghai join the prayer and celebrate the festival here.
This is the mosque we recommend for every Muslim traveling to Shanghai. And, we recommend you to go there on a Friday. Go on the empty stomach. After finishing your Jumah prayer, leave through the back door on the Aomen Road. Why?
Here awaits Shanghai’s largest Muslim bazaar! Halal food with various origins is freshly made on kiosks here. The lamb skewers are super tender and juicy. The naan bread is taken out directly from the traditional stone stove. The Uyghur uncles skillfully pull the dough into noodles and the aunties mix the rice with the roasted lamb. It is like a big halal feast. On some kiosks people wait for 10 minutes for 2 steam-fried beef dumplings.
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But what we love best is the real Islamic spirit here. On a small kiosk we bought a cup of date juice for RMB10 ($1.5). While we stood there to finish our drink, we saw the lady owner giving the juice to the beggars. It was a hot day, the beggars kept coming back for drink, every time they came, she gave.
On another kiosk, we were waiting for the naan while a male customer was in front of us and chatting with the business owner. He ordered 2 naans, but when the bread was ready, the owner wrapped half a dozen and gently pushed him out when he tried to return the extras. The owner noticed our curious look and simply explained, “His daughter is sick.”.
As we wandered in the street, we passed another kiosk selling nuts. The owner was an old Uyghur gentleman who didn’t speak mandarin Chinese or English. He gestured to my husband to ask how much he would sell the tasbih he was wearing. It was a tasbih from Western Africa, quite unique in look. My husband gladly took it off and gave as a gift. We insisted not taking any money and quickly made our move.
When we almost walked out of the street, a young man stopped us from behind, and handed us a bag full of walnuts, saying the old gentleman gave them as the gift back. 4 months later when we went back to Shanghai and visited that kiosk again, the old gentleman was still there. He recognized us immediately and pointed the tasbih on his neck with a grin. He even called out all his families to exchange greetings with us.
Huxi Mosque’s address is: No. 3, Lane 1328, Changde Road, Shanghai.
5 minutes walk from Metro Line 7 Changshou Road Station; Metro Line 3 & 4, Zhenping Road Station.
Make sure to visit it when you are in Shanghai, and explore the bazaar on Friday– Try some food, make some friends and enrich the Muslim experience.
Halal China Tours is a unique caravan for the global Muslim demographic, encompassing all ages and backgrounds; providing a stimulating travel experience for the globetrotting and culture savvy explorer.