Shafquat Arefeen provides a 5-7 day guide to Beijing for Muslim travellers.
As China’s capital city, and its political centre for almost 800 years, Beijing is a fusion of a rich cultural and historical legacy, and modern urbanism, ambition and achievement. With a history than spans three millennia, it is perhaps no surprise that the city boasts seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Though known as a staunch atheist state, many would be surprised to learn that Islam has a history here that goes back to the seventh century. Today, a quarter of a million Muslims live in and around Beijing, with Nu Jie historically serving as the city’s Muslim quarter. Halal food is also available in most areas of the city.
Ibn Battuta visited Beijing in the 14th century, referring to it as Khan-Baliq “one of the largest towns in the world.” He wrote that upon arrival by boat, they were required to moor 10 miles outside the city, send a letter to the admirals and then await permission to enter the port. He stayed with an individual by the name of Shaykh Burhan ad-Din of Sagharj, who was placed by the ruler “at the head of all the Muslims who live in his territories, and gave him the title of Sadr al-Jihan.” (1)
In this article I will breakdown places to visit, eat and shop, and give general advice for Muslim travellers visiting Beijing. To get everything done at a good pace, I would recommend allowing 5-7 days in the city (including a day trip to X’ian).
What To See
Beijing has a circular layout, with numerous ring roads throughout the city. A good place to start is at the centre with the Forbidden City and Tiān’ānmén Square.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is a palace complex that served as the home of emperors and the political centre of the country for more than five centuries. There are hundreds of buildings within the 180 acre site, including the Palace Museum, which houses artefacts from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
The Bell and Drum Towers
First built in the 13th century, the Zhonglou (Bell) and Gulou (Drum) towers were used as the official city timekeepers until 1924. They provide panoramic views of Beijing, including the Forbidden city.
If you only have time for one, go for the Bell Tower- it not only provides a view of the Drum Tower, but you can also find the Bell Tower Tea House on its ground floor.
Tiān’ānmén Square
One of the largest city squares in the world, Tiān’ānmén is named after “The Gate of Heavenly Peace”, which separates the square from the Forbidden City. It has served as the site of official mass gatherings, and is significant historically as the place of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and numerous other political events. To enter the square, visitors are required to under-go a security check, and within the square itself, a number of museums can be accessed (there are also statues and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall). Just bear in mind that though it is worth visiting for its iconic status, if you are looking for a laid-back atmosphere and a place to roam about freely, this is not it.
Niu Jie
Known as the Muslim quarter of the city, you can find everything here from halal food to places to pray.
The Niu Jie Mosque is the oldest in Beijing. First built in 996 AD, during the Liao Dynasty, the building was destroyed by the armies of Genghis Khan in 1215, then rebuilt in 1443 during the Ming Dynasty. Whilst the exterior of the building is not dissimilar to traditional Chinese temples, the interior is decorated with Arabic calligraphy.
Two graves belonging to Muslim Arab shaykhs can also be found within the giant mosque complex. The inscription gives the names of the men, ‘al-Bukhari’ and ‘al-Qazweeni’ in Chinese and Arabic, and states that one died in 1280 and the other in 1283. The original tombstones with Arabic inscriptions are on display behind the current tombstones.
There are lots of halal places to eat in the neighbourhood of the mosque, which interestingly, was known for halal beef vendors even during the Qing Dynasty. A good place to eat (a favourite of mine!) is the Jubaoyuan Hot Pot– just be sure to get there early as it gets crowded quickly! You can also pick up Chinese Islamic souvenirs at the local supermarket Niu Jie Qingzhen Supermarket Food City.
Another place to check out is Honbinlou on the corner of Baiwanzhuang Street and Zhanlanguan Road. Many famous Muslims have visited this beautiful restaurant to try the mouth-watering delicacies, including Beijing’s famous Peking Duck.
The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu)
As one of the best known historical landmarks in the world, you can’t visit Beijing and not go to see the Great Wall of China. Sections of the Wall, north of Beijing, have been preserved and restored for people to visit and walk along, though other parts away from tourist centres are in disrepair. Of the sections that have been restored, those closer to Beijing can be very crowded with tourists. After doing some research, we decided to visit Mutuanyu which lies 73km from Beijing. We hired a driver to visit this part of the wall, which lies a densely wooded area, is fully restored and has fewer visitors- which meant that we often had parts of the wall all to ourselves- which makes for a great ‘gram 😉
The earliest parts of the Wall are believed to have been built as far back as the 7th century BC; they were a series of fortifications built on the northern borders of China to protect against outside invasion. The individual fortifications were later joined together and collectively became known as the Great Wall. The majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Ibn Battuta, who visited China around 1346, during the Yuan Dynasty, mentioned the Wall in his travelogue, which he had heard of even before setting out for China. Though he didn’t manage to visit it, he wrote that it is “sixty days travel’ from Zeitun (modern day Quanzhou) to the “rampart of God and Magog”, thereby associating it with the wall mentioned in the Qur’an and built by Dhul Qarnayn. (2)
Outside Beijing
A short flight from Beijing is the city of Xi’an, one of the oldest cities in China. You can also take a high speed train and get there in 8 hours. Xi’an has a large Muslim community, and was the first Chinese city to be introduced to Islam as early as 651 AD.
There are seven mosques in the city, but the one that you simply must visit is the Great Mosque. Built in 742 AD it is, somewhat surprisingly, one of the oldest surviving and earliest established mosques in the world. Like the Niu Jie mosque, it incorporates traditional Chinese architectural traits in its design.
Another thing not to miss in Xi’an, is the Terracotta Army. The collection, made up of thousands of terracotta sculptures is thought to be 2000 years old! The sculptures were buried with emperor Qin Shi Huang in 210–209 BCE to protect him in his afterlife. They are contained in a number of pits at the archaeological site.
Shopping
The suggested price isn’t always the price you have to pay when shopping in Beijing. There are few things as satisfying as being able to haggle your way down and snag something for less than you’d normally pay for it. For myself, it was getting new wool fitted suits at the New Silk Alley Market, for nearly a third of the price it would have cost me at home.
There are quite a few markets around Beijing, which are actually giant shopping malls where you can bargain with the seller to get a great deal. Don’t be afraid to start low, even asking for 90% off. Ultimately, if the retailor is making a profit, they’ll agree to the new lower price. Look at it like practising a sunnah (like the early Muslim traders along the Silk Route) just in a modern setting 😉 We picked up a lot of gifts for our friends and family here, and once the long day of shopping was over, we ended it off with a nice, affordable foot massage!
Food
As mentioned earlier, Beijing boasts a huge Muslim population so, even with the language barrier, it can be pretty easy to find halal food in major parts of the city.
Aside from the places already mentioned in Niu Jie, in Wangfujing (the major shopping street with world reknown brands) you can visit halal franchise restaurants like Dong Lai Shun or Western Mahua. The latter is a Chinese fast food style restaurant with traditional dishes you might not find in the more upscale restaurants.
General Advice
Accommodation
Book a hotel close to a subway station as this will be your primary source of transportation. The closer to the city centre the better. We stayed at the Red Wall Garden Boutique Hotel. It is located in the historic neighbourhood of Shijia Hutong and is within walking distance of The Forbidden City. The complimentary breakfast was great as well!
Visa
Get a Visa! Most countries require a visa to visit China. The process is straightforward, but details on where you’re planning on staying and how long you’ll be there are required.
Getting Around
Create a map when planning your trip, including all the places you plan on visiting (and eating if possible); you can see mine here. Sites like Muslim2China give western visitors some great starting points since it can be difficult to navigate Chinese websites. GoogleMaps is blocked in China, which can make navigating the city a little difficult, so be prepared in advance.
Having said the above, sometimes the best experiences are unplanned; if you’re up for it, simply wander through your neighbourhood and see what you discover!
Have a map of the Beijing subway on your phone. It has 20 different lines but thankfully has English translations, and is really affordable. If you must take a taxi, make sure you ask what the price is going to be ahead of time (if it isn’t metered).
Phone and Internet
Get a data plan if you want to use the internet to help you navigate the city.
Get a good VPN (virtual private network) that can be used with both a browser and mobile app. Most non-Chinese apps are blocked in China (as are countless sites you probably use frequently; you can check here), so a VPN will be useful (to find out how, read this). We used Express VPN as it had a free trial and worked across multiple devices, but there are other options available.
I left Beijing knowing that I wanted to return one day. It is a city that manages to provide its people (who, by the way, were friendly and welcoming) with modern amenities and transportation but still has a visible thousand-plus year-old historical legacy (though sadly, the fast pace of change is threatening this somewhat). It has a lot to offer Muslim travellers, including an Islamic heritage that goes all the way back to the 7th century. Oh, and there is halal food 🙂
Footnotes
(1) Trans. H.A.R. Gibb, “The Travels of Ibn Battuta”, p. 298.
(2) ibid, p. 290.
