Chinese Muslims and Moped Cabs

Sunday, June 27
Our day started out with a trip to the Grand Mosque. Up until a few years ago, I did not know about the minority Muslim Chinese people. The early Muslims traveled here on the Silk Road, and brought their faith with them. Their architecture, their dress… even their food is an interesting blend of their Muslim heritage and the surrounding Chinese culture. Two Muslim boys ran through the courtyard, wearing their traditional caps to cover their heads, and played Kung Fu. A sign atop a pagoda in the mosque garden read, in Chinese characters, purity (one) faith- expressing the central Muslim belief in one god. Our lunch in a Muslim restaurant featured mutton (lamb), a staple of middle-eastern Muslim food, and noodles, favorite Northern Chinese food. It was delicious.
Since our afternoon was free, we headed to a Taoist temple, which was fascinating. But the cab ride back was a study in Chinese culture. No cabbie would agree to take us. Not speaking Chinese, we did not understand why. A nice gentleman explained to us that the cabbies were in the middle of shift change. No one wanted to take a group of Americans far away from their area right before the end of their shift. We finally convinced a moped cab driver to take us. Once settled in to the tiny benches and cage attached to the back of a moped, we ventured out into the crazy Chinese traffic, where traffic rules and tiny things like lane markers are never any obstacle for the Chinese drivers. One of my fellow teachers asked, “What is this we are riding in?” I’m pretty sure it is not street legal in the U.S., but we survived and enjoyed the ride, as the smaller vehicle made it possible for us to drive down some narrow streets and the breeze through the cab was delightful on this hot day.
Gift idea for the day: Brazil soccer jerseys. The World Cup is HUGE here. Another teacher and I have been looking for China national team jerseys to bring home for souvenirs. Wherever you go, you can find Brazil, Germany, and Italy, but no China. Sold out, perhaps? No. When we asked at a shop for “China Football jerseys”? Several shop attendants bust out in hysterical laughter. Finally someone explained, “China team, very bad. No one wear this. You buy Brazil?” By the way, Chinese national badminton and table tennis jerseys are readily available.