This past week, two of my friends came to Shanghai for GW’s spring break, and I had an absolutely marvelous time introducing them to my new home.
We went to a number of cool places, some of them typical touristy destinations, and some pretty atypical places. One interesting pace that we ended up at was SongJiang mosque, a Sunni Muslim mosque 20 miles outside downtown Shanghai. The mosque was one of the most beautiful places I have been in Shanghai, it was secluded and full of beautiful gardens. The mosque itself included all characteristics of a Muslim mosque, however its architecture reflects the Ming Dynasty, the period when it was built, around 1391. A mix of Chinese and Arabic writing decorated the prayer halls, graves, and signs, which to me was an interesting combination to see as the Middle East does not have a big cultural influence in Shanghai. Islam in China is a really interesting topic.
It is not a very common religion for Chinese on the East Coast to practice and is more popular in the Northwestern provinces, especially Xinjiang. The existence of 2 of China’s minority Muslim groups, the Hui and the Uyghurs, are sometimes seen as a threat to the government in Beijing because of their inclinations for independence. Although clashes between these groups and the government are not publicized, they can get violent and lead to the shutdown and blackout of certain areas. Seeing this rather secluded mosque in a very secular area of Shanghai was fascinating, and made me wonder about all the challenges the Muslims living in Songjiang have faced over the years.
Watching their culture shock was also fascinating. Having grown up with a Chinese parent and spending a lot of time in Asia, I have always grown up in and around Chinese culture – it has always been a large part of my life. Interestingly enough, I have realized that China is one of those places that people either know a lot or nothing about. Therefore, it was amazing to introduce my friends to a world that I am pretty familiar with and open up China to them in a new light. I took them to a lot of historical places, like the ancient floating villages, Buddhist temples, and of course, the mosque, but beyond the history, what fascinated my friends the most was modern Chinese culture. China is very different from the West, and although it only takes a short time to get adjusted to the country, it takes years to understand it. The first thing my friends noticed when they left the airport was how nice the subway was, and how extensive of an area it covered. They were shocked by how lit up the city was, with the flashing colorful lights dancing on the skyscrapers. They were overwhelmed by the number of people, but at the same time found it so exciting to be caught up in such a vibrant atmosphere. They thought the food was absolutely amazing, and could not get enough of it. Every time we walked by an American chain restaurant, they were astonished by the similarities and differences. For example, Pizza Huts, while a little dingy in the US, are really nice in China, the kind of place you take a girl on the first date. The restaurants are really fancy, with nice ovenbaked pizza and desserts that you would not find on a Pizza Hut menu in the US. Overall, it was a great experience for all of us, and a time that I wished had lasted more than a week.
