Source: CCTV.com

09-26-2008 13:50

Ningxia is a small autonomous region in the northern part of China between Shaanxi and Gansu. Now if you look behind me you’ll see that the grass is green, the air is clean and the architecture is impressive. But the best part about Ningxia is the people. Ningxia is home to the Hui ethnic group, it is a Muslim ethnic group in China and today we’re going to be looking at their food, their music, their culture, their religion, all kinds of interesting things. So join us today as we immerse ourselves in the quaintly beautiful Hui way of life.

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Detailed records of the Hui are fragmentary because of their remote location as well as the inaccessible nature of their orthodox culture. It is, however known, that this Islamic group has its roots in Persia and Arabia and dates back to the Tang Dynasty. Because Ningxia was located on the legendary silk-road, it was intimately exposed to Middle Eastern culture. Over time, the wide-ranging Islamic religion coalesced with long standing Chinese traditions to form a Chinese ethnic group that strictly follows Islamic law.

Many of the Hui people can read Arabic because it’s taught in schools around Ningxia. This means that they can directly access the divine messages of God in the Koran as well as other religious texts in order to get a clear, untainted understanding of the Muslim faith.

Salah, the ritual prayer practiced by Muslims in supplication to Allah, is obligatory for all Muslims who have reached puberty. It is done 5 times a day: at sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset and nightfall.

Alright now we’re gonna practice what we’ve learnt here so far. I’m not sure if I’ve got it right so my new friends are gonna help me, it is similar to ‘nihao’ or ‘hello’ but a more respectful version of that. So my friends please help me with ‘ansaliamo leko’. Oh right, thank you, so they just said back to me the respectful way of saying ‘I’m fine’ and I think ‘how are you?”’ so I think I said it right. Thank you.

When performing Salah it’s important that everyone’s clothing is clean and respectful. Muslims usually wear loose fitting garments that cover the entire body. A ritual ablution is done just before the praying whereby parts of the body are washed with clean water or clean sand if the water is unsafe. It is preferably done in a mosque and oriented towards Mecca.

Hui mosque's are used for a vast array of different things. Apart from their main purpose, the holding of religious ceremonies, they're also used as a kind of school for religious education and as a training center for religious workers. In addition, political, economic and cultural meetings are conducted within its sacred walls. The building itself is typically adorned with ornate brick and stone carvings.

These brick carving are truly unique. The artisan uses simple tools, like flat and angled knives, to intricately carve out flowers, bamboo, pine trees, grapes and Arabic themed pictures on a slab of already cemented bricks. Special attention is taken to ensure a high level of detail and perspective, which ultimately gives the carvings a life-like quality. Each picture is richly flavored with local as well as national themes.

Looking at a temple from the outside, you’ll usually find that the frame is composed of brick and wood, a more traditional Chinese architectural style, but then once you're inside the Islamic influences become apparent. They can be seen in the adornments on and around door and window frames and of course in the picture carvings themselves.

This mosque in Tongxin, when looked at from an overall perspective, relies heavily on Chinese traditional art. The walls, main gate and other portions are all fine examples of this exquisite brick work. The mosque gate, in bas-relief, is predominantly inscribed with ancient characters from the Koran. These characters along with the pictures and other decorations could best be described as solemn and respectful, original and splendid. The Hui mosques are clean, fresh and peaceful; they appear primitive in their simplicity but elegant in their perfect fusion of Islamic culture and art with Chinese traditional architecture. It is said that simply being in the mosque helps people achieve inner peace and solemnity through their enjoyment of and appreciation for its beauty.

Looking behind me you’re probably asking the question: ‘are we still in China?’, well we are. Today we’re attending the commemoration of a very prominent Muslim leader. He died around 70 years ago and so every year people of the Huizu group come different parts of Ningxia to here in order to celebrate his life by reciting scriptures, praying, eating and bringing gifts. So today we’re gonna go and check it out.