The first day we were in Tianjin we visited some of these friends who live in Tianjin's Muslim area made up most of ethnic Hui - one of China's largest Muslim minorities. We were able to see first hand how this community is physically being transformed - as an entire neighborhood of one story homes are being converted into high rise apartment blocks. In the midst of this change, the community is clearly finding ways to maintain their traditions and customs.
A tower at the neighborhood mosque
The entrance to the men's worship hall
The Old and The New:
The rubble of the one story buildings with the apartment buildings in the background
A panoramic view of the old neighborhood with the Mosque tower in the middle
The entrance to the new apartment compound with traditional architecture
Though our time with our friends was brief the kids enjoyed connecting with their children. They have a lot in common having both grown up in China and attended local schools.
A trip to my old "hometown" isn't complete without some great food. Here Em is enjoying candied haw-fruit, which we can get in Shanghai, but is much tastier (and cheaper) up North! Em's hand signal is telling us the total (for 2) was only 6 yuan as apposed to 5 yuan each here in Shanghai.
