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The prevailing economic trends made abdou Lahad bone-certain that in the “next 10 to 20 years， the Chinese language would dominate the world.” So， the 25-year-old， the son of a Senegalese businessman with homes in both Dakar and Touba， was keen to master the tongue “everybody wanted to learn.”
However， though he knew about China’s economic rise， Lahad had no clue about Ningxia – who， what or where it was.
“I had never heard of Ningxia before in my life，”said Lahad， looking very much at home in the School of International Education at Ningxia University， the oldest university in the autonomous region. “I came to know of it only after I applied for a Chinese-Senegalese government special cooperation scholarship to study Chinese language and culture in China and after one year in Wuhan [a major city in central China]， was transferred to Ningxia University.”
But when Lahad arrived in Ningxia in 2013， a magical sight awaited him at the Hedong International Airport in Yinchuan， capital of Ningxia. There was a little door at the airport with the image of a palm tree and writing in Arabic， the language in which the Quran， the holy book of the Muslims， is written. These are all sights instantly familiar to Muslims.
As he sauntered out of the airport， there were more pleasant surprises. The signs were in Chinese as well as Arabic； in some places， the roads had crescent moons in metal， the crescent moon being an important part of the Islamic culture； and some of the buildings looked Middle Eastern with domes and minarets. There were several mosques as well.
Lahad discovered his food worries were gone. Traditionally， Muslims abhor the meat of certain animals and the meat they eat has to be halal， meaning the animal has to be slaughtered in a prescribed way. In Yinchuan， he found the food compliant with his religion. “Everywhere you go， you can eat the food， it’s halal，” he said with gusto. “That’s why all of us Muslims like Ningxia.”
Middle East in China
There’s a historical thread running between Ningxia and the Islamic world. When the Silk Road， the world’s oldest overland trade route， was built by China’s Han Dynasty emperors （206 B.C.–220 A.D.） to connect with Europe， Ningxia was an important stop on the route. Waves of visitors from the Middle East came and settled down in this region， attracted by its geography and climate， which had some similarities with their lands， especially the desert and the cold winters. Interestingly， nine of the Xixia （Western Xia Dynasty， 1038-1227） kings are buried in elaborate mausoleums in the Gobi Desert and the mammoth constructions， though eroded by centuries of high wind， look like the famed pyramids of Egypt. And like some of the pyramids， the tombs fell prey to grave robbers， who carried off most of the items presumed to have been buried with the dead kings.
The Shahu， literally meaning sand lake， is a prime tourist destination in Yinchuan. While ornithologists would revel in the variety of aquatic birds in the crystal-clear lake， Middle Eastern visitors could be rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the lines of camels walking across the sand carrying people or lying down for a well-deserved rest.
The Shahu area is a testimony to Ningxia’s conquest of the desert. All across the city， trees are being planted assiduously to reclaim land from the sand； sturdy hedges protect the soil and plants from buffeting winds， and Yinchuan is a sight for sore eyes with its green roads， parks， lakes and wetlands.
Mosques and museums
The Najahu Village is a placid community with picturesque houses laid around a paved square where venders sell watermelons and other food items. The women have their heads covered by scarves while some of the men wear skull caps. What makes the village， where the residents have the same family name Na， indicating they are consanguineous， a magnet for historians and architects is its nearly 500-year-old mosque. A riot of blue and green and a remarkable specimen of the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） architecture sees nearly 400 people praying there daily. An integration of indigenous and Islamic cultures， the mosque， its manager Na Zhonglin says， was visited by the King of Jordan.
Another remarkable mosque is the one in the Hui Culture Park. It’s as if the masterpieces of Islamic cul- ture are being replicated in this region. The entrance is through an impressive fa？ade that resembles the Taj Mahal， the 17th-century mausoleum Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built in north India in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Inside， it is as if the famed Blue Mosque of Istanbul， also built in the 17th century by Turkey’s Sultan Ahmet I， has been transported to China. Known as the Blue Mosque because of the exquisitely patterned blue ceramic tiles lining the walls inside， it was one of the shrines where Pope Benedict XVI prayed in 2006 while visiting Turkey.
A Ningxia businessman， Li Jiehuang， loved the mosque and the Muslim culture so much that he decided to build a replica in Yinchuan. Opened to the public in 2008， the beautiful mosque that can accommodate around 4，000 people is also a platform for acquainting locals as well as visitors with Islam， how it was founded and its basic tenets. The park also boasts a small but imaginatively assembled museum that showcases Islamic culture. A map illustrates how Islam came to Ningxia； images point out famous Muslim scientists， artists and writers； and a special exhibition pays tribute to the Chinese Muslims who contributed to the growth of the country.
China-Arab trade fair
Wang Heshan， Vice Chairman of the Government of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， says the government is developing the region as a bridge between China and the Muslim world. Ningxia boasts a flourishing halal food industry that exports its products to Malaysia， Indonesia and the Middle East. A growing Islamic clothing industry makes garments used by Muslim men and women， head scarves， veils， skull caps and even prayer mats. And since 2010， there is the China-Arab States Expo to boost trade and investment with Arab and other Muslim countries.
The 2015 edition of the expo， to be held from September 10 to 13， has Jordan as the guest country. There are associated events like a China-Arab States Industry and Commerce Summit， an Online Silk Road Forum to explore e-commerce development， and a China-Arab States Tourism Entrepreneur Conference.
As a step toward deeper and long-lasting ties with Muslim countries， Ningxia is learning Arabic. The language， spoken both in the Middle East and parts of Africa， is being taught in Ningxia’s language schools and recently， Ningxia Radio and TV Station started Learning Arabic， a five-minute daily program at 7：50 p.m. for youngsters.
However， though he knew about China’s economic rise， Lahad had no clue about Ningxia – who， what or where it was.
“I had never heard of Ningxia before in my life，”said Lahad， looking very much at home in the School of International Education at Ningxia University， the oldest university in the autonomous region. “I came to know of it only after I applied for a Chinese-Senegalese government special cooperation scholarship to study Chinese language and culture in China and after one year in Wuhan [a major city in central China]， was transferred to Ningxia University.”
But when Lahad arrived in Ningxia in 2013， a magical sight awaited him at the Hedong International Airport in Yinchuan， capital of Ningxia. There was a little door at the airport with the image of a palm tree and writing in Arabic， the language in which the Quran， the holy book of the Muslims， is written. These are all sights instantly familiar to Muslims.
As he sauntered out of the airport， there were more pleasant surprises. The signs were in Chinese as well as Arabic； in some places， the roads had crescent moons in metal， the crescent moon being an important part of the Islamic culture； and some of the buildings looked Middle Eastern with domes and minarets. There were several mosques as well.
Lahad discovered his food worries were gone. Traditionally， Muslims abhor the meat of certain animals and the meat they eat has to be halal， meaning the animal has to be slaughtered in a prescribed way. In Yinchuan， he found the food compliant with his religion. “Everywhere you go， you can eat the food， it’s halal，” he said with gusto. “That’s why all of us Muslims like Ningxia.”
Middle East in China
There’s a historical thread running between Ningxia and the Islamic world. When the Silk Road， the world’s oldest overland trade route， was built by China’s Han Dynasty emperors （206 B.C.–220 A.D.） to connect with Europe， Ningxia was an important stop on the route. Waves of visitors from the Middle East came and settled down in this region， attracted by its geography and climate， which had some similarities with their lands， especially the desert and the cold winters. Interestingly， nine of the Xixia （Western Xia Dynasty， 1038-1227） kings are buried in elaborate mausoleums in the Gobi Desert and the mammoth constructions， though eroded by centuries of high wind， look like the famed pyramids of Egypt. And like some of the pyramids， the tombs fell prey to grave robbers， who carried off most of the items presumed to have been buried with the dead kings.
The Shahu， literally meaning sand lake， is a prime tourist destination in Yinchuan. While ornithologists would revel in the variety of aquatic birds in the crystal-clear lake， Middle Eastern visitors could be rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the lines of camels walking across the sand carrying people or lying down for a well-deserved rest.
The Shahu area is a testimony to Ningxia’s conquest of the desert. All across the city， trees are being planted assiduously to reclaim land from the sand； sturdy hedges protect the soil and plants from buffeting winds， and Yinchuan is a sight for sore eyes with its green roads， parks， lakes and wetlands.
Mosques and museums
The Najahu Village is a placid community with picturesque houses laid around a paved square where venders sell watermelons and other food items. The women have their heads covered by scarves while some of the men wear skull caps. What makes the village， where the residents have the same family name Na， indicating they are consanguineous， a magnet for historians and architects is its nearly 500-year-old mosque. A riot of blue and green and a remarkable specimen of the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） architecture sees nearly 400 people praying there daily. An integration of indigenous and Islamic cultures， the mosque， its manager Na Zhonglin says， was visited by the King of Jordan.
Another remarkable mosque is the one in the Hui Culture Park. It’s as if the masterpieces of Islamic cul- ture are being replicated in this region. The entrance is through an impressive fa？ade that resembles the Taj Mahal， the 17th-century mausoleum Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built in north India in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Inside， it is as if the famed Blue Mosque of Istanbul， also built in the 17th century by Turkey’s Sultan Ahmet I， has been transported to China. Known as the Blue Mosque because of the exquisitely patterned blue ceramic tiles lining the walls inside， it was one of the shrines where Pope Benedict XVI prayed in 2006 while visiting Turkey.
A Ningxia businessman， Li Jiehuang， loved the mosque and the Muslim culture so much that he decided to build a replica in Yinchuan. Opened to the public in 2008， the beautiful mosque that can accommodate around 4，000 people is also a platform for acquainting locals as well as visitors with Islam， how it was founded and its basic tenets. The park also boasts a small but imaginatively assembled museum that showcases Islamic culture. A map illustrates how Islam came to Ningxia； images point out famous Muslim scientists， artists and writers； and a special exhibition pays tribute to the Chinese Muslims who contributed to the growth of the country.
China-Arab trade fair
Wang Heshan， Vice Chairman of the Government of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region， says the government is developing the region as a bridge between China and the Muslim world. Ningxia boasts a flourishing halal food industry that exports its products to Malaysia， Indonesia and the Middle East. A growing Islamic clothing industry makes garments used by Muslim men and women， head scarves， veils， skull caps and even prayer mats. And since 2010， there is the China-Arab States Expo to boost trade and investment with Arab and other Muslim countries.
The 2015 edition of the expo， to be held from September 10 to 13， has Jordan as the guest country. There are associated events like a China-Arab States Industry and Commerce Summit， an Online Silk Road Forum to explore e-commerce development， and a China-Arab States Tourism Entrepreneur Conference.
As a step toward deeper and long-lasting ties with Muslim countries， Ningxia is learning Arabic. The language， spoken both in the Middle East and parts of Africa， is being taught in Ningxia’s language schools and recently， Ningxia Radio and TV Station started Learning Arabic， a five-minute daily program at 7：50 p.m. for youngsters.