Beijing Photo Gallery - Muslim Quarter

Beijing's Muslim quarter is located southwest of the Forbidden City and mainly comprises the Hui minority. The community is about 300,000 strong in the city, with Muslim restaurants and the largest mosque centred around Niu Jie (Cow Street), named after the delicious beef dishes that the Muslim community made.

The Hui are different from the other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, who speak a Turkic language and are not racially Han. Descended from Middle East traders who arrived in China via the Silk Road and marrying local women, their community is spread throughout the country today, even though they have their own dedicated autonomous region in Ningxia.

At night, the street lights up with many snack shops, albeit along a small stretch of road. Today, it is believed if the building is green, it will serve halal food.

Line snaked outside this building with each window selling a different type of snack, such as lamb skewers, yogurt, and buns.