"Songpan" a Songpan Travel Page by l_joo

Top picture is a Qing-Zhen-Si (Chinese Hui Mosque) in Songpan. I went there with Ben, a German backpacker. We both walk quite a distance from our hotel (the only two hotels for aliens). On the way to the mosque, we stumbled upon a bad guy, he is a local Hui-Moslem. What he did was to try to use his physical strength to threaten us for money, though I don't understand what he said but definitely he came unfriendly grabbing my hand very hard and he slapped on Ben's head. There were happened two construction workers saw this guy, they came to help us deal with him. Anyway, this town is attractive and old, especially happy to look at the old mosque guided by two little girls also of Hui-Moslem.

Something new to me
This two little girls were my tour guide during my visit of Songpan. They are voluntary tour guide who wants to practice to speak to foreign tourists about the history of their own village. The taller girl is 12 and the short is 10 and both of them are ethnic Hui or better to be known as Chinese-Muslims. Background is their house, they explained so many things to me and to Ben. Ben newly learn his Chinese, therefore I became a translator.

I think you are not going to believe this, an incense altar for the mosque, Islamic mosque. It was in their tradition to pray with incense sticks. This kind of tradition is obviously Chinese but mixed with the importation of Arabians' Islam to form a new breed of localized religion. I asked that 2 young girls, they told me it was for them to light up the incense sticks to pray, I wanted to make sure they said correctly, "yes" they replied again. There's a donaton board in the mosque, I saw many names of mosque donators, they were mostly surname Ma, same family surname with famous world navigator of 13th century Mr. Ma San Pao, or his Imperial given name ZhengHe.