China's Muslims and Japan's Empire (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) by Kelly A. Hammond

Author:Kelly A. Hammond [Hammond, Kelly A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 2020-09-29T18:30:00+00:00

Homeward Bound

As he prepared to leave Mecca, Tang confessed that he was happy he would never have to ride a camel again, which he complained was way more trouble than it was worth (C. tai mafan le).117 Of course, Tang would have been familiar with camels, which were commonly seen in markets around Beijing, but he may not have ever ridden one until he arrived in Arabia.118 Although banal, these quotidian details provide insights into Tang’s character and into the variety of experiences the group had on their journey. While they waited for their boat in Jeddah, they visited the Chinese Guild Hall (C. Zhongguo huiguan) established a few years before by a Gansu Muslim, Ma Shaoyun. Tang explained that Ma had originally planned to build a Hezhou Guild Hall (C. Hezhou huiguan) in Jeddah but that not enough people from Hezhou went on hajj, so he named it the Chinese Guild Hall instead.119 Tang’s comments help contextualize the broad reach of native-place associations, not just for Han Chinese but also for Sino-Muslims traveling abroad in an era of increasing worldwide travel. In some ways, Sino-Muslims shared more in common with Han Chinese than they did with non-Chinese Muslims, at least in terms of the cultural fabric and social institutions common among overseas Chinese communities around the world.

Initially, the group had trouble getting passage back to Eritrea. Although plenty of boats moved through the Red Sea, they were full of Italian army officers traveling to East Africa or Jews and other groups fleeing Germany and Eastern Europe on whatever vessels would take them.120 They finally departed the day before the Chinese Lunar New Year. The group celebrated by drinking coffee and barbequing a fish that they caught off the stern of the boat. With a few days to spare in Massawa, the men managed to track down all the ingredients needed to make dumplings (C. bao jiaozi) and celebrate the Lunar New Year. This small gesture of spending an evening cooking together further reminds us that although Tang and his companions were devout and pious Muslims, they were also active participants in distinctly East Asian rituals. The group spent the evening recreating a comforting and familiar atmosphere far from their homes and families.

The first thing the group did after arriving back in Shanghai was go to a halal restaurant. The restaurateurs were apparently shocked by how much food the men consumed, but Tang explained that it had been more than two months since they had eaten “real” Chinese food.121 The following morning Ma went to buy the boat tickets to Qingdao while Tang and Su headed to the market near the Hongkou Bridge to get provisions for the trip. When they arrived at the Hongkou Bridge, they were stopped by a Japanese soldier who asked them in Chinese what they were doing there. Tang’s explanation that they were buying provisions for their boat ride to Qingdao seemed to satisfy the soldier.122 The tense encounters with the Japanese soldiers highlight that

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