Restaurateur serves up Uygur culinary culture to Hangzhou residents

Abdurehim (center) works in his restaurant in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province. The Uygur man came from Awati county, Aksu, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Yan Yiqi / China Daily

"As long as I can afford their salaries, I will accept those Uygur people who come to ask for a job," he said. "I hope they can regard the restaurant as another home."

Originally from Awati county, Aksu, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Abdurehim left his hometown in 2000, hoping to broaden the outside market for its produce.

"My parents are farmers in my hometown, growing fruit. I left Awati to search for sales channels for our fruit after I graduated from college," he said.

As the first college graduate from his village, Abdurehim undertook a mission to expand the fruit market of his hometown. During those three years, he went to large cities, including Guangzhou, Tianjin and Nanjing, and small cities like Shaoxing.

"During my stays in these cities, the largest inconvenience I found was not having a proper place to eat," he said.

Abdurehim said due to strict religious restrictions on what they can eat, Muslims have few choices in most restaurants. Most of the time when he was away searching for business, crusty pancakes were all he could eat, he said.

"After spending three years away from my hometown and finally settling down in Hangzhou, I decided to open an authentic Xinjiang-flavor restaurant that can both serve Muslims in the city and present our food to other city dwellers," he said.

With the profits he gained from selling fruit and the 30,000 yuan ($4,800) he borrowed from relatives, Abdurehim opened his first restaurant in Hangzhou in 2003.

Eleven years later, that restaurant is listed as one of the top two Xinjiang-style restaurants in Hangzhou, and he has opened two more, in Shaoxing and Suzhou. His brothers run the other two restaurants.

"Their income is at least 10 times more than they earned back in our hometown because we provide the most authentic Uygur flavor," Abdurehim said.

The restaurant has many regular customers who are not Muslims.

Zhang Jianping is one such customer and visits Abdurehim's restaurant at least once a month to enjoy its lamb dishes.

"I like to talk to him. After getting to know Ah Bu (short for Abdurehim in Chinese), all my former stereotypes toward Uygur people disappeared," Zhang said. "He is diligent and kind. We should never relate extremists to ordinary Uygur people like him."

Abdurehim said he is grateful that friends like Zhang are supportive of his restaurant and that most Hangzhou people show no prejudice toward Uygur people.

"The number of customers never declined because of terrorism attacks by extremists that took place in China," he said.

Abdurehim said that when such attacks happened and filled the news, many Uygurs would gather in his restaurant and discuss the issues seriously.

"On one hand, we were outraged that there were such inhumane people. On the other hand, many of us were afraid that people would discriminate against us," he said. "We are lucky that such things did not happen in Hangzhou."

Abdurehim said few people show curiosity or resentment when he and his fellow Muslims perform their daily prayers outside the restaurant.

"It helps us to feel comfortable living in cities outside our hometown," he said.

However, although Abdurehim consistently expressed how much he appreciates the warmth that Hangzhou shows to Uygurs, his sent his sons, 8 and 10, to study in his hometown.

"They spent their childhood here in Hangzhou, and when it was time for them to enter primary school, I sent them back," he said.

Abdurehim admits he was concerned his children might feel they did not belong in the study environment in Hangzhou.

"They grew up speaking our language, and their appearance is different from other kids. What if the other kids don't accept them as part of the group? Also, Hangzhou does not have a school for Uygur students only," he said.

Abdurehim said he is not trying to isolate his sons from children of other ethnicities.

"Maybe I am just afraid that they will be hurt by the words or actions of other kids, intentionally or not," he said.

He believes the environment back in Awati is purer and more suitable for his sons' growth.

"Although I miss them every day, I thought this is the best for them," he said. "Of course, I will encourage them to enter universities outside Xinjiang because, by then, they will be mature enough to deal with others."

Abdurehim also insists his sons become proficient in both speaking and writing their own language.

"I am always proud of the culture I come from and I want my children to feel the same way," he said.

yanyiqi@chinadaily.com.cn