An Arab merchant in Yiwu, China, jokes about saying that they use the term "foreign" to the citizens of the city.
The "world market for small commodities" - as the city has come to be called - is inhabited by tens of thousands of people of various nationalities, including about 20 thousand Arabs.
According to 2019 statistics, about 15,000 foreign merchants, from 100 countries and regions in the world, live with their families in Yiwu, Xinjiang Province, east China.
And a large number of Arab merchants set up restaurants and shops, in areas that have become restricted to the Arab presence only, so that shop signs are written in Arabic and Chinese.
The city government issued a welcome message written in 9 languages, including Arabic, after allowing the reopening of markets and the practice of commercial and social activities, after announcing the control of the Corona pandemic in China.
Yiwu is small in size compared to other Chinese cities but its character everyone feels at home (Getty Images)
An exceptional city
Taha Al-Khazan, a Yemeni citizen who has lived in the city for 16 years, says that Yiwu, which is small in size compared to other Chinese cities, "has a special character that every person feels that he is in a city in his country" due to the presence of a multinational Arab community that is constantly keen on establishing social activities.
He added, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that the Arab community always uses the month of Ramadan to enhance communication by holding Ramadan tables inside the chapels and mosques in the city, and it combines white, black, Arab and foreign Muslims, embodying the feelings of brotherhood.
Al-Khazzan recalls the tables that were held before the Corona pandemic, and says that some of them included about 30 dishes, each of which was enough for 8-10 people.
The Corona pandemic prevented the holding of such events last year, and this year they were held according to controls set by the official authorities, as part of the safety and prevention measures against the epidemic.
In June, the Yiwu Grand Mosque announced the reopening of its doors and all chapels for worshipers, as the local government required that each worshiper scan a quick response code (QR) for mosques to know the number of worshipers present and not exceed the permissible limit to prevent overcrowding.
And allowed the conduct of prayers, provided that masks are adhered to and social distancing.
Ramadan table in an Arab restaurant in Yiwu (Al-Jazeera)
Ramadan tables
The tables this year were limited to dates and water for breakfast inside the mosque, with everyone taking a meal while leaving instead of eating inside, to avoid any violations that might cause the mosque to close, as said Yathrib Saeed, an Iraqi businessman who resides in the city.
He added to Al-Jazeera Net that the competent authorities conduct inspection rounds from time to time on the chapels to ensure that the worshipers adhere to safety measures, and that tables are not set up inside the chapels.
He pointed out that these limited activities inside mosques and chapels have returned to the city the atmosphere that prevailed before the pandemic, from which the Arab community was deprived during the last month of Ramadan due to the restrictions imposed to confront the outbreak of the epidemic, as the activities of the Arab community are what distinguishes Yiwu from other Chinese cities.
Arab and Chinese customers in an Arab restaurant in Yiwu (communication sites)
Restaurants and social activities destination
And after restaurants witnessed a recession during the past month of Ramadan, they seemed crowded since the first day of the holy month of this year, after life returned to normal and business gradually revived, according to what a number of restaurant owners spoke to Al Jazeera Net.
Many families resort to holding group breakfasts in Arab restaurants that are widely spread in the city, after some of them used to meet at the community headquarters before the spread of the new Corona virus.
Syrian restaurants record a large presence, most of them are concentrated in the street near Yiwu International Trade Market.
These restaurants receive, in addition to Arabs, dozens of Chinese who want to try Arab meals, including Muslims looking for halal food.
Before the sunset call to prayer, customers begin to book their places, as most restaurants adopt an "open buffet" system during Ramadan, which includes the main Arab dishes that are characteristic of each country according to the nationality of the restaurant, in addition to desserts, especially qatayef.
One of the Arabic restaurants in Yiwu (communication sites)
Islamic presence
Yiwu, formerly known as Wushang, and covering an area of 1,105 square kilometers, was awarded the first '4A' shopping and tourism area by the National Tourism Administration, and has been identified as the largest market in the world by the United Nations and the World Bank.
According to a bulletin issued by the official website of the Yiwu Grand Mosque, the number of Muslims after the founding of the People's Republic of China was 2 in 1953, 11 in 1964, 19 in 1982. But the gradual expansion of the small commodity market in Yiwu brought Muslim merchants from northwest China to work.
After that, a large number of foreign businessmen came to conduct commercial activities.
Restaurants and shops are now limited to the Arab presence only, so that shop signs are written in Arabic and Chinese (communication sites)
From 2006, the number of Chinese and foreign Muslims coming to Yiwu increased further, as the government provided them with temporary places of worship.
According to unofficial figures, the number of Muslims in the city is currently estimated at 30,000 Muslims.
Since the nineties of the last century, the city government has provided temporary places of worship for Muslims, but in 2012 the first official hall was opened to hold religious rituals, and then it turned into a mosque after adding domes and minarets to them, and the mosque became able to accommodate about 10,000 worshipers, with 10 other chapels. Distributed throughout the city.