Chinese Muslims mark end of holy month

Changes in celebrations

For Ma Jinliang, a cycling enthusiast in Ningxia, this year's end of Ramadan is quite special.

"It is remarkable that the final of the 14th Tour of Qinghai Lake Cycling Race coincides with Eid al-Fitr, which falls on Saturday in Ningxia," said Ma, who will watch the race in Zhongwei City.

The 2,940-km race, the top cycling competition in China with a total prize of $1 million, traverses Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia, where the majority of China's Muslims live. It will end on Saturday in Yinchuan.

"Feeding ourselves is not a problem for us any more," said Ma, who cycles in the suburbs every weekend. "We focus more on improving quality of life with more people joining sports clubs or going to the gym."

Ye Jianguo, 80, a villager from Maying Township in neighboring Qinghai Province, is impressed by the changes to the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in recent years.

"Before 1980, most of us were struggling in poverty," said Ye, who had to cut a piece of brick tea into four parts in order to present them as gifts when visiting relatives and friends.

In the 1980s, Ye only need to cut the tea into two parts as crop output improved. In the 1990s, families not only had enough brick tea, but also could afford to buy tea with crystal sugar and longan, he said.

For this year's celebration, Ye bought a sheep, eight chickens, 25 kg of oil to cook fried snacks and a full table of milk and drinks.

"Five bags of flour are consumed in my shop every day and I have a daily net profit of more than 300 yuan ($49)," said Ye, who runs a bread shop in the town.

In Kashgar, the westernmost city of China where sporadic terrorist attacks have dampened tourism, Memtimin Haji hopes for more visitors.

After attending Jumu'ah prayers at the Etgal Mosque on Friday afternoon, he rushed back to his souvenir shop close by.

"Business is a bit better on Friday when people gather at the mosque for prayers," he said.