Inside China's "Little Mecca" | Exploring Its Unique Sufi Culture(Huasi Gongbei:Tomb of Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi:Naqshbandiyya-Khufiyya Sufi Order):Oldwatch Ma-Oct 31, 2026
YouTube Video:
https://youtu.be/IKQddiSb3B0?si=Tk6C2vOhrlF2ncuK
Somewhere in northwest China, there's a city where you'll find beautiful mosques, Muslim communities, halal food everywhere, and a spiritual tradition that has been passed down for generations. It's called Linxia, often known as "China's Little Mecca". But what makes this city so special? And what exactly is the Sufi tradition that has played such an important role in the lives of local Muslims? We came here to find out. Let's explore the streets, meet the local culture, try some traditional food, and discover a side of China that many people have never seen before. 00:28 arrive at the night of Linxia 02:47 special food(sheep head) 05:01 explore the city and street 06:55 traditional muslim community(Bafang Shisanxiang) 12:29 Huasi Gongbei 14:50 hand-pull lamb and 8-treasure tea 17:16 Hetan Gongbei 24:39 A story of local muslimWikipedia:
The Huasi Mosque is a Mosque located in Linxia City,Gansu,China The mosque was built during the reign of the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1465–1487) in the Ming dynasty. Buddhist temples and imperial palaces were the architecture on which the construction for the mosque was based. It was constructed by Muslims living in West Phoenix Wood Town, now the Bafang areas of Linxia City. Ma Zhongying's 1928 revolt in the Muslim conflict in Gansu led to a blaze that destroyed the building. The mosque was reconstructed in 1941 and is capable of holding 2,000 people and is 5 square metres (54 sq ft) in area.
Article:Islam in China
Linxia’s Huasi Gongbei was tomb of Ma Laichi, also known as Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi who brought the Khufiyya movement to China and created the Huasi Menhuan (Sufi order) - the earliest and most important Naqshbandi order in Chinese Muslim history.Article:Muslims in the Early Qing(1644-1781:Joseph Fletcher's Studies on Chinese Sufism,Manifold Plateform
Khoja Āfāq’s strain of the Naqshabandīya, called the Āfāqīya in his honor, stressed thaumaturgic wonders, study of the Mathnawī of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a renewal of faith, and adherence to Muslim law.16 In their meditative practice, followers performed the Sufi remembrance in silence, the “remembrance of the heart” common to most Naqshabandīs, earning themselves the appelation of Khafīya (Ch. Hufeiye or Hufuye), “Silent Ones.”17 Khoja Āfāq followed his father to northwest China in search of initiates in order to compete for power with other members of his family in Altishahr, a common phenomenon in the intense politico-religious rivalries of Central Asia, often based on hereditary succession to the leadership of Sufi orders and thus to secular power.
Finding willing converts in Gansu, Khoja Āfāq made three visits to Xining, a polyethnic entrepot that had been an important stop on one route of the Silk Road and is now the capital of Qinghai Province. Muslims from all over the region converged on Xining to hear the famous Sufi’s preaching; he worked wonders and taught the Mathnawī. Ma Tong claims that his visits resulted in the formation of nine Sufi institutions in Gansu, but Fletcher notes only three significant followers.19 Both agree that the most politically active new group stemmed from Khoja Āfāq’s initiation of Ma Taibaba, a rather retiring Islamic teacher from Milagou. Though Ma Taibaba undertook no innovations or organizing, he did appoint as his successor his most brilliant student, Abu ’l Futūh Ma Laichi."
Core Biography & LegacyEarly Life & Name: Born in Hezhou (modern-day Linxia, Gansu Province), his father named him Laichi (meaning "came too late") because he was born later in his parents' lives after they had lost their material wealth to a devastating fire. He studied closely under Ma Tai Baba, a prominent local scholar.
The Title 'Abu 'l-Futūh': During his extensive travels to Mecca, Yemen, and Cairo to pursue advanced Islamic jurisprudence and spiritual studies, he was granted the honorific Arabic name Abu 'l-Futūh (meaning "Father of Victories/Openings") by his teacher, Mawlānā Makhdūm.
The Khufiyya Order: Upon returning to Gansu, Ma Laichi championed the Khufiyya tradition. The order is characterized by its practice of silent dhikr (meditation and remembrance of God) rather than vocal recitation.
Cultural Synthesis: Under his lineage, the doctrines of the Khufiyya order were harmonized with local realities, incorporating aspects of Chinese traditional philosophy to explain Islamic sacred texts, a methodology historically referred to as Yiru Quanjing ("expounding Islamic texts through Confucianism").
The Hua Si Gongbei: After his passing, his burial site in Linxia City was preserved as the Hua Si Gongbei. It features classic Chinese-style Islamic architecture and remains a massive center of education, pilgrimage, and weekly spiritual gatherings for Chinese Muslims today.
https://www.sciencepg.com/article/10.11648/j.hss.20251306.11
"Huasi order, the founder Ma Lai-chi (Muslim name Abd al-Halim) (1681-1766) was an intelligent student, who studied Islam in the mosque of Milagou village in Minhe county, Qinghai province, at about eight of his age. Later moved to Wangsi (Wang Mosque), whereat Tai Baba was the imam. Concentrated on his learning for ten years, he got the core of Islamic teachings. As a beloved student Tai Baba married his daughter to him (Ma Lai-chi), thence recommended him to be an imam (ahong) in a mosque of neighboring village. He worked there and thence in Sanjiaji of Guanghe County as an imam for nearly thirty years. In 1728, at about 47 of his age, he, accompanied by four people, one of them was an Arab preacher named Sheikh Abu Jebel, boarded on a ship in Guangzhou port. After two months sail, they arrived at Aden of Yemen, whereby visited some mosques and sheikhs before they set off to Macca for performing hajj of the year. In the aftermath, he stayed another three years for learning Khufiyah Sufi order under sheikh Muhammad Jibni Ahmad Aqli. Then he travelled to Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo to further his studies. He learned in sequence Naqshibandiyya, Gadiriyya and Suhrawardiyya Sufi orders. Maulana Mahdumi also taught him some Sufi traditions, gave him a title Abu Futuh and presented him, upon his returning to China, eight gifts: a sword, a chop with Arabic inscription, the book “Mishal”, and “Maulid”, other 80 books, a prayer mat made of the skin of date palm trees, a white coarse coat and a piece of cover cloth from Kaʿbah. In 1734, after 5 years hard learning, at 54 of his age, he returned by sea route to Hong Kong thence Guangzhou of China. Rested there for about a month, he returned to the northwest region, where he firstly preached in Xunhua, wherein his followers built a mosque for him to disseminate his knowledge of Khufiyya Sufi order. Meanwhile, he travelled to Yunnan, Henan, and Shaanxi for preaching, won over hundreds of thousand followers, he became a very famous Muslim ʿĀlim. He even converted some Buddhist Tibetans in Kaligang region to Islam. He worked very hard to preach his order nationwide for three decades and passed away in Hezhou (nowadays Linxia) at about 86. By then his Huasi order was firmly established and well known amongst Muslim populace nationwide. He won over 200 thousand more followers. Upon his death, he passed the leadership to his third son Ma Guo-bao (d. 1773), who was called by the followers “the third master”, hence the leadership of this order became hereditary, of which ten years later was criticized by the founder of another Sufi order, Jehriyya. Ma Guo-bao passed the leadership to Ma Guang-zong (d. 1826), who passed down to his elder son Suddiq (d. 1842), who passed to Nuruddin (d. 1861), then to Ma Gui-yuan (d. 1874), to Ma Zhen-yuan (Ibrahim) (d. 1897), whose successors were later involved in fighting between and rebellion against Qing government."
"Huasi order, the founder Ma Lai-chi (Muslim name Abd al-Halim) (1681-1766) was an intelligent student, who studied Islam in the mosque of Milagou village in Minhe county, Qinghai province, at about eight of his age. Later moved to Wangsi (Wang Mosque), whereat Tai Baba was the imam. Concentrated on his learning for ten years, he got the core of Islamic teachings. As a beloved student Tai Baba married his daughter to him (Ma Lai-chi), thence recommended him to be an imam (ahong) in a mosque of neighboring village. He worked there and thence in Sanjiaji of Guanghe County as an imam for nearly thirty years. In 1728, at about 47 of his age, he, accompanied by four people, one of them was an Arab preacher named Sheikh Abu Jebel, boarded on a ship in Guangzhou port. After two months sail, they arrived at Aden of Yemen, whereby visited some mosques and sheikhs before they set off to Macca for performing hajj of the year. In the aftermath, he stayed another three years for learning Khufiyah Sufi order under sheikh Muhammad Jibni Ahmad Aqli. Then he travelled to Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo to further his studies. He learned in sequence Naqshibandiyya, Gadiriyya and Suhrawardiyya Sufi orders. Maulana Mahdumi also taught him some Sufi traditions, gave him a title Abu Futuh and presented him, upon his returning to China, eight gifts: a sword, a chop with Arabic inscription, the book “Mishal”, and “Maulid”, other 80 books, a prayer mat made of the skin of date palm trees, a white coarse coat and a piece of cover cloth from Kaʿbah. In 1734, after 5 years hard learning, at 54 of his age, he returned by sea route to Hong Kong thence Guangzhou of China. Rested there for about a month, he returned to the northwest region, where he firstly preached in Xunhua, wherein his followers built a mosque for him to disseminate his knowledge of Khufiyya Sufi order. Meanwhile, he travelled to Yunnan, Henan, and Shaanxi for preaching, won over hundreds of thousand followers, he became a very famous Muslim ʿĀlim. He even converted some Buddhist Tibetans in Kaligang region to Islam. He worked very hard to preach his order nationwide for three decades and passed away in Hezhou (nowadays Linxia) at about 86. By then his Huasi order was firmly established and well known amongst Muslim populace nationwide. He won over 200 thousand more followers. Upon his death, he passed the leadership to his third son Ma Guo-bao (d. 1773), who was called by the followers “the third master”, hence the leadership of this order became hereditary, of which ten years later was criticized by the founder of another Sufi order, Jehriyya. Ma Guo-bao passed the leadership to Ma Guang-zong (d. 1826), who passed down to his elder son Suddiq (d. 1842), who passed to Nuruddin (d. 1861), then to Ma Gui-yuan (d. 1874), to Ma Zhen-yuan (Ibrahim) (d. 1897), whose successors were later involved in fighting between and rebellion against Qing government."
https://sinnerinrepentance.blogspot.com/2011/11/muslim-chinese-figure-ma-laichi.html
"Ma Laichi lived around 16-17th C so I don't know where can I find his photograph. His father, Ma Jiujun was a businessman who married his mother, a Han Chinese. Their home was in Hezhou which is now located in Linxia city of Gansu province. His grandfather served Ming dynasty as a general and known as Ma Congshan.
There is a legend told by Ma Laichi disciples where Ma Jiujun who is the father of Ma Laichi had no child until the age of 40. He desired to have a son to inherit the family. So, he went to Xining and asking the blessings of Afaq Khwaja. Afaq Khwaja was a Naqshabandi Sheikh who visiting the area from Kashgar. The Khwaja recited blessings and supplications for Ma Jiujun and told him to return to Hezhou. Then he have to marry a certain Han woman who had previously been engaged many times but had her fiance died before the wedding. Ma Jiujun married to a 26 years old woman and they had a son. Ma Jiujun property was later destroyed by a fire, and he named his son Laichi which means one who came too late.
Because of the fire, Ma Jiujun became a poor man. He has to peddle and selling tea traveling in region between Hezhou and Xining. He sent Ma Laichi to study Quran in the madrasah ran by the disciple of Khwaja Afaq who was known as 馬太爸爸 Ma Tai Baba near Milagu. Ma Laichi became a prominent student in the madrasah and he finished everything taught in the school by the age of 18. Tai Baba then ordained Ma as an imam beside initiating him into the branch of Naqshabandi and blessings.
Pilgrimage to Mecca
From the narration of Ma Tong about Ma Laichi life, he had performed religious work in Hezhou region for about 30 years. Then he left China around 1728 for pilgrimage in Mecca beside visiting other holy places in Middle east. Around 1728 until 1733, he studied under supervisions of various tasawwuf teachers beginning from Mecca and Yemen and some had also mentioned about Cairo and Damascus in Syria. There are not so many sources about this figure either in Arabic or Chinese so quite difficult to determine precise dates for his pilgrimage or studies. Standard account by Ma Tong narrated according to chronology:
1. Ma Laichi sailed for Arabia from Guangzhou after stayed there for three months and studied with a famous imam there. He returned to China by sea route too. Other accounts mentioned that he traveled to the west through land route via Central Asia and studying for a while in Bukhara.
2. His teacher in Mecca was the head of Khafiyya Zawiyya known as Muhammad Jibuni Ahmad Agelai. Another teacher who influenced him was Mawlana Makhdum who gave him the name Abu al-Futuh. Not much being exposed about Mawlana Makhdum but a researcher, Joseph Fletcher suggested that he might be a northern Indian.
3. Ma Laichi established the 華寺 Hua Si school which became the step stone for Khafiyya movement in China. Khafiyya means the silent ones which refers to people who perform silent dzikrs and invocations to the God. It also involves strong participation of members into the society as well as respecting saints and getting lessons from meditation and visiting the tombs of religious persons.
4. He spent 32 years spreading teachings to Hui and Salar people in Gansu and Qinghai. He performed da'awa to neighboring Mongols, Tibetans and other ethnics in Qinghai. He was also involved in debates with local Living Buddha. Some of Muslim Tibetans and Mongols still respect Ma Laichi as a person who introduced them to Islam. There was another opponent tasawwuf school which was called as Jahriyya. Sadly, both of Khafiyya and Jahriyya fought each others. Salar ethnics in Western China had turned to Ikhwan since late 19th C.
Death
After Ma Laichi passed away, he was succeeded by his son, Ma Guobao. Ma Guobao succession as the leader of Khafiyya was strongly criticized by the founder of the school of Jahriyya, Ma Mingxin. Then, Ma Guobao was succeeded by Ma Wuyi. The tomb of Ma Laichi in Linxia was restored in 1986. There is also a mosque and the tomb was known as Huasi Gungbei. It still a center for the Khafiyya school for Naqshabandiyya Order in Western China."
There is a legend told by Ma Laichi disciples where Ma Jiujun who is the father of Ma Laichi had no child until the age of 40. He desired to have a son to inherit the family. So, he went to Xining and asking the blessings of Afaq Khwaja. Afaq Khwaja was a Naqshabandi Sheikh who visiting the area from Kashgar. The Khwaja recited blessings and supplications for Ma Jiujun and told him to return to Hezhou. Then he have to marry a certain Han woman who had previously been engaged many times but had her fiance died before the wedding. Ma Jiujun married to a 26 years old woman and they had a son. Ma Jiujun property was later destroyed by a fire, and he named his son Laichi which means one who came too late.
Because of the fire, Ma Jiujun became a poor man. He has to peddle and selling tea traveling in region between Hezhou and Xining. He sent Ma Laichi to study Quran in the madrasah ran by the disciple of Khwaja Afaq who was known as 馬太爸爸 Ma Tai Baba near Milagu. Ma Laichi became a prominent student in the madrasah and he finished everything taught in the school by the age of 18. Tai Baba then ordained Ma as an imam beside initiating him into the branch of Naqshabandi and blessings.
Pilgrimage to Mecca
From the narration of Ma Tong about Ma Laichi life, he had performed religious work in Hezhou region for about 30 years. Then he left China around 1728 for pilgrimage in Mecca beside visiting other holy places in Middle east. Around 1728 until 1733, he studied under supervisions of various tasawwuf teachers beginning from Mecca and Yemen and some had also mentioned about Cairo and Damascus in Syria. There are not so many sources about this figure either in Arabic or Chinese so quite difficult to determine precise dates for his pilgrimage or studies. Standard account by Ma Tong narrated according to chronology:
1. Ma Laichi sailed for Arabia from Guangzhou after stayed there for three months and studied with a famous imam there. He returned to China by sea route too. Other accounts mentioned that he traveled to the west through land route via Central Asia and studying for a while in Bukhara.
2. His teacher in Mecca was the head of Khafiyya Zawiyya known as Muhammad Jibuni Ahmad Agelai. Another teacher who influenced him was Mawlana Makhdum who gave him the name Abu al-Futuh. Not much being exposed about Mawlana Makhdum but a researcher, Joseph Fletcher suggested that he might be a northern Indian.
3. Ma Laichi established the 華寺 Hua Si school which became the step stone for Khafiyya movement in China. Khafiyya means the silent ones which refers to people who perform silent dzikrs and invocations to the God. It also involves strong participation of members into the society as well as respecting saints and getting lessons from meditation and visiting the tombs of religious persons.
4. He spent 32 years spreading teachings to Hui and Salar people in Gansu and Qinghai. He performed da'awa to neighboring Mongols, Tibetans and other ethnics in Qinghai. He was also involved in debates with local Living Buddha. Some of Muslim Tibetans and Mongols still respect Ma Laichi as a person who introduced them to Islam. There was another opponent tasawwuf school which was called as Jahriyya. Sadly, both of Khafiyya and Jahriyya fought each others. Salar ethnics in Western China had turned to Ikhwan since late 19th C.
Death
After Ma Laichi passed away, he was succeeded by his son, Ma Guobao. Ma Guobao succession as the leader of Khafiyya was strongly criticized by the founder of the school of Jahriyya, Ma Mingxin. Then, Ma Guobao was succeeded by Ma Wuyi. The tomb of Ma Laichi in Linxia was restored in 1986. There is also a mosque and the tomb was known as Huasi Gungbei. It still a center for the Khafiyya school for Naqshabandiyya Order in Western China."
Facebook Weekly Mawlid at Tomb of Abu 'l-Futūh Ma Laichi:
https://youtu.be/rR8ybTcHo5s?si=TgHAHG6cbFwWybb7
Don't forget to a) press the CC button to enable the translation/subtitles and b) change the quality to 1080p. This gathering of Khufiyya Sufis took place after Fajr (early morning prayer), at 6:30am on the 28th March 2014, at the North Mosque in Linxia, Gansu province, China. The Khufiyya are a branch of the larger Naqshbandi tariqah (Sufi order) founded by Baha al-Din Naqshband in the 14th century. ¹ i.e. no god but the one God. Known as the tahlil or kalimah, this is the most central dhikr (litany for the remembrance of God) in Islam. It is considered to be an affirmation of absolute monotheism, and therefore the first half of the declaration of faith required to convert to Islam (the shahadah). ² The second half of the shahadah 0:00 Chants of "Laa ilaha illallah" 5:00 Chants of "Allah" 7:00 Chants of "Hu" 8:15 Antum Furudhi Wa Nafli This is an almost verbatim poem by Ibn al-Faridh with a few added verses that I can't make out. Ibn al-Faridh was a 12th-century Syrian-Egyptian poet who is often considered to be the Arab Rumi due to his prolific and profound Sufi poetry. His Khamriyyah ("Wine Ode") is considered to be his masterpiece, and at 700 verses his Nazm al-Suluk ("Path of the seeker") remains one of the longest pieces of Sufi poetry ever written. ––––– Description from the Sounding Islam Project: "These worshippers belong to the Khufiyya menhuan, one of the main branches of the Sufi orders that were introduced into this part of China in the late 17th century. The menhuan are both socio-economic and religio-political institutions which grew out of the Sufi schools established by followers of early saintly leaders. The Central Asian Sufi Naqshbandi order, founded by Bahar al’Din Naqshband (d. 1389), is represented in Linxia by two menhuan: the Jahriyya and Khufiyya. More than twenty branches of the Khufiyya order are active across China today, especially in the northwest. The Huasi branch of the Khufiyya menhuan was established by Ma Laichi, who travelled widely in Middle East, and whose tomb lies in Linxia." Thanks to Ruard Absaroka for recording the video, and the excellent Sounding Islam China project for making it available.
posted by NFIE @ 1:05 PM
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