Somewhere between Xietu Road and Zhaojiabang road you’ll find Islam Street. The name in Mandarin is 清真路, Qingzhen Lu. 清真, literally “pure true”, shows up in the word for mosque, 清真寺, and less frequently as a name for the religion itself. However it’s probably best translated as “Islamic” and most often as “halal”.

At first I didn’t notice the name. My friend lives right by Qingzhen Lu, and while visiting today I did a quick Google Maps search for bookstores in the area.

The best part of Islamic Street is what you’ll find there. It’s a healthy mix of not just bookstores but Christian bookstores and questionable massage parlours. Not to mention one dog store. That’s right. Islamic Street is home to specialty stores of another religion, state-sanctioned prostitution, and haraam puppies.

I’m sure further west you’ll find at least one halal restaurant. I guess it’s consistent though, considering the mosque in Changzhou has a Muslim run bar on the second floor.

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