For many new-comers in China, one of the main problems encountered is food and for those of Muslim faith, one common question arises:

Is halal food available in China?

Answer is “Yes“, Halal food is widely available in China. Almost every city/province in China you can find halal food, products or restaurants. And usually most of the Muslim restaurants/halal restaurants run by Chinese Muslims.

Another often-asked question is-

How to recognize and where to find Halal food/products/restaurants in China?

In Chinese, halal is called Qingzhen Cai (清真菜). Hahal food is easy to find in most major cities in China given the large Muslim population in China. Small Muslim restaurants and food stalls are also widely available in cities or towns because of the number of Muslim migrants from western China. Muslim restaurants in China are usually run by Muslim migrants, and offer cheap halal food given the greater prevalence of these meats in the cuisine of western Chinese regions.

Chinese halal food appeared over 1,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty when Islam was introduced to China. Arabic businessmen, travelers and missionaries traveled to China along the ancient Silk Road, and settled in places like Xian, Kaifeng, Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Yangzhou and Hangzhou. These Arabic people were the ancestors of today’s Hui people in China. Chinese hahal food developed, and more dishes were created during the Yuan Dynasty when the Hui ethnic minority was formed.

Chinese halal food blendes the original Middle East flavors with traditional Chinese dishes, creating its own style. Wheat food and products are eaten more frequently than rice, and various dishes and snacks are made from wheat flour. Sweet flavors take an important role, probably related to Arabian Muslims’ preference for a sweet taste. Beef and mutton are also widely eaten.

Famous Halal Dishes

Roasted Whole Lamb(烤全羊)

Roasted Whole Lamb is the most famous dish in Xinjiang Province, and it can be found in major cities across China. The dish is prepared with selected ingredients and is cooked using a special cooking technique. When preparing, a mixture of flour and water with yelk, salt, ginger, and pepper powder is applied to shroud the entire carcass. The lamb is then put into a specially made oven and baked for around one hour. It is trimmed with red silk around its neck and served with it mouth stuffed with fresh caraway. When eating, people use a knife to cut the mutton from the lamb.

Lanzhou Hand Pulled Noodles with Beef 兰州牛肉拉面

his kind of hand-pulled noodle is also known as the “Lanzhou Beef Noodles,” one of the most common dishes in the local area. Visitors can see this dish being served on every corner of the city, and it has become a part of the local people’s life. The noodle is handmade, and it takes a cook only one or two minutes to stretch the flour cake into many needle-like noodles. Today, small restaurants serving Lanzhou Beef Noodles can be found in almost every Chinese city. Most of them are hidden in small alleys or back streets.

Among the many beef restaurants in Lanzhou, the Jinding Beef Noodle Restaurant on Pingliang Road, the Mazhilu Beef Noodle Restaurant on Wudu Road and the Minority Restaurant in Zhangye Road are the most famous.

Hand-taken Lamb 手抓羊肉

Hand-taken Lamb has a history of around one thousand years. It is so named because the lamb is eaten with one’s hand. The lamb is boiled in soup, with ingredients such as pepper, onion and ginger. It is done when the meat is soft. The lamb can be served hot, cold or fried.

When I first traveled to China in 2007 to teach English for a year, one of my favorite actives quickly became taking a walk after dinner with friends and exploring the narrow lanes of the subtropical city we lived in.

With a couple of lamb or chicken skewers in hand, we were set to explore the city for the night. On our nightly walk to the river that ran through the city, we observed the people around us selling clothes from carts along the streets and students playing ping pong in a park.

Everyone was outside doing something (or nothing) and you felt like you were a part of it. One of the best things about China is that you can walk out of your door and everything and everyone is right there waiting for you.

As China continues to grow, more and more foreigners are choosing to travel, live, work, or do business in China. No matter what your reason for exploring this vibrant country, the below tips on how to get by during your first days will help give you the confidence to buy your ticket and go have fun in China.

When to Visit

There are two main holidays in China: National Week, at the beginning of October, the week celebrating China’s independence, and Chinese New Year, usually sometime at the beginning of February or end of January.

If you’re looking to check out the Canton fair, this is usually held in April and May every year. The Canton Fair is a month-long exhibition of manufacturing companies’ products from all over China. At the Canton Fair one can find everything from metal cutting laser machines to backpacks. Click here to see a metal cutting laser at work.

Most tourists travel to China during the summer months between June and September. It’s typically hot all over China during this time, but may be cooler at higher altitudes.

The weather in the south remains mild during the winter, and months of November and December are perfect for visiting somewhere like Guangzhou or Hong Kong since it’s no longer hot and not yet cold either.

For newbies, it’s difficult to find out where to start and what would be the best path to become a software developer or engineer. We are going to discuss some options and a general path that will help you to enter in this industry as a programmer but understand that there is no single path to becoming a software engineer.

1. Pursue Computer Science Related Fields and Degree

This is one of the traditional ways that most of the students follow to pursue software engineering. A lot of students choose a bachelor’s degree program in computer science, they study in-depth theoretical concepts of computer science subjects which helps them to understand the principle of software engineering. Data Structures, Algorithms, Web Technology, Computer Networks, Mathematics, Database System, Programming Languages and a lot of major subjects help students to have a comprehensive understanding of software engineering and modern approaches of software development.A lot of employers set the eligibility criteria of four years bachelor’s degree program in the computer science field so pursuing a degree is a great choice but you shouldn’t rely on a degree only. All those subjects are not going to give you practical exposure or working on real-time projects. You can’t say someone that you have enrolled for the course to become a software engineer until or unless you won’t have practical exposure.To become a developer or software engineer you need to use your theoretical knowledge and concepts practically working on some real software. You need to showcase your practical skills to the recruiter and we will talk about what you should do apart from theoretical knowledge in upcoming points.

Note: Pursuing a computer science degree is not compulsory to become a software engineer. You can also join some coding boot camp or online or offline classes to enter in programming. These Bootcamps help you to build some basic foundation of computer science fundamentals and help students to build some software to get into the companies for a software developer role.

2. Learn Programming Languages

Just like people communicate with each other through languages, you also need to tell your computer what to do using a language that these computers can understand. Even if you are graduate or have a degree it’s not helpful if you don’t have a deeper understanding of any programming language using it to build software. Now you need to take the responsibility of your own education so choose any programming language as per your choice and goal and have in-depth knowledge in it.

Ruby, Java, Python, C++, C#, Javascript are some languages you can go with. It’s not important to learn 3-4 languages simultaneously as a beginner. Start with one language and get well versed in it. Once you are experienced, you can try your hands on another language. Switching to the next language becomes easier after the first one.

Learn the syntax of the language, practice to write programs in it and get used to it. Study about the libraries, rules, features, advantages, projects that can be built and other concepts depends on specific language you choose. You can learn and practice on GeeksforGeeks, w3schools.com, Codecademy, CodinGame, Khan Academy, freeCodeCamp and alot of websites are there.

3. Study Data Structures and Algorithms

An algorithm is a step by step approach to solve a specific problem, whereas data structure is the way of organizing data. These two concepts help programmers to solve the problem within less amount of time and memory. A software engineer is always expected to give the best solution for a specific problem taking care of time and memory both. They should know which algorithm and which data structure will be suitable or the best fit for a certain problem. Consider an example of searching an element in a large set of data. You can search the element using a linear search or binary seacrh. Now you need to decide which approach is better (need to take care of time and memory management) to search the data (It depends on the number of data). We highly recommend you to focus on these two topics which are the heart of programming. Also, study mathematics if you can, because it helps you to analyze and design the best algorithm for a specific problem. You can take help of some portals like GeeksforGeeks, Coderbyte, CodinGame and alot of sites are there to practice these two essential topics. You will understand how problems are solved in real world or in industires using these two basic building block smartly in a software.

4. Enhance Your Skills

Programming is a never-ending journey so your education is not finished when you have completed your degree. It’s true that pursuing a degree helps in understanding the core principle of software engineering but you should know how to implement academic knowledge practically in the real world. You need to keep practicing and you need to keep updating yourself with software updates and new technologies. You should have the knowledge of some tools and technologies that are being used in industries. Browse StackOverflow site for programming related queries and to learn from other programmers approach, join some communities where you can discuss and share programming related stuff, develop connections, attend meetups, watch youtube videos of technical stuff, read technical blogs and use practice sites to build your problem-solving and coding skills. 5. Design and Build Software or Projects Most of the employers are going to ask for the hands-on experience in building software or a project. Your practical experience is more valuable than your academic knowledge or GPA. Those CS fundamentals and concepts which you have learned in your textbooks, you should know how it can be used in building some amazing software. There is no point to learn all the concepts theoretically if you don’t know how to use it practically. So, use whatever you have learned and improved your skills by building some software or projects. You can build some personal or professional projects, you can contribute to some open-source projects and you can showcase it to the recruiters putting everything online. Your potential employer will be able to see your skills and experience through your projects. 6. Do Some Internships Internships are the best opportunity for students to get hands-on industry experience and exposure and that’s the reason it opens a lot of job opportunities. A lot of companies offer internships for students who want to work on industry projects. In internship students’ get practical training and real industry exposure where they work on some projects or products related to their skills, they also learn how to work under a team and it helps them to adapt to the company culture. Generally, internships are three to six months long for students and we recommend every student to go for some internship programs during their college time. Doing an internship can be really helpful in getting a full-time job offer and the same company where you are working as an intern can give you the opportunity for a full-time position once you complete your internship. You can read the link Why Internships are Important for Engineering Students or Freshers? to know it’s importance. 7. Start Looking For Job Opportunities If you have done all the above things then it’s time to start looking for job opportunities. Create a resume, create a nice profile on different job portals, post your resume over there, check these websites on a regular basis and apply for the jobs. Networking really helps in getting some referrals for the job or interviews so make connections, use personal contacts, attend meetups, conferences, seminars and expand your network. You can also visit different companies’ websites and check the job description in the career option. You can directly apply from their career option as well, if your profile will be shortlisted then the recruiter will approach you for further process. Good Luck!!!