開清真麪館 須遵守陝甘寧條約

Amid the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai, the parties to a time-honored treaty are at war.

在上海現代化的摩天大樓之間，一項古老條約的締約各方發生了戰爭。

At stake are the spoils of a multibillion-dollar industry and a minority group’s ability to retain its customs in a fast-changing China.

這場衝突的結果，關係到一個價值數十億美元的產業，以及一個少數民族在飛速變化的中國，能否守住他們的傳統習俗。

Also, noodles.

此外，還有面條。

When Xian Gulin opened a halal restaurant in Shanghai last month that serves hand-pulled beef noodles, he hoped patrons would line up at his door.

上個月，鹹國林在上海開了一家賣手工牛肉拉麪的清真餐廳。

What he got instead was an entrance blocked for weeks by protesters.

他希望店門口能排起長隊，然而，他看到的卻是抗議者在店門口堵了幾個星期。

The protesters, like Mr.

這些抗議者和鹹國林一樣，都是回族人，屬於穆斯林少數族裔，起初來自中國西北。

Xian, were Hui, a Muslim ethnic minority, originally from China’s northwest.

他們抗議店主違背了一項陝甘寧條約。

They accused the restaurateur of violating the Shaanxi-Ningxia-Gansu Treaty, a social pact that forbids the Hui from opening halal noodle shops within 400 meters of each other — roughly 1,300 feet.

這是一個社會約定，禁止回族人在已有清真拉麪店的方圓400米之內開拉麪館。

To appease the protesters, Mr. Xian eventually agreed to take down the halal insignia from his storefront.

爲了安撫抗議者，鹹國林最終同意摘下店鋪門面上的清真標誌。

The origins of the treaty are unknown, but restaurateurs say it originally capped the number of noodle shops in a Hui village at one.

陝甘寧條約的起源人們不得而知，但是餐館經營者說，起初，該條約將一個回族村莊中的麪館數量限制爲一家。

As more Hui began moving eastward into China’s growing coastal cities, they brought a variant of the treaty with them.

隨着越來越多的回族人向中國東部不斷髮展的沿海城市遷移，他們帶去了條約的一個不同版本。

For the Hui as a community, maintaining their halal traditions and restaurants has been critical to their survival.

回族作爲一個羣體，維護他們的清真傳統和餐館是他們生存的關鍵。

So it’s not surprising that in a highly capitalized society, these rivalries would bubble to the surface, said Dru Gladney, an anthropology professor at Pomona College in California and an expert on Chinese ethnic minorities.

因此，在一個高度資本化的社會，這些競爭浮出水面並不奇怪，加利福尼亞州波莫納學院的人類學教授、中國少數民族研究專家德魯•格拉德尼(Dru Gladney)說。

The halal food industry has flourished in China as the country has pursued closer economic relations with majority-Muslim Middle Eastern nations.

隨着中國尋求與中東以穆斯林爲主要民族的國家建立更緊密的經濟聯繫，清真餐飲業也在中國繁榮發展。

In Qinghai Province alone, sales of halal food products in 2014 totaled about $2.8 billion.

僅在青海省，2014年清真餐食的銷售額就達到了約28億美元。

On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, online commenters condemned the protests.

在中國的社交媒體平臺微博上，網民們譴責那些抗議活動。

Even the Islamic Association of Qinghai got involved, declaring the boycott of Mr. Xian’s restaurant a violation of fair competition that caused social instability.

就連青海省伊斯蘭教協會也加入其中，稱對鹹國林餐館的抵制違背了公平競爭，引發社會不穩定。

Still, Hui restaurateurs insist that the treaty is more necessary than ever.

然而，回族餐館的店主們堅持認爲，該條約比以往任何時候都更重要。

We worked so hard to climb our way up, so we can’t tolerate people who do not respect the treaty, said Ma Yi Buo La, 37, who owns a halal noodle shop in Shanghai.

我們努力了那麼久爲了爬到我們現在的位置，不能容許不尊重條約的人，37歲的馬依波拉（音）說，他在上海開一家清真麪館。

People who don’t abide by the treaty, they’re not good people, he said.

不按照條約的人不是好人，他說。

Yet enforcement of the treaty is increasingly difficult as halal cuisine becomes more popular across China.

不過，隨着清真菜在中國各地越來越流行，執行陝甘寧條約也變得日益困難。

It was a tradition in our villages back home, but I don’t think anyone really respects this treaty anymore in large cities, said Ma Kefu, 19, a Gansu native who now works at a halal restaurant in Beijing.

在老家，村裏有這習俗，但我覺得在大城市裏沒有人尊重，19歲的甘肅人馬科夫（音）說。他現在在北京的一家清真餐廳工作。

To make his point, he gestured across the street.

爲了說明自己的觀點，他指向馬路的對面。

No more than 15 feet away stood another halal restaurant, its intricate halal insignia prominently on display.

不到15英尺之外就是另一家清真餐廳，店鋪上精緻的清真標誌十分醒目。