Beijing’s Pakistani Connections

Posted on March 31, 2008
Filed Under >Owais Mughal, Travel
24 Comments
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Owais Mughal

Whenever we travel to a new country and we see any reference to Pakistan, it naturally catches our attention. Recently this ATP ka numaainda (representative) was in China. I saw following subtle references to Pakistan in Beijing.

(1) Whether we liked her or not; whether we agreed with her or not; the fact remains that she is the single most known person outside Pakistan. I was browsing in the book store of Guanghua School of Management at the Peking University when I found this Chinese edition of ‘Daughter of the East’. Price RMB 28. This was the only book related to Pakistan that I was able to find in that book store.

(2) While in China, do as Chinese do. I did that for 6 days. On seventh day the craving for Pakistani food became so strong that I went looking for a Pakistani restaurant in Beijing. A quick internet search revealed there was only one Pakistani restaurant in Beijing and of all the names in this world, it was called ‘The Mughal Beijing’. Following is its signboard.


The Mughal Beijing is located on Sunlitan Street . They serve ‘halal’ food (written twice on the signboard above to remove any lingering doubts) along with ‘Live Performance every Evening’. No details given on the signboard about the every evening live performances.

Well all my hardwork and hefty taxi fare that I paid to get there, came to a naught when I saw this notice board infront of the restaurant. I was so heartbroken that I called the number given on this board and talked to the owner. I was hoping the owner would invite me to his home for Pakistani food (Nihari and Bihari kabab) and I will reluctanty accept it but alas that didn’t happen. The owner told me they are reopening in one month from now in the same building and I should definitely come to taste their food. All I could say from my end was:

hum bhi muNh meiN zubaaN rakhtay haiN
kaash poocho ke zaaiqa kia hai

Next day we ate at the Ganges Indian restaurant which has 3 branches in Beijing. Good food and I recommend them if you are looking for desi food in Beijing.

(3)
The hotel we stayed in was showing this World Clock at their front desk. It just melted my heart right there. Now how many World clocks have you seen outside Pakistan which show PST on top. There are 8 other countries in the World which share the same time zone as Pakistan but the manufacturers of this World Clock chose to select Pakistan at the representative. Bravo. For this one gesture of friendship, I will recommend Red Wall Hotel to our readers if they visit Beijing. It is also conveniently located at a walking distance from the famous Forbidden City and Beihai Park.

(4) And of course Pakistan International Airlines is one of the many airlines that fly to Beijing. On March 26, 2008 Beijing has inaugurated a World Class Airport terminal (#3) for the Olympics. PIA however flies to the old terminal which is terminal 2 of Beijing Capital Airport.

24 responses to “Beijing’s Pakistani Connections”

  1. Shahid Hameed says:

    Visited the Mughal’s Restaurant recently. A nice place with good food. Their new location is on the 4th floor of Nali Patio. This is the white building on the south side of 3.3 Plaza (their previous location). The manager’s telephone number is 1346-638-2160. Happy dining.

  2. Sienna says:

    Thanks for the information on the Mughal’s Beijing. I called them and found that they will be moving to Nali Studios, right next to their previous location, in late July 2008. For other Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Beijing, I’d highly recommend the Taj Pavilion, which has two branches in the city.

  3. tabman says:

    Owais are you living in China ? Can I get your contact or anything ?

    I’m talking with relation to Beijing.

    How much per month is spent on food ? What about 1 br apartment rent ?
    How to go about finding an apartment sitting in Pakistan ?

    Transport, Health care etc.

    How much salary is good enough to live in a reasonable setting and save some as well ?

  4. Owais Mughal says:

    Tabman. Depends on where you go. In Beijing atleast food is not a problem. halal food is at every street corner. Shanghai has a bigger Pakistani community but food may have limited choices. Language may also be a hindrance. Very few people speak or understand English. But you may be able to pick up Chinese very quickly, once put into the situation. It is amazing how quickly one learns another language when there is no other choice.

  5. tabman says:

    is there a community of Pakistanis in China ?

    I might be going for a Software Developer job to Beijing but I’m not very comfortable with the idea of life in china ?

    what kind of issues are faced etc. I guess those who are working there in IT can tell the best. If anyone would like to share his experience in China please contact me.

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