KIH convoy attracts attention in China
HUI CHUAN, GANSU PROVINCE: Where ever the ‘Kembara Inspirasi Haji’ (KIH) convoy of two four-wheel-drive vehicles parked or drove through the streets in the provinces of Yunan, Sichuan and Gansu in China, they attracted the attention of the local community.
Some of the motorists even parked their vehicles and then went to approach the eight participants and studied the various stickers on the KIH vehicles and also a map , which included logo of the KIH sponsor and map on the route of the expedition that would take them to Makkah.
The presence of the eight Malaysian KIH participants attracts the locals as they rarely have foreigners arriving in, or passing through their village or town.
However, language barrier hampered KIH participants to provide information on their 16,000 kilometre expedition to the local community.
So far, the KIH expedition has travelled more than 6,000 km across Thailand, Laos and the Province of Yunan, Sichuan and Gansu in China. They will be in China for another nine days.
KIH project director Khir Ariffin said the response from the local community in China, including non-Muslims, showed their interest to know more about the expedition.
The convoy’s next destination is Lanzhou, which is the main town along the silk route, and there, the KIH participants would visit the Muslim community, as well as a floating mosque and the 649-yearold Xiguan Mosque. — Bernama