An oasis of calm at the center of the hustle and bustle

I've always regarded Guangzhou as the epitome of the bustling Chinese mega city - both in terms of its huge population of migrant workers and its trade volume - so to step into Xianxian Mosque in the city's old town was like entering a time capsule. It left me with an enchanting sense of disbelief; I couldn't believe such an oasis of calm could exist in such a busy city.

The clamor and cacophony that has long provided the background music to the city's energetic - or, to some people, energy sapping - atmosphere was inaudible, replaced by a silence only occasionally punctuated by birdcalls. One of my interviewees told me: "Allah listens to you the most clearly when you speak in a whisper." I have no idea how he reached that epiphany, but the total immersion in silence had induced a feeling of deep introspection, something often overlooked yet essential to humankind, Muslim or not.

Zhang Qiuxiang, a convert to Islam, has been married to an Egyptian Muslim for 10 years. No particular rituals were involved in her conversion. "I stepped out of the plane at the end of a flight and was immediately seized by the beauty of the burning dusk sky. At that moment, I made a promise to Allah and became a Muslim," she said.