Our regular Interiors features take a look through the keyhole into the homes and businesses of some of Shanghai's well known faces.
Aaliyah Bilal’s story as an expatriate in China is slightly different than most. In 2004, the Islamic studies specialist from Silver Spring, Maryland first arrived at Kunming’s Yunnan University for a research fellowship focused on the Hui people – an ethnic minority group consisting mainly of Chinese-speaking Muslims.
After the program ended, she continued her graduate studies in the UK, where she met her husband and his job eventually brought the couple to Shanghai in 2008. Bilal, who has now been living here on and off for a decade, is now writing a book that focuses on her personal experience as a person of racial minority in a foreign country, and it’s scheduled to be published in 2017.
“The idea came from being asked repeatedly by others what it’s like to live in Asia as a black person,” she explains. “There’s good and bad, and I want the narrative and assessment to be filled with kindness and sympathy,” says Bilal, who admitted to writing many drafts of the book but have only recently found the right framework to tell the story without focusing too much on herself.
Having moved into their current flat near Xintiandi in February, Bilal has been busy decorating it from scratch. Here’s a look inside.
While neutral tones dominate the apartment, Bilal incorporates dashes of bright colors around the room in the forms of fresh fruits, plants, rugs and books to give it some life.
Seen here with her cat Bakerloo, Bilal takes pride in the greenery installed on the balcony – one of her favorite places in the house. It also takes her back to the times when she first met her husband in the UK, where the couple would always go on dates in gardens and parks.
Upon entering the apartment, guests receive a warm welcome from a painting by Bilal.
Two Chinese-style calligraphy pieces in Arabic by Hui artist Mi Guangjiang (AKA Haji Noor Deen) are displayed prominently in the dining room. One is a blessing to the couple, and the other is a passage from the Quran that translates to: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.”
[5] When she’s at home, Bilal spends a lot of time in the study, which is blessed with plenty of natural light during the day. She enjoys doing most of her writing here, and describes herself as a ‘ferocious reader,’ consuming around four books per month on average.
Continuing with the clean aesthetic, the master bedroom is simply decorated with plants and Bilal’s photographs taken during her travels. The daybed by the window also makes for a cozy place to read on a lazy afternoon.
Photos by Mario Grey
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