The restaurant has a history of about 80 years, and although rather small, with a plain decor, it is still very popular with local residents, the employees working in the surrounding office buildings, and especially with Muslims.

The average full day's turnover is about 1,000 yuan (US$121) for la mian (dought pulled into strips for noodle) and 400 to 500 yuan (US$48 to 60) for cooked food. That is quite good for a 50 square metre store.

But such a prosperous and popular business will soon be forced to close.

According to a notice plastered on a nearby wall, the old Shanghai Concert Hall will be moved back 100 metres from its original site and its small road will be transformed into green space to upgrade the environmental index.

The restaurant, which receives an average of 200 customers every day, is renowned for its fresh beef slices, well-seasoned soup, and slab-sided noodles. The prices are moderate - about 3-4 yuan (US$0.35-0.50) for a bowl of noodles, though it is located in the downtown area at 116 Longmen Lu, only one block away from the famous commercial street - Huaihai Zhonglu.

The delicatessen is famous for "Qing Zhen Niu Wei" (steamed ox tail), "Sheng Chuan Niu Rou Pian" (poached beef fillets) in summer and "Ban Ya" (salted duck) in winter. The head chef, a Muslim trained as a cook in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, has a very thorough knowledge of Muslim dishes.

Long tradition

A plaque can be seen on the middle wall with Muslim characters. According to Huang, it was put up about 30 years ago by an Imam, alongside another with Chinese characters reading, "Pay respect to minority customs, outside food not allowed."

Huang explains: "We take the minority problem seriously and though some of us belong to the Han nationality, we never eat pork or related food here."

"Since some Muslims in Shanghai are living below the poverty line, we set the prices low. We know that they are longing for pure Muslim cuisine," the manager said with pride.

With September 10 - set as the official demolition day - drawing near, the old employees in the restaurant are deeply upset. Liu Zhongduo, who has been working there for 27 years, said "I am a long-time employee here. When I returned from the government programme of 'Go and settle in the countryside' in 1975, I began to work here, at that time I was only 23."

The restaurant has become part of its 16 employees' lives over the many years it has operated.

They are divided into two groups, each working one day, with the other day for rest, and their average monthly income is about 700 to 800 yuan (US$88-100). The employees have a strong sense of fellowship that makes up for their modest salary.

They open for business at 7 am, and close at 6 pm.

Merged into life

"I saw many ups and downs in this restaurant, it has become an inseparable part of my life, but this will soon end," Liu said.

According to the notice, this programme is categorized as a "municipal settlement", which doesn't fall into the category of a building lease, and fails to meet the conditions required for normal compensation.

"The local government lacks housing resources, the residents here only received a very small allowance. For a family with an apartment of 40 square metres, they were granted a slender subsidy of 160,000 yuan (US$20,000), not even enough to buy a second-hand house with two bedrooms," Liu complained.

"And, we are only a small outlet affiliated with the Koufu Foodstuff Factory under the New World Group. So the government will pay even less attention to us. We are hidden in the corner, and we have no right to negotiate," she said.

As for the way out, manager Huang said: "Our director gave us two choices: one is to become salespersons in hypermarkets, and the other is to go on with our old trade, but the location is too faraway, in Nanhui District, near Luchao Port."

Moreover, most of the employees have big families, with parents and children to look after. "Facing such a heavy burden, how can they afford to work on the eastern edge of Shanghai, without any sign of government support. No one is willing to go there," Ms Huang said.

Though they stopped their business on September 1, customers still came along in batches on their lunch break. When they discovered the fate facing their beloved restaurant, many were upset.

Liu Hui, who works in Shanghai Square, said it was really a shame to demolish such a good restaurant, "I had my lunch here every day since I started work about three years ago and I grew quite attached to it as time went on. But ..."

And Mr Zhang, a businessman who was also a long-time customer said: "I started dining here in 1987, the noodles here are really a feast. They are so delicious that two bowls are not nearly enough for me. Its disappearance is really a pity."

The customers' bold suggestion was to launch a restaurant of their own, but Huang was still quite cautious about it.

"Firstly," she said, "we need a shop front, but we cannot afford the high prices here near Huaihai Lu," she said.

The manager also worried that a privately owned restaurant would face a tough time.

"We would be subject to countless checks by the public health bureau, the epidemic prevention station, or some other bureaux," she complained, "And even worse, they may find many odd reasons to fine you and at last compel you to put up the shutters. So I don't think that is a good way for us."

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