Halal Travel Guide to Henan: 14 Traditional Mosques (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Henan: 14 Traditional Mosques (Part 1). 1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655. It is useful for readers interested in Henan Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
1. Kaifeng
1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655
2. Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School
3. Kaifeng Shanyitang Mosque: 1874
4. Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School: 1810s
5. Kaifeng Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1662
6. Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque Qing Dynasty screen wall
7. Kaifeng Zhuxian Town North Mosque: Rebuilt in 1738
8. Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School
2. Zhengzhou Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Ming Dynasty
3. Jiaozuo
1. Bo'ai Xiguan Mosque: Expanded in 1405.
2. Bo'ai Erxianmiao Mosque: Qing Dynasty architecture
3. Bo'ai Daxinzhuang Dongdasi (Great Eastern Mosque): Expanded in the Ming Dynasty.
4. Bo'ai Daxinzhuang Qingzhen Xisi (Western Mosque): Qing Jiaqing reign.
5. Qinyang Beidasi (Northern Mosque): Rebuilt in 1631.
1. Kaifeng
1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655
Kaifeng Dongdasi was originally called Daliang Mosque. In 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign), the youth of the mosque community followed Chang Yuchun on the northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty. After the victory, Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed the name 'Imperial-built Daliang Mosque'. In 1407 (the fifth year of the Yongle reign), Ming Emperor Zhu Di 'imperially bestowed funds for expansion'. It was destroyed by Yellow River flooding at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1655 (the twelfth year of the Kangxi reign), expanded in 1689 (the twenty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign), and destroyed again by Yellow River flooding in 1841 (the twenty-first year of the Daoguang reign). In 1846 (the twenty-sixth year of the Daoguang reign), because the Hui Muslims had contributed to flood prevention, the Governor of Henan petitioned the imperial court to rebuild it.
Currently, Dongdasi has three courtyards, featuring a main gate, a second gate, a prayer hall, north and south lecture halls, and side rooms.
The main gate has a single-eave, ridge-roofed hard-mountain style, decorated with Suzhou-style gold-leaf paintings.
Inside the main gate, a traditional maiti (coffin) box is kept.
Entering through the main gate leads to the second gate.
Next to the second gate is a chuihuamen (hanging flower gate).
Because the main hall is under renovation, Jumu (Friday prayer) is held in the north lecture hall.
The main hall consists of a juanpeng (arched roof structure), a front hall, and a rear hall. It was under renovation when I visited.
2. Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School
The Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School is opposite Dongdasi, first built in 1933 and rebuilt in 1993. The term 'women's school' first appeared in the 'Jingxue Xichuan Pu' (Genealogy of Classical Studies) written during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. During the mid-to-late Qing period, women's schools gradually evolved into women's mosques, but the name 'women's school' continued to be used, especially in places like Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, and Zhoukou.
3. Kaifeng Shanyitang Mosque: 1874
Shanyitang Mosque is one of the ancient mosque buildings in Kaifeng city, located southwest of the Drum Tower. It was built in 1874 (the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi reign) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi who settled in Kaifeng. It was originally a 'Shanyitang' (Benevolence and Righteousness Hall) guild hall for performing good deeds. In 1901, when Empress Dowager Cixi passed through Kaifeng on her way back to Beijing from Xi'an, the vanguard officer, a Hui Muslim named Ma Anliang, petitioned for a plaque inscribed with 'Mosque', and thus it was renamed Shanyitang Mosque. I met the hospitable Zhao Baba (an affectionate term for an elder) at the mosque, who told me a lot about the history of the mosque and the stories of the Muslims in Kaifeng.
The famous Arabic calligrapher, Master Mi Guangjiang, wrote the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah for the mosque's yaodian (rear prayer hall).
4. Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School: 1810s
The Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School is the oldest existing women's mosque in China, first built in the 1810s (during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty). Two stone tablets from 1878 (the fourth year of the Guangxu reign) currently in the mosque record its history. The founder of the women's mosque was known as 'Li-family Yuan-woman Ahong'. After Yuan Ahong returned to Allah, her disciple 'Wu-family Zhang-woman Ahong' continued to serve as Ahong. During this period, a man surnamed Zheng donated funds to purchase the building, and an elderly woman named Zhao Yang donated two storefront rooms. This is also the first time in history that the terms 'female Ahong' and 'women's mosque' appeared.
5. Kaifeng Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1662
Kaifeng Beidasi was destroyed by Yellow River flooding in 1645 and rebuilt at a new site in 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign). Because Beidasi is far from the city center, it is very quiet, and the courtyard is planted with many beautiful flowers and plants. During Dhuhr (noon prayer), there were only four of us, including the Ahong, the Mu'adhdhin, the mosque master, and myself. We chatted very happily. Several Babas told me about the history of Kaifeng Beidasi and the changes in the mosque community, and also told me what good food there is at the night market at the west gate of Henan University nearby.
Guided by an old master, I discovered a stone tablet in the mosque inscribed by Bao Zheng himself, titled 'The Place Where the Dragon Horse Carried the Map', with the inscription 'March of the second year of the Jiayou reign (1057), by Bao Zheng, Scholar of the Longtu Pavilion and Prefect of Kaifeng'. This stone tablet was excavated in 1785 (the fiftieth year of the Qianlong reign) by Jiang Lan, the Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner, under the Yellow River levee at Heigangkou in the suburbs of Kaifeng. After it was unearthed, a shrine and pavilion were built specifically for the tablet. Later, the shrine and pavilion fell into ruin, and the tablet was kept in Beidasi.
6. Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque Qing Dynasty screen wall
Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque was first built in the Ming Dynasty, destroyed by floods at the end of the Chongzhen reign, rebuilt in 1649 (the sixth year of the Shunzhi reign), renovated in 1791 (the fifty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign), and rebuilt as a modern building in the 1990s. Currently, a Qing Dynasty screen wall is preserved opposite the mosque's main gate, featuring exquisite brick carvings.
7. Kaifeng Zhuxian Town North Mosque: Rebuilt in 1738
Zhuxian Town North Mosque is the largest mosque in Zhuxian Town. It was first built during the Taiping Xingguo reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, rebuilt in 1531 (the tenth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty), destroyed by Yellow River flooding in 1641 (the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen reign), rebuilt in 1738 (the third year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty), and expanded twice in 1744 (the ninth year of the Qianlong reign) and 1839 (the nineteenth year of the Daoguang reign).
The mosque's main gate has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with very exquisite wood carvings on the lintels and vivid glazed roof beasts. Inside the gate hang the plaques 'Zhi Fa Zhen Yuan' (Reaching the True Source) inscribed by Zhu Yukun, the Henan Governor during the Qianlong reign, and 'Zhen Yi Huan Zhen' (True Unity Returns to Truth) inscribed by Yulu, the Viceroy of Huguang during the Guangxu reign.
The prayer hall of Zhuxian Town Mosque consists of a juanpeng, a main hall, and a yaodian. The juanpeng is a beam-lifting wooden structure, open at the front and back, not connected to the main hall, with a stone drainage ditch in between and a stone arch bridge over the ditch.
The path in front of the main hall is inscribed with 'Xiantian' (Pre-heaven), 'Zhongtian' (Mid-heaven), and 'Datian Junlu' (The Great Path to Heaven).
The beams and lintels of the prayer hall have exquisite wood carvings and colorful paintings.
The windows are inlaid with 'fish scales' measuring 8 centimeters square each, totaling about 720 pieces.
Inside the main hall.
A traditional tabu (coffin) box.
Arabic calligraphy collected by the mosque.
Selected verses from the Quran by the famous young calligrapher Wang Qifei.
Selected verses from the Quran by the famous calligrapher Mi Guangjiang.
The work 'Die Lian Hua' (Butterflies Love Flowers) by Liu Xueqiang, the then-Imam of Zhuxian Town Mosque, with the Shahada (testimony of faith) in the center, surrounded by praises to the Prophet and Takbir, with flower and butterfly patterns around the edges.
Praises to the Prophet and the declaration of oneness by the famous calligrapher and lecturer at Zhengzhou Beidasi, Wang Guo'an.
Arabic couplets by Imam Li Jianzhou of Zhengzhou Beidasi.
Collections in the mosque's exhibition hall. Qing Dynasty classics donated by Imam Liu Xueqiang.
Xiaojing (Arabic-script Chinese) donated by the late student of scripture, the Yang family.
Republic of China era classics donated by Liu Zhenzhong and Ma Guoxiang.
Old-fashioned tangping (kettle for ritual washing) tags.
A clock used by the late Ma Da Ahong donated by Ma Guoxiang, and a copper bell used by Qing Dynasty Ahongs to call the Hailifan (students of scripture) for Wudu (ritual washing) before the Adhan.
Scripture box.
Chongtong (water-pouring bucket) used for changing water in the Qing Dynasty.
Earthenware jar for Wudu from the Republic of China era.
The ancient well in the mosque, which was used until 2002. This exhibition hall was originally a water room. Every day, the mosque master used a windlass to draw water from the well into a pot to boil it, then poured it into tangping and water jars for ritual washing.
8. Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School
The most touching moment of this Kaifeng trip was the very warm reception I received from Grandma Wang at the Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School. Grandma Wang insisted on cooking for me, and I couldn't refuse, so I had the warmest bowl of huimian (braised noodles) of this trip.
Grandma Wang is 83 years old and from Weinan, Shaanxi. After her husband passed away 40 years ago, she went out to make a living and eventually settled at the Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School. Grandma Wang said that the flour and oil she eats every day are given by everyone, and she doesn't have to pay to live in the mosque. She gets up at three in the morning every day to clean and prepare for Fajr (morning prayer), and prays with everyone five times a day, feeling that her life is very fulfilling. I wanted to take a picture of Grandma, but she said she was old and didn't want to be photographed.
While chatting with Grandma, I met the female Ahong of the mosque. She is a local, in her thirties, and has been at the mosque for just one year. She usually has a shop near the Yue Fei Temple and comes to lead the prayers five times a day. The Ahong is also very kind and gave me two youxiang (fried dough) to eat on the road.
2. Zhengzhou Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Ming Dynasty
Beidasi is located on North Street in the old city of Zhengzhou. It is said to have been built in the Ming Dynasty. It was renovated twice during the Qianlong reign and has the typical architectural style of Central Plains mosques. It is a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.
The main gate was built in 1725 (the third year of the Yongzheng reign).
The Wangyuelou (Moon-Watching Tower) also serves as the Bangkelou (minaret). The first floor is a passageway. Judging from the architectural structure, it is very likely an original Ming Dynasty structure, but the dougong (bracket sets) and eaves rafters should have been replaced in the Qing Dynasty. According to records, it was renovated in 1887 (the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign).
Wangyuelou has three pairs of Chinese couplets:
Observe, listen, and hear the words; understand the message of the body, and you will understand all creation.
In prosperity and adversity, honor and disgrace, realize the subtle use of the turning point, and you will realize the mystery within.
The hustle and bustle of the world, even if you are proud and happy, is just a moment of distraction.
Whether good or bad in body and mind, when you close your eyes at the end, only two things will follow you closely.
Follow the Quran to promote the right path.
Follow the Sunnah so that the truth will last forever.
On the other side are Arabic couplets.
There are also couplets on the doors on both sides of Wangyuelou:
The five daily prayers are the key to opening the door.
The true scripture is the lamp that guides the way.
To recognize the pearl, you must return to the shore.
If you think of the sea, repair the boat early.
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Henan: 14 Traditional Mosques (Part 1). 1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655. It is useful for readers interested in Henan Mosques, Chinese Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
1. Kaifeng
1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655
2. Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School
3. Kaifeng Shanyitang Mosque: 1874
4. Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School: 1810s
5. Kaifeng Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1662
6. Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque Qing Dynasty screen wall
7. Kaifeng Zhuxian Town North Mosque: Rebuilt in 1738
8. Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School
2. Zhengzhou Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Ming Dynasty
3. Jiaozuo
1. Bo'ai Xiguan Mosque: Expanded in 1405.
2. Bo'ai Erxianmiao Mosque: Qing Dynasty architecture
3. Bo'ai Daxinzhuang Dongdasi (Great Eastern Mosque): Expanded in the Ming Dynasty.
4. Bo'ai Daxinzhuang Qingzhen Xisi (Western Mosque): Qing Jiaqing reign.
5. Qinyang Beidasi (Northern Mosque): Rebuilt in 1631.
1. Kaifeng
1. Kaifeng Dongdasi (East Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1655
Kaifeng Dongdasi was originally called Daliang Mosque. In 1368 (the first year of the Hongwu reign), the youth of the mosque community followed Chang Yuchun on the northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty. After the victory, Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed the name 'Imperial-built Daliang Mosque'. In 1407 (the fifth year of the Yongle reign), Ming Emperor Zhu Di 'imperially bestowed funds for expansion'. It was destroyed by Yellow River flooding at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1655 (the twelfth year of the Kangxi reign), expanded in 1689 (the twenty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign), and destroyed again by Yellow River flooding in 1841 (the twenty-first year of the Daoguang reign). In 1846 (the twenty-sixth year of the Daoguang reign), because the Hui Muslims had contributed to flood prevention, the Governor of Henan petitioned the imperial court to rebuild it.
Currently, Dongdasi has three courtyards, featuring a main gate, a second gate, a prayer hall, north and south lecture halls, and side rooms.
The main gate has a single-eave, ridge-roofed hard-mountain style, decorated with Suzhou-style gold-leaf paintings.
Inside the main gate, a traditional maiti (coffin) box is kept.
Entering through the main gate leads to the second gate.
Next to the second gate is a chuihuamen (hanging flower gate).
Because the main hall is under renovation, Jumu (Friday prayer) is held in the north lecture hall.
The main hall consists of a juanpeng (arched roof structure), a front hall, and a rear hall. It was under renovation when I visited.
2. Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School
The Kaifeng Dongdasi Women's School is opposite Dongdasi, first built in 1933 and rebuilt in 1993. The term 'women's school' first appeared in the 'Jingxue Xichuan Pu' (Genealogy of Classical Studies) written during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. During the mid-to-late Qing period, women's schools gradually evolved into women's mosques, but the name 'women's school' continued to be used, especially in places like Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, and Zhoukou.
3. Kaifeng Shanyitang Mosque: 1874
Shanyitang Mosque is one of the ancient mosque buildings in Kaifeng city, located southwest of the Drum Tower. It was built in 1874 (the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi reign) by Hui Muslims from Shaanxi who settled in Kaifeng. It was originally a 'Shanyitang' (Benevolence and Righteousness Hall) guild hall for performing good deeds. In 1901, when Empress Dowager Cixi passed through Kaifeng on her way back to Beijing from Xi'an, the vanguard officer, a Hui Muslim named Ma Anliang, petitioned for a plaque inscribed with 'Mosque', and thus it was renamed Shanyitang Mosque. I met the hospitable Zhao Baba (an affectionate term for an elder) at the mosque, who told me a lot about the history of the mosque and the stories of the Muslims in Kaifeng.
The famous Arabic calligrapher, Master Mi Guangjiang, wrote the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah for the mosque's yaodian (rear prayer hall).
4. Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School: 1810s
The Kaifeng Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque School is the oldest existing women's mosque in China, first built in the 1810s (during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty). Two stone tablets from 1878 (the fourth year of the Guangxu reign) currently in the mosque record its history. The founder of the women's mosque was known as 'Li-family Yuan-woman Ahong'. After Yuan Ahong returned to Allah, her disciple 'Wu-family Zhang-woman Ahong' continued to serve as Ahong. During this period, a man surnamed Zheng donated funds to purchase the building, and an elderly woman named Zhao Yang donated two storefront rooms. This is also the first time in history that the terms 'female Ahong' and 'women's mosque' appeared.
5. Kaifeng Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Rebuilt in 1662
Kaifeng Beidasi was destroyed by Yellow River flooding in 1645 and rebuilt at a new site in 1662 (the first year of the Kangxi reign). Because Beidasi is far from the city center, it is very quiet, and the courtyard is planted with many beautiful flowers and plants. During Dhuhr (noon prayer), there were only four of us, including the Ahong, the Mu'adhdhin, the mosque master, and myself. We chatted very happily. Several Babas told me about the history of Kaifeng Beidasi and the changes in the mosque community, and also told me what good food there is at the night market at the west gate of Henan University nearby.
Guided by an old master, I discovered a stone tablet in the mosque inscribed by Bao Zheng himself, titled 'The Place Where the Dragon Horse Carried the Map', with the inscription 'March of the second year of the Jiayou reign (1057), by Bao Zheng, Scholar of the Longtu Pavilion and Prefect of Kaifeng'. This stone tablet was excavated in 1785 (the fiftieth year of the Qianlong reign) by Jiang Lan, the Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner, under the Yellow River levee at Heigangkou in the suburbs of Kaifeng. After it was unearthed, a shrine and pavilion were built specifically for the tablet. Later, the shrine and pavilion fell into ruin, and the tablet was kept in Beidasi.
6. Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque Qing Dynasty screen wall
Kaifeng Wenshusi Mosque was first built in the Ming Dynasty, destroyed by floods at the end of the Chongzhen reign, rebuilt in 1649 (the sixth year of the Shunzhi reign), renovated in 1791 (the fifty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign), and rebuilt as a modern building in the 1990s. Currently, a Qing Dynasty screen wall is preserved opposite the mosque's main gate, featuring exquisite brick carvings.
7. Kaifeng Zhuxian Town North Mosque: Rebuilt in 1738
Zhuxian Town North Mosque is the largest mosque in Zhuxian Town. It was first built during the Taiping Xingguo reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, rebuilt in 1531 (the tenth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty), destroyed by Yellow River flooding in 1641 (the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen reign), rebuilt in 1738 (the third year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty), and expanded twice in 1744 (the ninth year of the Qianlong reign) and 1839 (the nineteenth year of the Daoguang reign).
The mosque's main gate has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with very exquisite wood carvings on the lintels and vivid glazed roof beasts. Inside the gate hang the plaques 'Zhi Fa Zhen Yuan' (Reaching the True Source) inscribed by Zhu Yukun, the Henan Governor during the Qianlong reign, and 'Zhen Yi Huan Zhen' (True Unity Returns to Truth) inscribed by Yulu, the Viceroy of Huguang during the Guangxu reign.
The prayer hall of Zhuxian Town Mosque consists of a juanpeng, a main hall, and a yaodian. The juanpeng is a beam-lifting wooden structure, open at the front and back, not connected to the main hall, with a stone drainage ditch in between and a stone arch bridge over the ditch.
The path in front of the main hall is inscribed with 'Xiantian' (Pre-heaven), 'Zhongtian' (Mid-heaven), and 'Datian Junlu' (The Great Path to Heaven).
The beams and lintels of the prayer hall have exquisite wood carvings and colorful paintings.
The windows are inlaid with 'fish scales' measuring 8 centimeters square each, totaling about 720 pieces.
Inside the main hall.
A traditional tabu (coffin) box.
Arabic calligraphy collected by the mosque.
Selected verses from the Quran by the famous young calligrapher Wang Qifei.
Selected verses from the Quran by the famous calligrapher Mi Guangjiang.
The work 'Die Lian Hua' (Butterflies Love Flowers) by Liu Xueqiang, the then-Imam of Zhuxian Town Mosque, with the Shahada (testimony of faith) in the center, surrounded by praises to the Prophet and Takbir, with flower and butterfly patterns around the edges.
Praises to the Prophet and the declaration of oneness by the famous calligrapher and lecturer at Zhengzhou Beidasi, Wang Guo'an.
Arabic couplets by Imam Li Jianzhou of Zhengzhou Beidasi.
Collections in the mosque's exhibition hall. Qing Dynasty classics donated by Imam Liu Xueqiang.
Xiaojing (Arabic-script Chinese) donated by the late student of scripture, the Yang family.
Republic of China era classics donated by Liu Zhenzhong and Ma Guoxiang.
Old-fashioned tangping (kettle for ritual washing) tags.
A clock used by the late Ma Da Ahong donated by Ma Guoxiang, and a copper bell used by Qing Dynasty Ahongs to call the Hailifan (students of scripture) for Wudu (ritual washing) before the Adhan.
Scripture box.
Chongtong (water-pouring bucket) used for changing water in the Qing Dynasty.
Earthenware jar for Wudu from the Republic of China era.
The ancient well in the mosque, which was used until 2002. This exhibition hall was originally a water room. Every day, the mosque master used a windlass to draw water from the well into a pot to boil it, then poured it into tangping and water jars for ritual washing.
8. Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School
The most touching moment of this Kaifeng trip was the very warm reception I received from Grandma Wang at the Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School. Grandma Wang insisted on cooking for me, and I couldn't refuse, so I had the warmest bowl of huimian (braised noodles) of this trip.
Grandma Wang is 83 years old and from Weinan, Shaanxi. After her husband passed away 40 years ago, she went out to make a living and eventually settled at the Zhuxian Town Women's Mosque School. Grandma Wang said that the flour and oil she eats every day are given by everyone, and she doesn't have to pay to live in the mosque. She gets up at three in the morning every day to clean and prepare for Fajr (morning prayer), and prays with everyone five times a day, feeling that her life is very fulfilling. I wanted to take a picture of Grandma, but she said she was old and didn't want to be photographed.
While chatting with Grandma, I met the female Ahong of the mosque. She is a local, in her thirties, and has been at the mosque for just one year. She usually has a shop near the Yue Fei Temple and comes to lead the prayers five times a day. The Ahong is also very kind and gave me two youxiang (fried dough) to eat on the road.
2. Zhengzhou Beidasi (North Great Mosque): Ming Dynasty
Beidasi is located on North Street in the old city of Zhengzhou. It is said to have been built in the Ming Dynasty. It was renovated twice during the Qianlong reign and has the typical architectural style of Central Plains mosques. It is a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.
The main gate was built in 1725 (the third year of the Yongzheng reign).
The Wangyuelou (Moon-Watching Tower) also serves as the Bangkelou (minaret). The first floor is a passageway. Judging from the architectural structure, it is very likely an original Ming Dynasty structure, but the dougong (bracket sets) and eaves rafters should have been replaced in the Qing Dynasty. According to records, it was renovated in 1887 (the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign).
Wangyuelou has three pairs of Chinese couplets:
Observe, listen, and hear the words; understand the message of the body, and you will understand all creation.
In prosperity and adversity, honor and disgrace, realize the subtle use of the turning point, and you will realize the mystery within.
The hustle and bustle of the world, even if you are proud and happy, is just a moment of distraction.
Whether good or bad in body and mind, when you close your eyes at the end, only two things will follow you closely.
Follow the Quran to promote the right path.
Follow the Sunnah so that the truth will last forever.
On the other side are Arabic couplets.
There are also couplets on the doors on both sides of Wangyuelou:
The five daily prayers are the key to opening the door.
The true scripture is the lamp that guides the way.
To recognize the pearl, you must return to the shore.
If you think of the sea, repair the boat early.
