China Mosque Travel Guide: Eight Historic Mosque Complexes in Longhui, Shaoyang, Hunan (Part 2 of 5)
Summary: This China mosque travel guide covers eight historic mosque complexes in Longhui, Shaoyang, Hunan, with local Hui Muslim heritage and mosque travel details kept in clear English.



Shanjie West Mosque, also known as Jiajian Village Mosque, was first built in 1836 (the 16th year of the Daoguang reign). It was expanded during the Guangxu and Republic of China periods, and the local Hui Muslims there are surnamed Ma, Huang, and Zheng. The imams who have served at the mosque include Ma Chaoxin, Zheng Liansheng, Ma Daocheng, Ma Fucheng, and Ma Liangxu. The main hall of the West Mosque collapsed in 1991. It was being rebuilt when a flood destroyed it in 1996. After raising funds again, it was officially completed at the end of 1996 and renovated again in 2013.
The mosque houses a stone tablet from the 11th year of the Guangxu reign titled 'Record of Continued Mosque Repairs,' which lists the names of the donors at that time and serves as a precious historical record.











Shanjie North Mosque, also called Sifangjing Mosque, was first built in 1824 (the 4th year of the Daoguang reign), and the local Hui Muslims there are surnamed Ma. The main hall was destroyed after 1966. It was rebuilt in 1991 and again in 2000, with only the original stone gate pillars remaining. The pillars are carved with a couplet by the Republic of China educator Ma Linyi: 'To study the Way, one must seek the source; why ask about Jesus, Buddha, or the Greeks? To unite with Heaven is to enter the path of the sages; ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, all share the same principle.'
Regrettably, the Shanjie North Mosque was also locked when I visited, and I could not enter.




