Exploring Ningxia’s Hidden Sufi Shrines & Historic Northwest Muslim Heritage
[Internet Repost]
Large-Format Photographic Series of the Northwest: Exploring the Unnamed Shuangtingzi Gongbei and Rubbings of Black-and-White Historic Sites
Abstract:
Recording the unnamed Shuangtingzi gongbei in Ningxia through the classic language of black-and-white large-format photography. Using light and shadow to sculpt the weathered, rustic hexagonal double pavilions, crumbling brick carvings, and the mottled woodwork of time, deeply touching the quiet echoes of the historical pulse of Northwest Sufism.
Black-and-White Large-Format Photographic Series: Rubbings of Historic Sites and the Pulse of History
Gongbei (derived from the Arabic Qubbah) is an Islamic architectural style that first became popular in Arabia, Persia, and Central Asia. Over time, it came to specifically refer to dome-shaped structures built over the tombs of Sufi shaykhs (spiritual masters), descendants of the Prophet, and revered saints for the purpose of veneration and visitation. Sufism was introduced to China during the Yuan dynasty and spread widely across the Northwest during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It gradually fused with traditional Chinese garden architecture, retaining Arabic-style domes for the mausoleums while adding Chinese-style prayer halls, scripture-chanting halls, and meditation rooms. Most modern gongbei structures are hexagonal or octagonal double-eaved pagodas with brick-carved walls, decorated with Quranic calligraphy and floral motifs. Due to complex historical evolution, Ningxia gave birth to numerous large and small menhuan (Sufi orders / brotherhoods) that are independent of one another, primarily the Khufiyya, Jahriyya, and Qadiriyya, all carrying a distinct Sufi mystical flavor. The Khufiyya includes the Hongmen, Xianmen, and Tonggui sub-orders. The Jahriyya is divided into the Shagou and Banqiao menhuan. The Qadiriyya is split into the Jiucaiping, Qi family, and Mingyue Daotang menhuan. Aside from the Guitubu gongbei, the old masters' gongbei of various menhuan, the murshid gongbei, and the khalifa gongbei, Ningxia also features other types of gongbei: those built at places where murshids, old masters, or other awliya (saints) experienced karamat (miracles); those built at locations where a murshid or old master once slept on the earth, or built over their personal relics; and those built to honor senior imams who sacrificed their lives for the religious community. A gongbei is a sacred sanctuary in the hearts of Muslims, where they regularly or irregularly visit graves and perform niyah/nietian (charitable giving/remembrance), solemnly honoring saints and sages, drawing close to the prophets, and seeking divine protection and forgiveness.
After publishing our previous piece and photos on the "Unnamed Gongbei," we miraculously received messages from two kind-hearted villagers who provided the exact location of the Shuangtingzi gongbei, which sits just a few kilometers away from the unnamed one—one to the northwest, the other to the southeast. I drove twice to Shuangtingzi Village in Litong District, Wuzhong City. The gongbei is located in the fields and village outskirts on the south side of the Han Canal. It is dome-shaped, standing several meters high and hexagonal in structure, surrounded by a low brick wall with entryways facing north and south, sitting tens of meters apart. Consulting limited historical records, I deduce that this is likely an old master's gongbei of a Sufi order, initially built around the late Qing dynasty to the Republic period, much like other gongbei in the surrounding area. Conversations with nearby villagers revealed that it was built to commemorate elders surnamed Wei and Yang, but was destroyed and abandoned during the social movements of the 1960s and 70s. After religious policies were reinstated, descendants rebuilt it on the original site following a dream sent by the old masters. Every year on the death anniversary, the descendants of the elders come to the gongbei to perform grave visits and pay their respects. In recent years, the number of visitors has dwindled, and the site is slowly slipping into oblivion.
▲ Click the image to open the previous article and photos of the Unnamed Gongbei
▲ The Shuangtingzi gongbei architecture situated on an empty plot near the village
▲ A close-up of the dome and front facade of the northern gongbei
▲ A full view of the southern gongbei structure
▲ A close-up of the dome and front facade of the southern gongbei
▲ An accidental shot capturing the interior of the southern gongbei structure
Large-Format Photographic Series of the Northwest: Exploring the Unnamed Shuangtingzi Gongbei and Rubbings of Black-and-White Historic Sites
Abstract:
Recording the unnamed Shuangtingzi gongbei in Ningxia through the classic language of black-and-white large-format photography. Using light and shadow to sculpt the weathered, rustic hexagonal double pavilions, crumbling brick carvings, and the mottled woodwork of time, deeply touching the quiet echoes of the historical pulse of Northwest Sufism.
Black-and-White Large-Format Photographic Series: Rubbings of Historic Sites and the Pulse of History
Gongbei (derived from the Arabic Qubbah) is an Islamic architectural style that first became popular in Arabia, Persia, and Central Asia. Over time, it came to specifically refer to dome-shaped structures built over the tombs of Sufi shaykhs (spiritual masters), descendants of the Prophet, and revered saints for the purpose of veneration and visitation. Sufism was introduced to China during the Yuan dynasty and spread widely across the Northwest during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It gradually fused with traditional Chinese garden architecture, retaining Arabic-style domes for the mausoleums while adding Chinese-style prayer halls, scripture-chanting halls, and meditation rooms. Most modern gongbei structures are hexagonal or octagonal double-eaved pagodas with brick-carved walls, decorated with Quranic calligraphy and floral motifs. Due to complex historical evolution, Ningxia gave birth to numerous large and small menhuan (Sufi orders / brotherhoods) that are independent of one another, primarily the Khufiyya, Jahriyya, and Qadiriyya, all carrying a distinct Sufi mystical flavor. The Khufiyya includes the Hongmen, Xianmen, and Tonggui sub-orders. The Jahriyya is divided into the Shagou and Banqiao menhuan. The Qadiriyya is split into the Jiucaiping, Qi family, and Mingyue Daotang menhuan. Aside from the Guitubu gongbei, the old masters' gongbei of various menhuan, the murshid gongbei, and the khalifa gongbei, Ningxia also features other types of gongbei: those built at places where murshids, old masters, or other awliya (saints) experienced karamat (miracles); those built at locations where a murshid or old master once slept on the earth, or built over their personal relics; and those built to honor senior imams who sacrificed their lives for the religious community. A gongbei is a sacred sanctuary in the hearts of Muslims, where they regularly or irregularly visit graves and perform niyah/nietian (charitable giving/remembrance), solemnly honoring saints and sages, drawing close to the prophets, and seeking divine protection and forgiveness.
After publishing our previous piece and photos on the "Unnamed Gongbei," we miraculously received messages from two kind-hearted villagers who provided the exact location of the Shuangtingzi gongbei, which sits just a few kilometers away from the unnamed one—one to the northwest, the other to the southeast. I drove twice to Shuangtingzi Village in Litong District, Wuzhong City. The gongbei is located in the fields and village outskirts on the south side of the Han Canal. It is dome-shaped, standing several meters high and hexagonal in structure, surrounded by a low brick wall with entryways facing north and south, sitting tens of meters apart. Consulting limited historical records, I deduce that this is likely an old master's gongbei of a Sufi order, initially built around the late Qing dynasty to the Republic period, much like other gongbei in the surrounding area. Conversations with nearby villagers revealed that it was built to commemorate elders surnamed Wei and Yang, but was destroyed and abandoned during the social movements of the 1960s and 70s. After religious policies were reinstated, descendants rebuilt it on the original site following a dream sent by the old masters. Every year on the death anniversary, the descendants of the elders come to the gongbei to perform grave visits and pay their respects. In recent years, the number of visitors has dwindled, and the site is slowly slipping into oblivion.
▲ Click the image to open the previous article and photos of the Unnamed Gongbei
▲ The Shuangtingzi gongbei architecture situated on an empty plot near the village
▲ A close-up of the dome and front facade of the northern gongbei
▲ A full view of the southern gongbei structure
▲ A close-up of the dome and front facade of the southern gongbei
▲ An accidental shot capturing the interior of the southern gongbei structure
