Yunnan Mosques
Halal Travel Guide: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 7 views • 2 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. view all
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
Halal Travel Guide: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 7 views • 2 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze. view all
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze.
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze.
Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 5 views • 8 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque. view all
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque. view all
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Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque.
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque.
Halal Travel Guide: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 7 views • 2 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. view all
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
Summary: Shadian, Yunnan — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Local History is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Shadian Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
We traveled from Jianshui Ancient City to Shadian and ate at Shadian Shihui in front of the Great Mosque. We had stir-fried chayote tips (fengshou guajian), five-spice chicken, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, cold tossed cattail shoots with wood ear mushrooms, and steamed lotus root with rice flour (fenzheng ou). The food options here are quite rich! Since a banquet had just finished when we arrived, our food came out very quickly.
The Shadian Great Mosque has a very tropical feel.
Yufeng School
In the mid-Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, responding to the imperial decree to stop the imperial examinations and start schools, the famous late Qing general and Yunnan Kaihua Town commander Bai Jinzhu led the Shadian villagers to donate funds and establish their own school in 1892. Because the school was located at the foot of Jinyu Mountain, it was named Yufeng Academy. Bai Jinzhu was a famous anti-French general who led from the front during the 1884 Sino-French War and was awarded the title of Shengyong Baturu.
In 1905, following the Qing Dynasty's order to establish primary schools in every township, Yufeng Academy was renamed Shadian Primary School. It was divided into classes A, B, C, and D, with over 60 students. In 1914, Bai Jinzhu's son, Bai Liangcheng, returned to Shadian after graduating from the Yunnan School of Law and Political Science and was hired as the principal of Yufeng Academy. Bai Liangcheng strongly advocated for modern education and added subjects like Chinese, arithmetic, physical education, and music to the school.
Due to the increasing number of students, Bai Liangcheng and Commander Bai Qicheng led the villagers to rebuild the academy in 1921, and it was completed in 1923. The new academy had four classrooms, an office, and a library. Bai Liangcheng wrote the plaque for Yufeng School and the couplet on the stone pillars on both sides, which reads: 'The elegant spirit of Jinyu Mountain brings prosperity to generations of scholars, the clear stream circling the jade belt sets a model for students for a thousand years.' Afterward, Bai Liangcheng hired Arabic scholar Ma Jian, who had returned home after graduating in Kunming, along with Wang Liangbi, Wang Shupu, Ma Ayuanqing, and others as teachers, and changed the school into a primary and junior high school.
In 1943, Bai Liangcheng also founded Yufeng Middle School. At that time, many professors from the National Southwestern Associated University had a good relationship with Bai Liangcheng. He hired Professor Xia Kangnong, Dean of the School of Science at the university, as the principal of Yufeng Middle School, and invited experts and scholars like Tongji University professor Cao Wuli, philosopher Zheng Xin, and historian Bai Shouyi to teach there until the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.
After Yufeng Primary School moved to a new campus in 1987, the old site of Yufeng Academy was left vacant. It was renovated in 2012 and opened as the Shadian branch of the Honghe Prefecture Library and the Shadian Village History Museum.
Old houses in Shadian
There is a well at the entrance of Yufeng Academy called Xiying Longtan, which was reportedly built by Bai Shouyou and his followers during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The well is 20 meters deep, and folklore says there is a dragon inside, which is why it is called Dragon Pool (Longtan).
During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shadian village built walls for defense and constructed seven gatehouses in areas like Xiying, Dongying, and Chuanying. Only the Xiying gatehouse remains today, which is a structure rebuilt during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The gatehouse is a two-story brick and wood building. The first floor is for passage, and the second floor is for guards, featuring exquisite carvings and paintings.
There is a stone arch bridge over the Yudai River in Shadian, which was built with funds donated by Bai Shouyou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty.
Halal Travel Guide: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 7 views • 2 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze. view all
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze. view all
Reposted from the web
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze.
Summary: Yuxi Najia Ying — Hui Muslims, Mosques and Yunnan Travel is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: Author: Zainab. The account keeps its focus on Yuxi Travel, Hui Muslims, Yunnan Mosques while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
Author: Zainab
On October 4, I traveled 23 kilometers east from Da Hui Village in Tonghai, Yuxi, to reach the famous Najiaying. The Na family of Najiaying are descendants of Nasr al-Din, the eldest son of the famous Yuan Dynasty official Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din. Nasr al-Din served as the administrator of Yunnan Province and continued his father's work in governing the region. After the Ming Dynasty was established, Nasr al-Din's descendant, Na Shulu, moved around for a while before settling on the north shore of Qilu Lake in central Yunnan in 1370, where he founded Najiaying.
That evening, I ate dry-pot beef at Zhiweiyuan Restaurant on Zhong'ai Street, the main road in Najiaying. It came in a huge copper pot filled with mint and arrowhead (cigu). I also had some lighter dishes: a mix of green beans and corn (liangmu di) and stir-fried cabbage with tofu.
On October 5, I had breakfast in Najiaying, Yuxi, eating potato pancakes (yangyu baba) and beef rice rolls (niurou juanfen).
At the Najiaying market, I ate buckwheat cake (qiaogao), which was delicious.
I visited the former residence of Na Xun, the famous Arabic translator who translated One Thousand and One Nights. The house is still occupied by Na Xun's grandnephew, an elderly man named Na Zhaoxiang. He warmly invited us in for tea and told us stories about Na Xun.
Na Xun's great-uncle, Na Fengchun, held a high-ranking position as a third-rank official, but his grandfather and father were both farmers.
Na Xun was born in 1911 and began attending the primary school inside the Najiaying mosque at age seven. The school used a modern curriculum that taught both Chinese and Arabic. They hired a teacher named Qian for Chinese and a teacher named Dai for math, while the Arabic classes were taught by Imam Ma Defu from the Najiaying mosque. Imam Ma Defu was an early student of the Yunnan Islamic scholar Ma Lianyuan and had a very strong foundation in religious studies.
Na Xun's home was just a few dozen steps south of the mosque. Every day when the adhan (bangke) sounded, he would get up and get ready. By the time his father returned from namaz, Na Xun was already prepared to go to school to review his lessons. According to Na Xun's cousin Na Guangxian, Na Xun never missed a class or arrived late, and he always ranked at the top of his exams.
In 1921, after Na Xun finished third grade, his cousin Na Guangwen returned from studying in Kunming. Seeing how bright Na Xun was, he asked Na Xun's father for permission to take him to Kunming for further education. His father agreed, and Na Xun left home to pursue his studies.
In 1926, bandits caused trouble in Najiaying. When the Yunnan provincial government troops came to suppress them, they burned down Najiaying, and Na Xun's home was reduced to ashes. Because Na Xun's eldest brother, Na Guangcheng, had been working in trade (zou yifang) and running a horse inn by the Lancang River in Simao, he had some savings, which allowed the family to rebuild their home on the original site.
I continued on to visit the former residence of Professor Na Zhong, an expert in Arabic education and a leading figure in Arabic culture. Na Zhong wrote A General History of the Arabs and compiled the first Arabic language textbook for Chinese universities. The property is now rented out by Na Zhong's descendants.
Na Zhong's grandfather, Na Hai, had been a soldier for several years. He was not only skilled in martial arts but also a master of masonry, metalwork, and carpentry. While working in Kunming, he fell in love with a young lady named Cai. Miss Cai came from a prominent military family in Kunming, but she chose this poor young man who had no house and no money. To get married as soon as possible, Na Hai returned to his hometown of Najiaying and spent six months building his own house. The house was a traditional two-story Yunnan dwelling with three main rooms and four side rooms. It was built very neatly with exquisite wooden doors and windows. The pillars of the outer courtyard gate were carved from solid bluestone, featuring patterns of dragons playing with a pearl, magpies in plum blossoms, qilin and eagles, and golden bulls and horses. Na Hai and Miss Cai were married there and had their first son, Na Dechang.
In 1856, the Bingchen Incident occurred in Yunnan. Najiaying appointed Na Hai, Na Fengchun, and Na Taishou as representatives to negotiate with the Han scholar Gongsun Shuo from Dongxiang, reaching a mutual protection agreement between Hui Muslims and Han people in Hedong. In 1857, the mutual protection agreement in Hexi was broken by a local tyrant named Zhan Zhanchun, who gathered soldiers to attack the Great and Small Donggou (now known as Da Hui Village and Xiao Hui Village). Na Hai ignored the advice of his friends and family and went to try to stop the fighting, but he was killed by the enemy. After that, Miss Cai, who was seven months pregnant, took her eldest son Na Dechang back to her parents' home in Kunming. Shortly after, she gave birth to a posthumous child, Na Zhong's father, Na Degui. After the birth, Miss Cai suffered from illness and passed away shortly after.
After Miss Cai died, Na Hai's first wife, He, brought the brothers Na Dechang and Na Degui back to Najiaying to raise them. When Na Degui was 13, He became too ill to work, so she asked a relative to take Na Degui to Kunming to find work. Na Degui worked at a fur shop on Zhuji Street in Kunming. He was an apprentice for eight years, receiving only food and lodging with no wages. After finishing his apprenticeship, Na Degui married He Yufeng, the niece of his foster mother He, and they returned to Kunming to work after the wedding. In 1909, He Yufeng gave birth to Na Shou'en, who would later be known as Na Zhong.
When Na Zhong was one year old, his cousins saw that He Yufeng was struggling, so they carried Na Zhong and his family to Kunming to join Na Degui. That was how Na Zhong left Najiaying and began his life in Kunming. After that, Na Zhong rarely returned to his hometown, except for a two-month stay in 1940 to escape air raids in Kunming after he graduated from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
There is a water well at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque. It is said to have been built by Nasuluding, the great-grandson of the King of Xianyang, Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din, after he settled in Najiaying in the early Ming Dynasty. The wall of the well platform is carved with a dragon head, and the well water flows out from the dragon's mouth. People wash vegetables in the upper pool under the dragon's mouth, wash clothes in the lower pool, and finally, the water flows south to irrigate the farmland.
I bought a Nagu knife for cutting meat, and when I tried it at home, it was really sharp! It cuts through in one go without needing a second stroke. Historically, Najiaying and Gucheng were most famous for horse caravan transport, hunting rifle making, and knife making, but these trades declined as times changed. After the 1980s, Nagu Town began to vigorously develop the Nagu knife industry, and now there are many shops.
Also, on Zhenxing Road, there is a shop making traditional copperware, including copper pots and copper ladles. If you are interested, you can buy one to take home for a copper ladle hot pot.
To the north of Najiaying is Gucheng Village. The Xinzhai Mosque in the village was built by Ma Xuecheng, a disciple of Ma Mingxin, the founder of the Jahriyya menhuan. Ma Xuecheng was known as 'Yunnan Ma,' and followers of his sect respectfully called him the Third Master of Gucheng or Imam Ma Sanye. Ma Xuecheng was a local from Gucheng Village. He once went to study under Ma Mingxin, and the two were as close as father and son. After returning to Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng operated mining businesses, became a wealthy merchant, and was the first to spread the Jahriyya sect in Yunnan. In 1781, when Ma Mingxin's eldest son, Ma Shunqing, was exiled to Talang, Yunnan, Ma Xuecheng did his best to rescue and assist him, allowing the Jahriyya sect to continue developing in Yunnan.
It is a great pity that the mosque is currently being renovated. The courtyard layout is gone, the north and south wing rooms have been demolished, and only the main hall remains as the original building. When we went, the main hall was locked. We saw no one in the mosque except for workers, so we could not enter. It was a great regret not to see the Jahriyya-style Arabic calligraphy mihrab inside.
The main hall has a double-eave hanging mountain roof, with beautiful painted wood carvings on the brackets and beams, and openwork carvings between the eave pillars.
This last indoor photo was taken by a fellow Muslim (dost) a while ago. The bluestone under the mihrab was transported from Mojiang and has a history of over a hundred years.
At noon, we ate at Jingshanzhai in Najiaying, having herb sour soup chicken, goat milk cheese (yangrubing), stir-fried pumpkin seedlings, stir-fried celery with lily bulbs, and oil-drizzled beef jerky (niuganba). The restaurant has a nice, antique atmosphere.
The decor at Jingshanzhai.
I bought a flatbread (balada) at the entrance of Najiaying Mosque, took it to Qilu Lake Xiaohai Park next to Najiaying, and bought a cup of papaya water at the entrance. Although the park is not big, the environment is very good, and there is a boardwalk by the lake, which is very pleasant for relaxing and catching a breeze.
Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques
Articles • ali2007fr posted the article • 0 comments • 5 views • 8 hours ago
Reposted from the web
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque. view all
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque. view all
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Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque.
Summary: This travel note introduces Halal Travel Guide to Zhaotong, Yunnan: Six Traditional Mosques. During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques. It is useful for readers interested in Yunnan Mosques, Hui Muslims, Islamic Heritage.
During my marriage leave in August 2020, Zainab and I went to Zhaotong to travel, and Sister Azi took us to visit Zhaotong's beautiful traditional mosques.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhaotong belonged to the Wumeng Tufu (a local administrative office), which was managed by Yi ethnic chieftains. In 1726 (the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign), Ortai, the Viceroy of Yun-Gui, began to implement the 'Gaitu Guiliu' (replacing hereditary local chieftains with government-appointed officials) policy in Wumeng. The Wumeng Tufu raised an army to resist. Ha Yuansheng, the Zhongjun Youji (a military rank), along with Zhongjun Liu Qiyuan, broke through the Wumeng Tufu and the local chieftain leaders, finally completing the Gaitu Guiliu and renaming Wumeng to Zhaotong. Ha Yuansheng was a Hui Muslim whose ancestral home was Hejian, Hebei. During the Gaitu Guiliu period, some Hui Muslim soldiers followed Ha Yuansheng into Zhaotong, and after the war ended, they settled down by 'claiming land and registering their households'.
After Wumeng was pacified in 1732 (the tenth year of the Yongzheng reign), the population decreased sharply due to the war. The new Viceroy of Yun-Gui, Gao Qizhuo, ordered the reclamation of wasteland for farming. Hui Muslims from the nearby Weining area in Guizhou moved their families and villages into Zhaotong to claim land. The Hui Muslim population in Zhaotong increased significantly, and most of the existing traditional mosques were built during this period.
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
1. Tuogu Great Mosque: 1730
On the morning of August 10, Sister Azi drove us from Zhaotong to Ludian to start visiting traditional mosques. The first stop was the most famous Tuogu Great Mosque in Ludian.
We were warmly received by Imam Hai at the Tuogu Mosque, and Imam Hai told us in detail about the history and various legends of the Tuogu Mosque.
According to the inscriptions, the Tuogu Mosque's main hall was built in 1730 with funds donated by Ma Xiangqian, a Zhongjun Shiwei (a military guard rank) of Anlong Town, and his brothers, the Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) Ma Lincan and Ma Linchi. In 1755, at the suggestion of Imam Sai Huanzhang, local fellow believers raised funds to build the Huanxing Lou (Awakening Tower) and other buildings such as the side rooms.
Before entering the mosque, the first thing you see is the hexagonal, three-tiered, pointed-roof style Huanxing Lou, with the three-room wooden 'Wujuan Tang' (Hall of No Fatigue) underneath. Hanging on the Huanxing Lou is a plaque inscribed with 'Pu Ci Wan You' (Universal Mercy for All Things), gifted in 1746 by Ye Daxiong, the Zongbing Guan (a military commander) guarding Zhaotong, Yunnan, and a hereditary Qiduwei (a military title). This plaque was originally hung in the main hall and later moved to the Huanxing Lou.
Imam Hai pointed out to us that there are some ancient fossils on the stone pillars of the Huanxing Lou, which should be unique among mosques in various places.
Passing through the Wujuan Tang is the courtyard, where four ancient cypress trees are planted, and directly opposite is the prayer hall. In the center of the main hall is written 'Happy Paradise', and according to Imam Hai, the eight Arabic calligraphy works around it were written by the second Imam of the mosque, Sai Huanzhang, also known as Sai Lao Baba.
The Mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) inside the main hall is a kiln-style hall, and the top of the kiln hall is also a pointed-roof pavilion-style structure, echoing the Huanxing Lou from a distance.
A Tabu Xiazi (a box for religious items) from the Qing Dynasty; Imam Hai said it is no longer used because it is too heavy.
A stele inscription from the Qianlong reign.
2. Longtoushan Mosque: 1746
After seeing the Tuogu Great Mosque, we went to another famous ancient mosque building in Ludian, the Longtoushan Mosque, and were warmly received by Imam Ma Liming.
The Longtoushan Mosque was built in 1746, following the traditional Yunnan mosque architectural style, with a courtyard enclosed by the Huanxing Lou, north and south side rooms, and the prayer hall. Unlike the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Mihrab of the Longtoushan Mosque does not have a pointed pavilion on top, and the Huanxing Lou only has four corners and two tiers, making its momentum slightly inferior to the Tuogu Great Mosque.
The newly built main hall of Longtoushan is a full wooden structure, very spectacular, and can be seen from a very long distance. I very much approve of this practice of building a new main hall not far away without destroying historical architectural relics. In recent years, I have seen too many behaviors of tearing down centuries-old protected cultural relics just to build new main halls.
3. Chachong Mosque: 1734
After leaving the Longtoushan Mosque, we went to another ancient mosque in Ludian, the Chachong Mosque. The Chachong Mosque was built in 1734. Like the Tuogu Great Mosque, the Huanxing Lou is a three-story, hexagonal, pointed-roof pavilion-style building, but it is slightly smaller in size. Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Xuan Qi Da Neng' (Mysterious and Great Power), respectfully erected in 1906 by Sa Depin.
The Chachong Mosque is also very beautiful, but its popularity is not as high as the surrounding Tuogu Mosque and Longtoushan Mosque. When we visited, the Imam happened to have gone to the Longtoushan Mosque for a Ziyarah (a visit to a holy site), and the Imam's daughter was an acquaintance of Sister Azi, so we chatted very happily.
4. Tiejiawan Mosque: 1738
From the Chachong Mosque, we continued to the Tiejiawan Mosque. In 1731, the Tie family came to settle in the northeast area of Taoyuan Bazi in Ludian. In 1738, Tie Wanxuan discussed with Tie Wanjin and Tie Zhongxuan to build the Tiejiawan Mosque on the top of a small hill between the two villages of Tiejiawan and Tiejiamen, and Tie Wanxuan served as the Imam.
Hanging at the entrance of the main hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Da De Dun Hua' (Great Virtue and Honest Transformation), gifted in 1810 by Ye Daxiong, the hereditary Qiduwei and local military commander of Zhaotong, Yunnan, as well as a plaque inscribed with 'Qing Zhen Ya Hua' (Pure and True Elegant Transformation) respectfully erected in 1844 by Tie Chengjin, the head of the Zhaotong Left Guard.
5. Baxian Great Mosque: 1779
In the evening, we returned to Zhaotong from Ludian and went to the most famous Baxian Great Mosque in Zhaotong.
The Baxian Great Mosque was first built in 1731 and rebuilt in 1779. In 1730, when Wumeng was first pacified, the old city of Zhaotong was desolate. The main camp was temporarily set up at the Baxian Great Mosque, and the first academy after Zhaotong's Gaitu Guiliu—Zhaoyang Academy—was founded at the Baxian Great Mosque the following year. In 1898, the Baxian Great Mosque hired the great Imam Ma Minglun as the Imam, and he was elected as the General Imam by the thirty-six mosques in Zhaoweilu (Zhaotong, Weining, and Ludian).
On both sides of the mosque's main hall, there are stone-carved couplets: 'Only by overcoming one's own selfishness can one be on the path, and only by returning to the heavenly principles can one worship the Truth.' Above the main hall, there is a very distinctive Arabic wooden plaque inscribed with verses 43-44 of Chapter 43 of the Quran. Behind the main hall is a three-tiered, four-cornered, pointed-roof kiln hall.
6. Songjiashan Mosque: 1730
In the evening, we performed the Maghrib (evening prayer) at the Songjiashan Mosque. It was still evening when we entered the hall, and it was dark when we came out.
The Songjiashan Mosque is not far from the Baxian Great Mosque and is also a very beautiful ancient mosque. During the Gaitu Guiliu in Zhaotong in the early years of the Yongzheng reign, a branch of the Ma family from Xiaba, Weining, followed General Ha Yuansheng, who led the army to pacify Wumeng, to Zhaotong. They eventually settled in Baxianhai and built the Songjiashan Mosque in 1730. The construction background of the Songjiashan Mosque is the same as that of the Baxian Great Mosque, but because there were fewer people, the scale is not as large as the Baxian Great Mosque.
The Songjiashan Mosque began painting the ceiling of the main hall in 1762 and finished the decoration in 1832. It is a very precious artistic treasure inside the mosque.