+86-773-2810881 About Us Contact Us

The Great Mosque at Huajue Lane

The Great Mosque at Huajue Lane Travel Guide

Brief Introduction
The Mosque is a major spot for religious activities of over 60.000 Moslems in Xian, likewise, an important cultural relic protected by the Provincial PeopleĀ“s Government.

Unlike the Arabic mosques, with splendid domes, the minarets reaching into the clouds, the colorful engraved sketches with dazzling patterns, the Mosque here in Xian possesses much Chinese traditional touch in both its design and artistic outlook; Besides the style peculiar to Islamic mosques, this Mosque also holds characteristics of Chinese pavilions with painted beams and engraved ridgepoles.

The Mosque at Huajue Lane is the largest in Xian, and at the same time, it is also one of the earliest built on a comparatively large scale, and well preserved mosques in China.

According to "the Stele on the Building of the Mosque", the mosque is said to be built in the Tang Dynasty. However,the architectural style of the mosque suggests a possible building dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The four courtyards of the mosque cover an area of more than 12,000 square meters, out of which about 4,000 are occupied by various structures.

The still intact wooden front memorial gateway of the front yard, built at the turn of the 17th century, with glazed tiles on the top, spectacular corners and upturned eaves, is about 9 meters high, and has a history of about 360 years. The stone memorial gateway in the center of the second courtyard is flanked with a tail stele on either side with dragons carved on each, recording the repair work ever since the building of the Mosque.

On the back of one of the stelae are engraved characters by the master calligrapher Mi Fu,"May Buddhism Fill the Universe", on the other, "Royal--Bestowed" by Dong Qichang, another master of the same art of the Ming dynasty. They are treasures in Chinese calligraphy.

At the entrance of the third courtyard is an imperial built hall, where a "month tablet", showing the calculation of the Hui Calendars in Arabic, is stored. It was compiled by a man in charge of the mosque called Xiao Mining in the early period of the Qing dynasty. A three-storied octagonal wooden structure called "Retrospection Tower" also stands in the center of the courtyard, which has the same function as the minaret in Islamic temples in Arabic countries, and which is a place from where orders were sent to call the Moslems to come to worship.

Respectively, on the south and north wings of the tower, are a reception chamber and a Scripture Chamber, both elegantly laid out. The five wooden houses, which are called "Water Houses" in the southwest section of the Mosque are the place where the believers bathe themselves before they attend their services. And in side the fourth courtyard there is a structure called "the Pavilion of Phoenix", a place where the worshipers used to wait for the services.

The Pavilion, in fact, is a compound structure of three small buildings. The six-gabled structure of the central part, adjoining the two three-gabled buildings on each side looks very much like a flying phoenix, and hence its name. Just at the back of the Pavilion,there is a fishpond, beyond which is a platform occupying an area as large as 700 square meters. Across both ends of the platform stands the 1,300 square metered service hall, holding over a thousand worshipers at once.

There are over six hundred sunk panels well as the sunk panels, which are decorated with patterns of painted trailing plants and Arabic lettering. The imam leads his group of worshipers, while facing in the direction of Mecca, to chant in Koran and to pay their religious homage.

Features
The Moslems in China share very much the same customs with their brothers and sisters elsewhere in the world. They worship five times a day: at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, at dusk, and at night. Female worshipers attend their services in a separated place from their brothers, usually at home. Moslems pay special attention to their health and see that they always wear clean clothes. They are teetotalers not only of wine,but also of pork and animal blood for in Koran pigs have been mentioned four times as being "unclean".

According to Koran, a man can have four wives and women should wear veils when they go out. However, except a few places in Xinjiang, the Chinese practice monogamy and women are veiled when they go out. Upon his death, a Moslem has to be "thoroughly cleaned"(thoroughly bathed), has to be put on "Ke Fan"(to be shrouded with a piece of white cloth) and has to be buried with coffin in the ground, with an imam reciting Scriptures at the funeral.

The Chinese constitution promulgates that freedom of religion of each citizen and freedom of preserving or reforming local customs for every nationality are permitted. And of course, the Moslems in China enjoy equal rights with peoples of other nationalities and their religious beliefs and customs are respected everywhere in the country.

Traffic:

Take the bus No.4,7,15,32,43,45,201,205,206,215,218,221, 222,251,300,604,2,611,612

DCT Tips:

Recommended time for a visit: one and half hour.

The letter of the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane, Xian Travle Guide
The letter of the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane, Xian

The letter of the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane, Xian Travle Guide

The letter of the Great Mosque at Huajue Lane, Xian

China Tour Guide

Half to one day trolling tour in downtown Guilin City

How to discovery downtown Guilin with social distance? Trolling is the best choice. Trolling around Guilin downtown, you could not only enjoy pretty scenery at close range, but also do some exercise...

What to See in Yangshuo for a Whole Year

Still hesitate to choose the best travel time? Just come here whenever you like. Sightseeing or adventure, you can get both of them in Yangshuo! When you come, you heart will never leave....

Kam Greand Choirs - Treasures of Dong Minority People

Kam Grand Choirs is a Natural Chorus with Multi-Tone, No Command, without Accompaniment in Dong minority areas with more than 2500 years history.

Guilin Yulong River Upstream Winter Hiking to Swallow Lake of Fairyland

This is a rustic scenery of Yulong River upstream along Tortoise River to Swallow Lake hikking program. The road is flat field, you will see 3 ancient stone arch bridges.

Submit