Jianshui Mosque in Jianshui County, Honghe
Chinese Name: 建水清真寺
English Name: Jianshui Mosque in Jianshui County, Honghe
Location: Ran Deng Si Jie (燃灯寺街), Jianshui County, Yunnan Province, China.
Historical Background:
- Founded in the first year of Emperor Huangqing of the Yuan Dynasty (1312), by Sai Dianchi Shansi Liao entering Yunnan to become the ancient site of Lin’an (today’s Tonghai), it was later moved to its current location.
- Through the Qing Dynasty, it underwent several repairs and expansions during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. The main structures include the main hall, side halls, wing rooms, auxiliary halls, and kitchen.
- The mosque is designed in a traditional Chinese palace-style architecture with a quadrangle courtyard.
Features:
- The main hall has been rebuilt multiple times due to damage from wars, retaining elements from the Yuan Dynasty.
- Notable artifacts include two stone steles: one erected in the 18th year of Qianlong’s reign (1753) documenting the mosque’s restoration and the other in the 27th year of Qianlong’s reign (1762) detailing its maintenance and expansion.
- The mosque is known for its architectural beauty, featuring single-eave gable roofs and intricate wooden structures typical of Chinese classical architecture.
Cultural Significance:
- It is a county-level cultural relic protection unit and one of the oldest mosques in Yunnan.
- The mosque’s cultural and religious activities, as well as its management history, are recorded on the preserved stone steles.
Community and Present Condition:
- The mosque serves about 50 households and over 300 Muslims of the Hui ethnic group.
- It remains an active place of worship and religious education, with historical ties to local Muslim communities.
Jianshui Ancient Mosque stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Islam in Yunnan, reflecting both architectural excellence and historical continuity in religious practice.
