Sanjiacun Mosque in Weishan County, Dali

Sanjia Village Mosque (三家村清真寺) is located in Sanjia Village (三家村), Yongjian Town (永建镇), Weishan County (巍山县), Yunnan Province (云南省). It was originally built in the mid-Ming Dynasty.

• Chinese Name: 巍山县三家村清真寺
• Address: Sanjia Village (三家村), Yongjian Town (永建镇), Weishan County (巍山县), Yunnan Province (云南省)
• Postal Code: 672401
• Founding Period: Mid-Ming Dynasty
• Current Imam: Zhang Xuesheng (张学胜)
• Current School Supervisor: Ma Yongli (马勇力)

Renovation and Reconstruction

The mosque has undergone several phases of reconstruction and expansion. The main prayer hall was rebuilt in 1914, expanded in 1977, and further enlarged in 1997, with completion in 1998.

Scale and Structure

The mosque occupies about 12 mu (亩). The prayer hall is a two-story reinforced concrete structure combining Chinese and Western styles and can accommodate more than 1,200 worshippers at the same time. To the east of the main hall stands a traditional Chinese-style minaret.

Sanjia Village Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Weishan County (巍山县), after Huihuideng (回辉登) and Xiaoweigeng (小围埂). The mosque houses an Arabic school and has dozens of serving ahongs (阿訇). The village has a deep-rooted religious tradition, with a long-standing and thriving jingtang (classical Islamic) education system. Before the Cultural Revolution, the number of graduates was countless; since then, eleven classes have graduated, totaling nearly 300 students.

Under the leadership of scholars and ahongs such as Ma Zimei (马自美), Ma Minglong (马明龙), Ma Shizhen (马世珍), Ma Dechen (马德臣), Ma Xiaozhang (马孝章), and Ma Hengzhang (马恒章), the mosque’s educational mission has flourished. Additionally, Ma Shaozhou (马绍周) and Ma Shaowu (马绍武) personally funded the establishment of the Huiguang Education Foundation (惠光教育基金), launching Arabic language classes for children at Huiguang Primary School. Young teachers were hired, modern textbooks were used, and multimedia methods were introduced, laying the foundation for cultivating a new generation of Arabic learners. The school currently has six elementary classes and three preschool classes, with dozens of classes already graduated. This effort has made a strong impression across Yunnan, setting an example for other Hui villages.

Location and Transportation

Sanjia Village Mosque (三家村清真寺) was built in the mid-Ming Dynasty. Sanjia Village (三家村) is located at the southern edge of Yongjian Basin (永建坝子), to the east of the Guanwei Highway (关巍公路), about 20 kilometers north of Dali City (大理市) and 20 kilometers south of Weishan County Seat (巍山县城). The village is surrounded by mountains and rivers, has fertile land, and is well-irrigated. The Sanjia Village River flows through the village, which is adjacent to Dawi Geng (大围埂), Hebijie (河底街), Mamichang (马米厂), and Sanqichang (三旗厂).

Other Information

Originally named Saijia Village (赛家村), Sanjia Village (三家村) traces its lineage to Masuhu (马速忽), the fifth son of Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar (瞻思丁·赛典赤), a high official in Yunnan during the Yuan Dynasty. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, descendants of the Sai and Shi families moved here from Daweigen (大围埂) and Xiaoweigen (小围埂), forming three family groups that gave the village its current name. After the failure of Du Wenxiu’s (杜文秀) uprising, the village’s 3,500 residents were nearly wiped out. Later, three surviving families returned and resettled, and more migrants joined.

After over a century of development, the village now has more than 360 households and over 1,600 people. The majority bear the surname Ma (马), with other surnames including Du (杜), Sha (沙), Wang (王), Zhang (张), Yao (姚), Shang (商), Chen (陈), and Cai (蔡). All residents are Hui Muslims (回族), most belonging to the Gedimu (格迪目) tradition, following the teachings of the Grand Imam Abu Hanifa (艾布赫尼发), with a few adhering to the Salafi (赛莱菲耶) school.

Sanjia Village is one of the most prominent Hui Muslim villages in Weishan County and is renowned for its religious education. The village has produced over 200 ahongs (阿訇) and nearly 100 hajis (哈吉). As early as the mid-Qing Dynasty, the village offered advanced Islamic classes and produced many notable Islamic scholars such as Ma Tengjiao (马腾蛟), Ma Ping’an (马平安), Ma Zimei (马自美), and the renowned Arabic calligrapher Ma Xiaozhang (马孝章). Ma Hengzhang (马恒章), Zhang Xuesheng (张学胜), and Ma Lixiang (马力祥) also made significant religious contributions.

The mosque preserves religious texts printed by Ma Xiaozhang (马孝章), as well as his handwritten couplets and scrolls, which are widely circulated in the region.

Religious Reform and Recognition

Under the leadership of both senior and new-generation ahongs like Ma Hengzhang (马恒章), Zhang Xuesheng (张学胜), Ma Lixiang (马力祥), and Ma Quande (马全德), Sanjia Village Mosque has promoted “adherence to scripture and reform of customs,” rejecting practices inconsistent with Islamic principles and becoming a role model in the area. It has also supported local government efforts to develop the economy. The mosque has been honored as a “County-level Model Mosque,” “Prefecture-level Model Mosque,” and “Outstanding Contributor to Education.”

Sanjia Village is also known for having many Hui students studying abroad. Several young ahongs, such as Ma Benling (马本令), Ma Xueping (马雪平), and Ma Runfeng (马润丰), have studied at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Most have returned and are now serving in teaching positions throughout China.

Notable Figures from Sanjia Village

• Ma Zongmeng (马宗孟), Juren degree holder in the 1587 imperial exam (Wanli era, Ming Dynasty)
• Ma Hao (马浩) and Ma Futuo (马负图), tribute scholars during the mid-Ming period
• Ma Yanzhang (马彦章), surveillance student during the Qing Dynasty
• Ma Kui’ao (马奎鳌), martial scholar in the 1792 imperial exam (Qianlong era)
• Ma Bingwen (马秉文), scholar of Arabic and Chinese culture
• Ma Kuiyuan (马奎元), general in Du Wenxiu’s Dali Islamic Rebellion
• Ma Tengjiao (马腾蛟), eminent Islamic scholar and teacher of Du Wenxiu
• Ma Xiaozhang (马孝章), contemporary Islamic scholar and renowned Arabic calligrapher