It was originally built in 1380 and had colorful white arches along the outside of the wide building. It had a green and white dome and two tall minarets.[1] The mosque saw renovations in the late 19th to early 20th century. Shortly after, the mosque suffered heavy damages caused by political conflict. However, it continued to undergo restorations throughout the rest of the 20th century.[2]
Generals Ma Qi and Ma Bufang controlled the Great Dongguan Mosque when they were military governors of Qinghai.[3]
In 1989, tens of thousands of Muslims gathered around the mosque to protest against a book that demeaned Islam and Chinese Muslims. In October 1993, Muslims in the mosque protested against another book; the Chinese army then stormed the mosque and evicted the protestors.[4]
In 2021, it was reported that the green dome and minarets of the mosque, which were built in 2000, were removed in a remodel, some reports said that it was done to make the structure look more "Chinese" in an attempt by the CCP at sinicization,[5][6] and the others said that it was restored to its original Chinese localization style.[7] The management committee of the mosque said that the removed part was not part of the original structure as a cultural relic, and they remind not to create or spread rumors, and be misled by malicious people.[8]
Architecture
The mosque covers an area of 11,940 square metres. In the Ming period, the mosque consisted of a single courtyard with a worship hall and two multi-storey minarets. The modern mosque is built in Chinese Islamic architectural style and contains elements of western architecture.
Pictures
Sign of the Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected
