Dōng Sì Mosque 东四清真寺
东四南大街13号
Part of A Better Guide to Běijīng’s coverage of North and East of the Imperial City
There are Islamic communities in most of China’s major cities made up of Huí — Chinese descendants of Arab traders now largely indistinguishable from other Chinese except in diet — and Uighurs of Central Asian stock from the Xīnjiāng region.
Like other Běijīng mosques, the Dōng Sì has neither dome, minaret nor muezzin, and its brick-arched first courtyard looks disappointingly a little like a Victorian country railway station. Its second courtyard is a pleasant refuge from the clangour of one of the city’s busiest districts, with a restful garden of roses and hostas, and aerobatic performances from multiple swallows. Its red walls and brightly decorated beams at first give little indication that this is not a Buddhist temple, but the rearmost hall has decorative Koranic scriptures in gold, clockfaces showing times for prayer, and the white hats favoured by Chinese Muslims, a little like those of chefs, hanging to dry. The staff claim imperial patronage for the mosque and are immensely proud of its antiquity and almost continuous operation since its original construction in 1356, save an inevitable hiatus during the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution. A restoration of 1447 is commemorated on a stele in both Chinese and Arabic.
The mosque’s few foreign visitors are allowed in free if Muslims, but must be prepared for cross-questioning in Mandarin to prove their piety. The Department of Islamic Souvenirs and Handicrafts sells gaudy ceramic jars decorated with Arabic script.
▶ Dōng Sì Qīngzhēnsì, Dōng Sì Nán Dàjiē 13, daylight hours. Free. nb avoid Fridays. m Dōng Sì (Lines 5 & 6). b to 东四路口东: 101电车, 109电车, 112电车, 420, 609.
Běijīng largest mosque is the Ox Street Mosque, see p.228. See also Islam in China. Wángfǔ Jǐng Dàjiē is a short walk west, and the daoist temple of Dōng Yuè Miào about 20 mins’ walk east (see p.268). The Lama Temple is straight north, about 15–20 minutes on foot.
Next in North and East of the Imperial City: Lama Temple
Previously: National Art Museum of China
Main Index of A Better Guide to Beijing.
For discussion of China travel, see The Oriental-List.
