Da Pusheng Memorial Hall

Da Pusheng Memorial Hall

The Da Pusheng Memorial Hall is located within the Nanmen Mosque in Luhe District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, covering an area of 3,000 square meters. The mosque was first built in the second year of the Yongle era during the Ming Dynasty, boasting a history of 602 years. Its prayer hall, ancient well, old cypress trees, stone carvings, and inscribed stelae are all rare Islamic cultural treasures in the scattered Muslim communities of southeastern China.

Da Pusheng was a renowned Islamic scholar in China and one of the “Four Great Imams” highly respected among Hui Muslims in inland China since the Xinhai Revolution. He supported the leadership of the Communist Party of China, actively worked to adapt Islam to socialism, participated in political affairs, and promoted the establishment of diplomatic relations between New China and Arab countries. In 1953, he helped initiate the preparatory work for the “China Islamic Association,” was elected as its vice director that same year, and also served as a member of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Central People’s Government. Starting in 1954, he served successively as a member and standing committee member of the Second National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as a deputy to the First, Second, and Third National People’s Congresses. In 1955, he became the president of the China Islamic Institute. That same year, serving as an advisor to Premier Zhou Enlai, he accompanied the delegation to Jakarta, Indonesia, to attend the Bandung Conference. He devoted himself to his country, remained faithful to Islam, strived for human peace, and contributed to the cause of ethnic unity and progress.

The Da Pusheng Memorial Hall systematically presents the glorious life of Da Pusheng—his dedication to rigorous scholarship and perseverance, his reform of education and nurturing of numerous students, his heroic efforts in resisting Japan and saving the nation, and his lifelong devotion to promoting Islam. The museum uses a wealth of precious photographs, artifacts, and concise, accurate texts to showcase his outstanding contributions to national reunification, ethnic unity and progress, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, minority education, world peace, and the diplomatic endeavors of New China.