Tongzhou Mosque

Tongzhou Mosque

Tongzhou Mosque is a municipal cultural heritage site of Beijing.

Tongzhou Mosque is one of the four major mosques in the Beijing area and ranks first among those in the suburbs. Built during the Yuan Dynasty, it is second in historical significance only to Niujie Mosque in Xuanwu District. It was renovated during the Zhengtong and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Tongzhou and had the mosque further expanded. In 1945, a university was once established here. The alley in front of the mosque was originally named Mosque Street after the mosque, but now it is simply called an alley. The famous film "Wildfire in Spring Wind, Battling the Ancient City" was shot here. In 1959, it was designated as a cultural heritage site of Tongzhou District.

The mosque faces east and spans two courtyards, north and south. Along the central axis, the main prayer hall still stands, featuring a four-tiered, interconnected structure with three visible bays and five hidden ones, exhibiting a grand design and diverse roof styles that represent the pinnacle of traditional Chinese architectural craftsmanship, rarely seen in suburban areas. The first and second tiers each have three bays: the front section is an open hall with a flush-gable roof, while the rear is a connecting hallway with a flush-gable hip roof. The third and fourth tiers each have five bays: the front features a flush-gable roof with raised ridges, and the rear has a hip-and-gable roof. Behind the middle bay of the fourth tier is the moon-viewing tower, topped with a pyramidal roof and adorned with a glazed porcelain vase. Inside the hall, the ceiling is fitted with caisson designs painted with stylized peony patterns, and the surrounding beams and brackets are richly decorated with colorful antique motifs. Dozens of golden pillars...

...are coated in red lacquer and wrapped with iron-wire-carved peony vines, creating a dazzling and uniquely beautiful effect. On the sides of the second tier, there are hexagonal pavilions with flush-gable pyramid roofs, each connected to the side bays of the third tier — a distinctive design feature.

In the main courtyard, the northern lecture hall and ablution room still remain, with over five stone inscriptions mostly embedded into the walls. Had the shrine-style wooden memorial archway at the northern entrance of the alley, along with the screen wall, floral-pendant gate, and ritual hall inside the main courtyard not been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, this mosque could have rivaled the Niujie Mosque in prestige.

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Beijing