Tianmu North Mosque

Tianmu North Mosque

Tianmu North Mosque is a cultural tourism attraction.

Tianmu North Mosque is located in the northern part of Tianmu Village. It is said to have been built in the sixth year of Emperor Yuan of the Tang Dynasty, but this is unverified. Historical records indicate that it was constructed in the second year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, making it the oldest Islamic site in Tianjin. Over its history, the mosque underwent multiple renovations, but on November 25, 1948, it was burned to the ground by disbanded troops of the Kuomintang, leaving only ruins. It was rebuilt in 1949, with villagers raising funds to construct the front hall, followed by the rear hall in 1951. During the Cultural Revolution, the mosque suffered further damage, with the main hall being repurposed as a production workshop. In the early 1980s, the municipal and district governments, along with village donations, funded the restoration of the main hall and the construction of a moon-viewing tower in the northwest corner. Later, villagers raised funds to rebuild the north and south lecture halls and the matching hall, and a bathing room was added in 1986. Due to earthquake damage sustained by the main hall, it was reconstructed in 1992, and the original single-story scripture storage room was converted into a two-story building. The project was completed in 1995. The total investment exceeded 7 million yuan, including 2 million yuan from the government and over 5 million yuan in donations and materials from various sectors of society and the Hui community. On April 15, Tianjin’s mayor, Vice Mayor Zhang Haosheng, and other relevant municipal and district leaders attended the unveiling ceremony.

The reconstructed mosque features front, rear, central halls and auxiliary halls, a bathing room, a gateway tower, and a moon-viewing tower. The main prayer hall is a wooden structure in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, capable of accommodating a thousand worshippers for Friday prayers. Notable imams who have served here include Baba Bai and over 30 others. Behind the mosque lies a women’s prayer hall, built in 1931 by Zhang Qingyuan and destroyed by fire in 1948 along with the main mosque. It was rebuilt between 1994 and 1995. The site now covers an area of 4,967 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,500 square meters.

The North Mosque stands as a silent witness, objectively showcasing the development of the Tianmu Hui community and summarizing the challenging entrepreneurial history of the Hui people. It has preserved invaluable historical inscriptions and relics, including a fundraising letter written by the elders of Muzhuang Village in the early days of liberation, calling on fellow villagers to raise money for the reconstruction of the mosque. This document details the mosque’s construction and renovation history, chronicling an unforgettable journey through time.

In 1997, a monument was erected for Tianmu North Mosque. The inscription was composed by Gao Yaokuan and calligraphed by Mu Ruizheng.

Above the mosque’s entrance screen hangs a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Islamic Prayer Hall,” calligraphed by Liu Mengyang. On either side of the entrance screen is a couplet penned by Li Hongzhang. The upper line reads, “Since ancient times, the transmission of Islamic teachings values good comprehension,” and the lower line, “To this day, the unchanged faith inherits the compassionate spirit of the faith.” The horizontal scroll reads “Pure as Clean Ice and Snow.”

Inside the mosque, the north lecture hall features a plaque inscribed with “Authentic Teachings from the West,” while the door of the south lecture hall bears a plaque reading “Autumn Waters and Winter Mountains.” The matching hall above is labeled “Ancient Islamic Faith.”

Within the porch of the main prayer hall hang four plaques: one inscribed “Cultivate Bright Virtue,” noted as written by Prince Qing, a member of the Qing imperial family; “Uphold the True Faith,” written by Prince Cheng of the Qing imperial family; “Ancient Islamic Tradition,” by Prince Li of the Qing imperial family; and “Grace Vast and Just,” by Mu Chengrong. Inside the main hall is a horizontal Chinese plaque inscribed “Silent and Odorless,” without a signature. There is an unwritten rule at the mosque that no idols or named inscriptions are allowed inside the main prayer space, which adds difficulty to tracing the origins of the calligraphy. The north gate of the mosque features a horizontal plaque reading “The World Is Truly One,” and the south gate has one that says “True Light and Cloud Shadows.” These phrases were authored by Mu Xingkai, grandfather of Imam Mu Chengren and known as “Uncle Kai the Second.” Judging by his words, Uncle Kai the Second had considerable knowledge of Confucianism, though it is regrettable that these particular phrases are somewhat inappropriate for a mosque setting. These two plaques were engraved during the Republican era by Wang Jincheng, whose background remains unclear. At the back of the hall is a brick carving inscribed “Ancient Islamic Faith,” with the calligraphy by Gan Yanyang (a Hanlin academician from the late Qing Dynasty) and the carving done by Ma Shaoqing, a master of brick engraving.

Transportation

Address: Within Le Shan Alley, Mosque Street, Beichen District, Tianjin City

Transportation: From downtown Tianjin, you can take bus lines 10, 18, direct route 611, 865, 912, 952, 607, 610, 611, 802, 810, 850, 879, 906, 961, Convenience Line 2, or Jinchen Line 12, and get off at the Carrefour Beichen Store stop.