Jining Dongda Mosque

Jining Dongda Mosque

Jining Dongda Mosque is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jining Dongda Mosque is located at No. 4, Shanghexi Street, Xiaozhakou, Yuehe Subdistrict. Situated by the Grand Canal, it was built along the river and is thus commonly known as the "Shunhe Qingzhen Dongda Mosque." The entire mosque covers an area of 7,200 square meters, with a construction area of 4,000 square meters. It was first built during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty and has a history of over 600 years. It began to take shape during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, and major constructions were carried out during the Kangxi and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty, resulting in its current scale. Along with the West Mosque in Jining, the Jingjue Temple in Nanjing, the Huajue Temple in Xi'an, and the Qiaomen Street Mosque in Lanzhou, it is ranked among the five major ancient architectural mosques in China, with Jining Dongda Mosque being particularly renowned for its grandeur. In May 2006, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dongda Mosque is a classic example of a dragon-head-style architectural complex. The main structures along the central axis include the main gate, the bangke pavilion, the main prayer hall, and the moon-viewing tower, among four key sections. Flanking the central axis are the north and south lecture halls, the ablution area, and the stele corridor. The main prayer hall, which is the principal building of the mosque, is 28 meters wide, over 40 meters deep, and reaches a maximum height of about 30 meters, with a total floor area of 1,057 square meters. The entire prayer hall consists of three parts—the portico, the front hall, and the rear窑hall—combined in a hooked joint structure. The interior is supported by 40 vermilion wooden pillars extending to the ceiling and 12 stone pillars. The rear窑hall is a three-story pavilion, with the upper part featuring a hexagonal pyramidal roof. The rooftop features steep, undulating ridges, with brackets beneath the eaves and upturned corners, covered in yellow-green glazed tiles. At the top sits a bronze-gilded precious vase, shimmering brilliantly. Behind the hall is the “Moon-Viewing Tower,” a brick-and-wood structure known for its exquisite and delicate design.

In 2009, the municipal and district governments of Jining City carried out a comprehensive renovation of Dongda Mosque. It reopened to the public on May 1 and was rated as a National 3A-level Tourist Attraction in November. Over the following two years, it received more than 130,000 visitors from both home and abroad, including over 2,000 international tourists from 30 countries who came to tour the mosque. The site achieved significant social benefits and has become an important window for promoting Jining and the central district.

Address: No. 4, Shanghexi Street, Zhongqu District, Jining City, Shandong Province

Ticket: 10 RMB

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Jining City

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units