Shanyitang Mosque

Shanyitang Mosque

Shanyitang Mosque is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Shanyitang Mosque is located at No. 10 Nanbuge Temple, Gulou Street. It neighbors Madao Street to the west and Tiefosi Street to the south. The mosque faces east with its back to the west.

During the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, the Hui Muslim uprising in the five northwestern provinces was suppressed by figures such as Zuo Zongtang. Some of the rebel population gradually migrated to Kaifeng, and by the Tongzhi period, there were already over 300 families. These immigrants were skilled in commerce and initially mostly traded in horses, which is why the locals in Kaifeng called them "horse merchants." Later, some of them ran shops in Kaifeng. Their religious activities were originally conducted at the Wenshu Temple, but due to sectarian differences, they planned to build their own mosque. To avoid detection by the Qing authorities, they modeled the layout after a fellow-provincials’ guild hall and applied to the government under the pretext of establishing a charity school. In the 13th year of the Xiangfeng reign (1874), Xiangfu County issued a notice stating: “Upon investigation, the merchants have voluntarily contributed funds to set up an educational institution, which is indeed a charitable act, demonstrating their generosity and righteousness—this is commendable, and approval has been granted for its establishment.” Construction began from then until the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (1887), taking about 13 years to complete, with a total expenditure of over 19,300 taels of silver. The complex included “a main prayer hall with ten bays, a worship hall with seven bays, ten bays of classrooms on both sides, six bays of study rooms on the west side, two bays of gatehouse, fifteen bays of scripture school, twenty-nine bays of auxiliary rooms, two bays of rear hall, four bays of side rooms, five bays of triple gate, two bays of main gate, ten bays of bathhouse, nineteen bays of storefronts, one bay of back gate, totaling 116 rooms.”

After the completion of Shanyitang, local gentry opposed calling it a mosque, and it was not until the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (1901), when Empress Dowager Cixi stayed in Kaifeng on her way back to Beijing from Xi’an, that the truth was reported to her by Ma Anliang, a Hui Muslim officer. Upon learning the facts, she personally inscribed the plaque reading “Qingzhen Si” (Mosque), thus allowing it to be officially named Shanyitang Mosque.

In front of Shanyitang was a charity school, and behind it were charitable halls. The charity school frequently invited renowned scholars to give lectures. It once established the Henan Arabic University and small Arabic education classes, and taught the Four Books and Five Classics, training many knowledgeable imams. After completing their studies, they went on to teach across the province and in the northwestern regions. After the Republic of China period, part of the charity school was converted into Minsheng Primary School, which continued until it was closed in 1949.

Shanyitang Mosque was once converted into a factory, and religious activities resumed only in 1980.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province