Wenshu Temple Street Mosque

Wenshu Temple Street Mosque

The Wenshu Temple Street Mosque is a cultural relic protection unit of Kaifeng City.

The Wenshu Temple Street Mosque is located northeast of the Drum Tower in Kaifeng City. Originally built during the Ming Dynasty (1458 AD), the current mosque was reconstructed in the sixth year of the Shunzhi era, and is smaller in scale than the original. It stretches from the middle of the street in the east to Bookstore Street in the west. The mosque houses six historically significant steles, namely the Wanli Jiachen Stele, the Daoguang 18th Year Stele, the Liu Family Re-Erects Ancestors’ Joyfully Donated Mosque Market House Stele, the Wenshu Temple Street Mosque Free School Stele, the Tongzhi 4th Year Yichou Stele, and the Guangxu 27th Year (1901 AD) Wenshu Temple Reconstruction Stele.

Architectural Style

The current mosque was reconstructed in the sixth year of the Shunzhi era, and is smaller in scale than the original, stretching from the middle of the street in the east to Bookstore Street in the west. The mosque complex has two courtyards. Originally, there was a screen wall opposite the main gate, adjacent to the rear wall of the women’s prayer hall of the Hongheyan Street Mosque. The screen wall features ridge tiles and exquisitely carved polished bricks, and is the only mosque in Kaifeng that retains such a screen wall. The main gate is obscured by shops and residential buildings, and entry is through a door in the south wall of the second gate. The overall scale of the mosque and the buildings after the second gate have not changed much. The architecture of the mosque follows the classical Chinese palatial style, and the entire complex is the most intact among mosques in the city. Despite being in a busy urban area, it still feels serene, profound, and solemn. Having endured many changes over time, the mosque has not been renovated for years. Currently, funds are being raised for its restoration, with a planned total area of approximately 111×30=3330 square meters. The mosque currently has over ten Hafiz students, the majority of whom are female.

Main Attractions

The mosque preserves six steles. The Wanli Jiachen Stele is embedded in the back wall of the southern room, inscribed with “Wanli Jiachen Year (1604 AD), Summer, Fifth Month, Auspicious Day,” listing the name of the mosque, with the erection date as the primary inscription. The Daoguang 18th Year Stele stands intact inside the northern room, inscribed as “Great Qing Daoguang 18th Year (1838 AD), Year of Wuxu, Chrysanthemum Month, Auspicious Day,” documenting the reconstruction in the 18th year of the Daoguang era. The Liu Family Re-Erects Ancestors’ Joyfully Donated Mosque Market House Stele lies flat outside the north room door, with the lower part of the text now illegible, and was erected in the 20th year of the Daoguang era (1840 AD). The Wenshu Temple Street Mosque Free School Stele has a damaged lower section, was erected in the 9th year of the Xianfeng era (1859 AD), Year of Yimou, February, Auspicious Day, and records the donation by Jin Chuansheng from Jiaxing Xiushui County, Zhejiang, for the construction of three charity school rooms. The Tongzhi 4th Year Yichou Stele consists of three damaged fragments without the stele head or base, and documents the reconstruction of the charity school and the repainting of the main gate, prayer hall, covered walkway, and rooms of the north and south lecture halls in the 4th year of the Tongzhi era (1865 AD). The Guangxu 27th Year (1901 AD) Wenshu Temple Reconstruction Stele consists of two damaged fragments, and records the reconstruction of the mosque.