Shadian Grand Mosque

The Shadian Grand Mosque in Gejiu, Honghe, Yunnan, is a Chinese-style palace architecture located in Gejiu. In 1963, a survey by the Shadian Village History Group found that during the early Ming Dynasty, there was already a mosque in Xiying, Shadian, built with thatched grass. The "Mengzi County Annals" records: "The presence of a mosque in Shadian began in the Hongzhi era of the early Ming Dynasty." The earliest documented mosque in Shadian originated in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty (1488–1505). The Shadian Mosque has been burned down twice. After several restorations and expansions, it still retains the architectural characteristics of Chinese palatial style from the Ming and Qing dynasties, making it one of the ancient mosques in southern Yunnan. The Shadian Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in China and even Asia, ranking third in the world.

The "Mengzi County Annals" records: "The presence of a mosque in Shadian began in the Hongzhi era of the early Ming Dynasty." The earliest documented mosque in Shadian originated in the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty (1488–1505). The Shadian Mosque has been burned down twice.

In the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign (1684), the villagers of Shadian raised funds to build a mosque: "The construction of the current structure, compared to the previous design, is grander and more spacious, presenting a magnificent sight. This is the full account of the mosque in our village." To address the funding of the mosque, the practice of "purchasing land and establishing assets" began, and the "Shadian Mosque Donation and Land Purchase Stele" was erected. The mosque was located near the Sancha Street in Shadian and was called Shajian Tian Mosque. In the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1765), with social stability and prosperous livelihoods in Shadian, the original site was expanded to build a larger and more fully functional mosque.

After several restorations and expansions, the Shadian Mosque still retains the architectural characteristics of Chinese palatial style from the Ming and Qing dynasties, making it one of the ancient mosques in southern Yunnan.

From November 1974 to February 1975, the villagers of Shadian expanded the mosque by adding one room on each side of the main hall, approximately 100 square meters in total.

In July 1975, the Shadian Tian Mosque was destroyed during the "Shadian Incident." In February 1979, the "Shadian Incident" was redressed. In September 1979, with government funding and public donations, the entire village, regardless of age or gender, contributed labor. In just six months, the Shadian Tian Mosque was rebuilt on the south side of the original grand mosque. The rebuilt Shadian Tian Mosque covers an area of 5,872 square meters, with a construction area of 3,872 square meters and a prayer hall covering 2,141 square meters. Its layout consists of a large square courtyard formed by the main prayer hall, two-story buildings on the north and south sides, and a minaret. The main prayer hall is located to the west, featuring a steel-concrete frame structure. Its roof consists of three semi-circular domes, and the front of the prayer hall is inscribed with the three large characters "朝真殿" (Chao Zhen Dian, meaning "Hall of Worship"), covering a construction area of 2,141 square meters, with a 400-square-meter platform in front.

In February 1981, the main prayer hall and the minaret were completed. The minaret is located to the east, standing 29.7 meters high as a six-story tower. It is a steel-concrete structure building, inscribed with the three gilded characters "醒梦楼" (Xing Meng Lou, meaning "Awakening Dream Tower"), each character about one square meter in size, surrounded by floral patterns, simple yet solemn, and full of poetic charm. After the completion of the mosque, Ma Kai Xian was appointed as the Imam of the Shadian Grand Mosque to oversee religious affairs.

From February 28 to March 1, 1981, the completion ceremony of the mosque was held. Subsequently, the construction of the north and south wing rooms continued. These wing rooms are two-story brick-concrete structures, totaling 24 rooms, serving as student dormitories and classrooms. In 1988, the 13th Middle School of Gejiu, originally built on the site of the former Shadian Grand Mosque, relocated to the back hills of Fengwei Village. The Shadian District Committee and District Office allocated the teaching buildings, teachers' dormitories, and playgrounds of the 13th Middle School of Gejiu to the Shadian Tian Mosque for educational use. The area of the mosque expanded from the original 5,872 square meters to 21,000 square meters.

Between 1992 and 1994, the villagers of Shadian raised 971,955 yuan to construct the "Shadian Islamic Girls' School" north of the minaret, with a construction area of 1,460 square meters.

In September 1999, a kindergarten was established at this school. The main prayer hall of the Shadian Grand Mosque, completed in February 1981, was built on low-lying paddy fields with an unstable foundation and a short construction period. As a result, in 2000, the main hall experienced foundation subsidence and wall cracks, becoming a dangerous building. After repeated discussions and deliberations by the Shadian Tian Mosque Management Committee, opinions were solicited from all sides, and a collective decision was made to relocate and rebuild the grand mosque at Shihua Garden.