Beiwujia Mosque

　　   Beiwujia Mosque The Beiwujia Mosque is located in Beiwujia Village, Yuanzi Township, Jingyuan County. It was built in the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1874). Its layout follows the traditional Chinese palatial architectural style and it is the earliest mosque in Jingyuan County. In the 10th year of the Tongzhi reign (1871), after the failure of the Hui people’s uprising in Shaanxi and Gansu, Chen Lin, a leader of the Shaanxi Hui rebels who was resettled in Jingyuan (now known as Huapingchuan), applied to the magistrate of Huapingchuan Direct-Controlled Prefecture for permission to build a mosque. The Qing court approved the request with the statement: “In response to the appeal by the Hui people including Chen Lin requesting the establishment of a mosque to preach the holy scriptures—this is an act of seeking virtue and is inherently a righteous pursuit, thus it may be permitted.” However, fearing that the Hui people might use the mosque as a base to gather and resist the Qing government, specific restrictions were imposed: the height of the mosque must not exceed 24 chi (approximately 8 meters), its length and width must not surpass 10 zhang (approximately 33 meters), the wall thickness must not exceed 2.5 chi (approximately 83 cm), and no high-rise buildings were allowed to be constructed outside the mosque. In the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign (1874), the first mosque in Jingyuan County was built in Beiwujia, the central area of the county, with Chen Lin serving as its first imam. Zuo Zongtang personally inscribed the plaque and couplet for the mosque gate. The plaque was destroyed during the “Cultural Revolution,” but the couplet remains clearly visible to this day. The upper line reads: “Honor the elders, love your kin, and seek blessings on your own,” and the lower line reads: “Emulate benevolence, promote courtesy, and share peace with all under heaven.” The signature reads: “Inscribed by Kejing Bo” (Kejing Bo refers to Zuo Zongtang).