Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Lanzhou

Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Lanzhou

Historical Background

The Shaanxi Grand Mosque兰州陕西清真大寺, originally named Baojia Temple, was founded in 1941 by Baoci Minghaji from Shaanxi. The mosque was initially located on Donggang West Road. In 1945, it was expanded to cover an area of over 11 acres. The mosque also housed Yongming Primary School, which employed Ma Yuzhai as the principal and utilized a bilingual teaching approach in Arabic and Chinese. This educational method helped train a number of Hui talents who later spread across the country to establish schools.

Historical Changes

1941: The mosque was founded by Baoci Minghaji from Shaanxi.
1945: The mosque was expanded and included Yongming Primary School.
1958: During the anti-feudal privilege movement, the Shaanxi Grand Mosque was destroyed. Yongming Primary School was renamed Donggang West Road Hui Primary School, which is now the Chengguan District Teacher Training School.
Post-1978: Following the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party, the government reinstated the mosque and provided compensation of 800,000 yuan for reconstruction. A new site of three acres was acquired, and the reconstruction began in July 1989, with completion by the end of the year.

Scale and Structure

The mosque complex includes:

A grand hall
A minaret
A water facility
School classrooms
A guest reception room

The architecture blends modern and Arabic styles. The mosque complex includes:

9 residential units for Hui tenants
9 guest rooms
4 commercial spaces
An annual income of over 100,000 yuan

The grand hall covers 120 square meters, and the total building area of the mosque is 2,740 square meters. The mosque serves 150 households, comprising 143 Hui households (572 people) and 7 Dongxiang households (28 people). It follows the Qadim sect.

Communication and Cooperation

The mosque previously employed Ma Yuzhai as the principal and used a bilingual teaching method in Arabic and Chinese, which helped cultivate Hui talents who later established schools across the country.