Grand Mosque

Location: Tianjin

Located in the northwestern part of the city, the Great Mosque (Qingzhen si), is a fine reflection of Chinese Muslim architecture.

Construction of the compound began in 1644 during the Qing Dynasty. The mosque consists of four major structures, the screen wall, the front hall, the praying hall and the preaching hall.

All the constructions are sumptuously decorated with colored paintings, Koran scripture carvings and banisters, and a total of 61 horizontal plaques and couplets with both Chinese and Arabic inscriptions.

Nowadays the mosque remains an active place of worship for Tianjin's Muslim community and so entrance to the building can be difficult to obtain. You are free to walk the grounds which are interesting in themselves, little alleys surround this religious stronghold.