Tongxin Great Mosque, Ancient mosque in Tongxin County, China

Tongxin Great Mosque is an Islamic temple in Tongxin County with a main prayer hall consisting of two connected sections built upon a seven-meter elevated platform with a cyan-colored base. The complex displays traditional brick carvings throughout and follows predominantly Chinese construction styles with Islamic decorative elements integrated into its design.

Likely founded in the 14th century during the Yuan dynasty, the mosque began as a Mongolian Buddhist temple abandoned after 1368 and was reconsecrated as a mosque in the early Ming. It was rebuilt after the 1739 earthquake, with major renovations in 1791 and 1907, and expanded in 1936, when the Red Army held a meeting here and established the Yuhai County People's Government. In 1983 it was designated a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The mosque is affiliated with the Yihewani sect, and its screen wall bears a brick carving from the Guangxu era titled "Moon Hiding Among Pines and Cypresses," flanked by a couplet carved by the Hezhou craftsman Ma Zhongliang. The minaret, originally three stories, was reduced to two after a Republican-era tornado, and its timber work is credited to the Sichuan craftsman Tan Dehua.

You can reach the mosque by bus from Yinchuan Railway Station to Tongxin County, a journey that takes several hours. Plan your visit during daylight hours when the grounds are open and you have good light for exploring the buildings and carvings.

The four couplets once hung on the eight pillars of the two prayer halls; only one survives today, the rest destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The screen wall's central brick carving, "Moon Hides Among Pines and Cypresses", was cut in the Guangxu era by the Hezhou craftsman Ma Zhongliang, whose name is recorded in the inscription.