Millennium Ancient Temple | Da Xue Xi Alley Mosque

Xi'an | A 1300-year-old ancient mosque, even Zheng He had been here|||Millennium Ancient Temple | Da Xue Xi Alley Mosque 🌟 Da Xue Xi Alley Mosque, free of charge. 📍 Address: No. 94, Da Xue Xi Alley, Lianhu District 🚊 Transportation: Metro Line 6 Guangji Street Station 🕐 Time: 8:00—19:00 🕌️ Da Xue Xi Alley Mosque is a historic Islamic temple, established in the year 705 AD, with a history of over 1300 years. It is one of the oldest mosques in Shaanxi and a key national cultural relic protection unit. 🕌️ Initially named 'Qing Jiao Si', it was granted the name 'Qing Zhen Si' during the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty. 🕌️ The mosque consists of a large screen wall, stone archway, three-hall pavilion, Xingxin Pavilion, north and south rooms, stele pavilion, stone gate, moon platform, and prayer hall. 🌟 Zheng He Stele 🕌️ The stone arch at the entrance is inscribed with the four characters 'Chì Jiàn Lù Cì'. The mosque has been extensively renovated and expanded six times. The vertical plaque 'Lai Xiu Qing Zhen Si' hanging in the entrance hall was written by Tie Xuan, the Minister of War during the Ming dynasty. 🕌️ The middle courtyard preserves the 'Chong Xiu Qing Jing Si Stele' from the Ming dynasty, also known as the Zheng He Stele, which records details about the fourth voyage. Before his fourth voyage to the Western Seas, the explorer Zheng He came to Xi'an to seek wise men. The head of the mosque, Ha San Jing, was selected and approved by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming to serve as an advisor and translator, making a significant contribution to China's maritime endeavors. Since there are few historical records of Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Seas, this stele is particularly precious. It is said that the 'Xingxin Pavilion' in the middle was designed and built by Zheng He. 🌟 Plaques of the main hall: 🕌️ In 1900, when the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an. They were escorted by the Hui Muslim army of Ma Hanru from Gansu. Later, to thank the Hui Muslims for their protection and to foster relations with them, two plaques were sent to the mosque: 'Pai Yan Tian Fang' (inscribed by Empress Dowager Cixi) and 'Jiao Chong Xi Yu' (inscribed by Emperor Guangxu). 🕌️ 'Dao Guan Gu Jin': Inscribed by Zhang Yunshan, the military governor of the Shaanxi Restoration Army. During the anti-Qing uprisings at the end of the Qing dynasty, he organized the Hui Muslims to form the Hui Hui Camp, which, along with the Muslim generals, overthrew the Qing rule in Shaanxi. To thank the Hui Muslims for their contribution, he inscribed a plaque for the mosque.