Kelizhuang Mosque

In 1908, the families of Kelizhuang Village in Dali rebuilt their main prayer hall using funds sent home from Myanmar. For generations, local merchant caravans led pack horses along mountain trails to Burmese trade hubs like Mandalay, Mawlamyine, and Lashio. Over one hundred village families eventually migrated along these routes. Their journeys connected this quiet corner of Yunnan Province to a global network, shaping the architecture of the Kelizhuang Mosque.

The mosque complex spans four and a half acres, facing east toward the morning sun and backing west. The main prayer hall is a five-bay, single-eaved wooden structure built in the traditional Tieliang style with a hip-and-gable roof. Covering two hundred and ninety square meters, its heavy timber beams shelter several hundred worshippers. In 1926, the community expanded the site, adding north and south side wings and a hexagonal, two-story minaret integrated into the eastern entrance gate. This expansion succeeded through a shared effort, funded by local Muslim congregants, Burmese Chinese donors, regional merchants, and neighboring Bai ethnic villagers.

The side wings became a center for diverse learning. In the north wing, scholars Ma Yin'an and Ma Xin taught Islamic scripture, training future imams to serve communities across Yunnan and Tibet. In the south wing, the village hired a Bai intellectual named Yang Handing to teach Chinese and secular subjects. This arrangement allowed sacred and secular education to exist side by side under the same tiled roofs.

Today, the mosque remains an active house of worship. Inside its historical relic exhibition room, visitors can view a traditional tiger scroll painted by Bao Shan, a prominent Qianlong-era scripture master. The ink strokes of the tiger scroll, the weathered wood of the classrooms, and the stone steps of the minaret preserve the voices of the scholars, teachers, and caravan travelers who built this sanctuary.