In the heart of Dali Ancient City, at No. 51 Boai Road, stands a sanctuary defined by survival and architectural adaptation. Originally founded during the Yuan Dynasty on Cangping Street, the South Gate Mosque has been repeatedly dismantled, renamed, and reclaimed. The geographer Xu Xiake visited the site in the seventeenth century, writing of dry plum blossoms resting on broken stone pedestals. Following the defeat of the Du Wenxiu Uprising, the Qing government confiscated the property, transforming the Islamic house of worship into a City God Temple. By 1944, the site served as a local court. During renovations, workers unearthed two imperial edict steles from the Yuan era, which vanished shortly after their discovery.

The mosque's modern existence began with a quiet act of community resolve. In the early twentieth century, returning Hui Muslims purchased the abandoned Ma Wang Temple site near Leizu Temple for one hundred and twenty yuan. Twelve families pooled ten yuan each to secure the land. When local gentry accused them of secret transactions, a community leader named Sha Yi countered by asking who had conducted the illegal sale.

Construction of the new courtyard began in 1916. The builders purchased a garden of catalpa trees for the timber frame. During logging, a sudden gust of wind snapped a pulling rope, miraculously blowing a massive tree safely into an open clearing without damaging the surrounding homes. The craftsmen, led by mason Yang Fuhua and carpenter Master Zhang, worked with deep reverence. Thirsty workers refused to burn even the smallest scraps of construction wood to heat water, choosing to drink cold water instead. On the day of the beam-laying ceremony, Commander Sun Yong'an personally pressed the main beam into place.

For decades, the mosque served as a civic anchor, housing the Hui Advancement Association and the Dali Hui Youth Association. The resilient Chinese-style timber courtyard's sloped roofs and flying eaves continues a seven-hundred-year-old conversation with the wind.