Niujie Mosque

According to Visit Beijing, the mosque was first built in 996 during the Liao dynasty, and it is regarded as the oldest mosque in Beijing. It was destroyed in 1215 by the armies of Genghis Khan, rebuilt in the Ming dynasty in the 15th century, and significantly expanded in 1696 under the Qing. It has been renovated several times since 1949.

The architecture combines Islamic and Han Chinese traditions. The buildings are laid out symmetrically in courtyards; the main structures include the prayer hall, the Stele Pavilion and the Wangyue (moon-viewing) tower, a hexagonal two-storey pavilion that Visit Beijing says the imam used to observe the new moon and set the times of fasting. The mosque preserves Ming-dynasty steles and historic artefacts, and the neighbourhood around it has been known for halal beef and mutton since the Qing era.

Niujie is home to Beijing's largest concentration of Muslims, and the mosque is busy every day with worshippers, especially at Friday prayers and during Ramadan and the two Eids, when the community gathers to celebrate. The surrounding streets have halal markets and shops with Arabic signage, and Hui food traditions, such as beef, mutton and sweet pastries, are a big part of the neighbourhood's identity.