The Crane Mosque, located in Yangzhou
City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the four great mosques along the coastal area
in Southeast China. For the layout of the buildings in the mosque resembles a
crane, it is named the Crane Mosque.
Some literature works show that the
mosque was built by Mohammed Puhadin, the 16th generation descendant of Mohammed. He
missionized in Yangzhou City from 1265 to 1274, and established the mosque during the
period. However, other records indicate that the exact year of the establishment was
1275. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the emperor ordered to rebuild the mosque in
1390, and Ma Zongdao, a famous merchant, rebuilt the mosque together with an
Imam again in 1532.
The worship hall of the mosque is a
timberwork composed of the main hall and the rear hall, etc. The old hall inside
the main hall is typical hall architecture in southern Jangsu Province, but the
layout of the mosque and decorations in the main hall feature the Arabic style.
The most famous cultural relic preserved in the mosque is the imperial order
issued by Emperor Chengzu to protect Islam in 1407 during the Ming Dynasty and
written in Chinese, Farsi and Mongolian. It reflects the development of Islam at
that time in China.