Arabic Sign

As one leaves Dongguan's courtyard they are met by this large Arabic installment. Although I remain unsure of its author, we can ascertain its completion date- from DSCN0942. This fits with the founding dates on many of Xining's other mosques, all of which fall roughly. This sign gives one of the earliest dates I have seen on a mosque, leading me to believe that perhaps Dongguan led the way for a revival of Islam in Xining in the past decade.

This sign makes for interesting considerations: not only does it reference a certain (positive) stance on tourism at Dongguan with its use of English, but it also gives an example of how this religious institution is encountering 'modernity' - building a medical treatment area. Also notable is the exclusion of Chinese at the expense of two 'minority' languages. This is something that rarely, if ever, can be seen on a public sign in Xining. And this is happening even while during my visit I (a foreigner) was far outnumbered by Chinese tourists.

A tablet at the extreme rear of Dongguan Mosque featuring several notes scralled in Arabic which I took to be a type of graffiti. The placement of this slab seems to be intentional and it would not surprise me to find similar installments at other large mosques.

The interior of a side room just right of the entrance of Donggan Mosque. It comes off as very tourist-oriented, but also, with it's impressive model of the Masjid al-Haram Mosque of Mecca, it evidences a pan-Islamic consciousness not commonly found in Xining. A sign inside the same room.