MOSQUE ARCHITECTURE AND IDENTITY: A STUDY OF THE AUTOCHTHONOUS MOSQUE IN CHINA
Date Added
20/07/2022
Content Type
Dissertation
Category
Masters
Link to Content
Subject Area
Mosques
Author
Yutong Ma
Publisher Name
Yutong Ma
Year of Publication
2020
Description
In this thesis, I argue against a common conception in the ongoing trend of mosquebuilding in southeastern China in the 21st century. Many Hui Muslims and architects in this
region refuse to consider historical mosque architecture built in traditional Chinese architectural
style as their cultural references in constructing new mosques, as they believe that the traditional
Chinese architectural language is insufficient to express their identity as Muslims. Instead, they
prefer a collection of symbolic architectural elements to be used in mosque architecture loosely
termed as the “Arabic” style. In response to this misconception, I argue that a Chinese type of
mosque architecture, exemplified by the Great Mosque of Xi’an, has formed as early as in the
late 15th century; it is rooted in the historical process in which a unique Chinese Muslim identity
– Hui – was formed. It is this Chinese type of mosque architecture, not the imagined set of exotic
“Arabic” mosque style, which manifests the cultural identity of Hui Muslims in southeastern
China.
Files
English
Yutong Ma
Washington University in St. Louis
2021