Langfang · Dachang Mosque — The Hui Ethnic Homeland East of the Capital

Friends who like looking at maps might notice that between the two municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, there is an exclave of Hebei Province. This area includes three county-level administrative units under Langfang City: Sanhe, Xianghe, and Dachang. The so-called "Da San Xiang" or "Northern Three Counties" refers to this region. Compared to Beijing's districts like Miyun, Huairou, and Yanqing, these three counties are actually closer to Beijing's economic center, the Guomao CBD, which has led to the emergence of the famous exclave commuter town — Yanjiao.

But today's focus is not Yanjiao, after all, this is not a real estate platform, but rather Dachang, which is not far from Yanjiao. Many people have never heard of this place, but it is the closest ethnic autonomous area to the capital Beijing — Dachang Hui Autonomous County.

As a Hui autonomous county, Dachang's most distinctive feature is obviously its mosque. As an Islamic religious building, Dachang's mosque has very typical Sinicized characteristics. The mosque here no longer has the domes typical of the Middle East but instead features Chinese-style temple architecture. If it weren't for the Arabic script and the star and crescent symbol, it would be indistinguishable from a Buddhist temple. The minaret is also built in the shape of a traditional Chinese pagoda, with only the crescent moon at the top indicating that this is a mosque.

Post by VoyagingDreamer | Aug 24, 2025