The Dongguan Mosque is the largest mosque in northwest China and the spiritual centre of Xining's large Hui Muslim community. The current structure is modern — substantially rebuilt in the late 20th century — but the site has been a place of Islamic worship for over 600 years, with the first mosque here dating to the early Ming Dynasty. The buildings combine Chinese architectural forms with Islamic decorative vocabulary: green-tiled roofs, ornate woodwork, and calligraphic inscriptions in Arabic and Chinese.
Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times (avoid Friday noon prayers when the complex is full). The surrounding streets form Xining's Muslim quarter — dense with halal noodle restaurants, spice vendors, dried fruit stalls, and teahouses. This neighbourhood is the most atmospheric part of the city and worth extended wandering, particularly in the evenings when families are out and the food stalls are busy. The mosque is on Dongguan Street in the Chengdong district.