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 Huaisheng Mosque
 
The Huaisheng Mosque is one of the four great mosques along the coastal area of Southeast China. The Islamic characters on the first door indicate the irreplaceable position of the mosque as the first Islamic mosque in China.

The mosque is located in Guangzhou City. It is also called the Guangta Mosque or the Shizi Mosque.

The mosque has a long history, and is as famous as theCrane MosqueinYangzhouCity, theQingjing Mosquein Quanzhou City, and thePhoenix MosqueinHangzhouCity. It is said that the Huaisheng Mosque was built by Wan Gesi, the earliest disseminator of Islam, in the early Tang Dynasty (618-970). 

The existing buildings include the Pagoda of Light, the Main Hall, the WangyuePavilion, the Stele Pavilion, the ambulatory, the water house, and the reception room. The Pagoda of Light at nearly 36 meters high is located in the right front of the Main Hall, and is the most prominent building in the mosque. Visitors can get to the top of the pagoda via a helical staircase in the pagoda. Originally there was a golden cock that acted as a weather vane on the top of the pagoda. In 1392, the golden cock was destroyed by a hurricane. After that, people added a gourd-shaped atop the pagoda. The beacon atop the pagoda acts as a lighthouse for ships navigating at night. The Main Hall is located at the rear part of the mosque.

The current Main Hall is the one rebuilt in 1935. The carvings outside the Hall have local features. There is a longan (dragoneye) tree and a flame (phoenix eye) tree on each side of the Main Hall, and the mosque is also called theDragon and PhoenixMosque. 

 Modern Guangzhou

Capital of the Guangdong Province, Guangzhou is the center of the province in terms of politics, economy, science, education and culture. Guangzhou lies in the southeast of Guangzhou Province and the north of the Pearl Delta. Facing the South China Sea and adjoining toHong KongandMacao, Guangzhou is the transportation hub as well as the south gateway of China. In June 2000, Guangzhou became a city with a seashore in south China after Fanyu and Huadu cities were rearranged as its districts. Being the biggest city in South China, Guangzhou has other titles such as the City of Five Rams and the City of Spike.