Niujie Mosque was built in 966 CE during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) by an Arab trader Nasuluding (Nasir al-Din), who is also buried in the premises. The present façade was built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722), after Mongol invasions destroyed the original structure. The mosque has undergone many renovations, even during the present day, the most recent of which was a 10 Million Yuan package to ready the mosque for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Nijuie Mosque sits east to west covering over 6000 square meters, with an exterior that is unmistakably Chinese in its design. According to Lloyd Ridgeon, a professor of Religious Studies, the style of the mosque is mid-Qing imperial architecture, much like the Buddhist and Taoist temples across the city. Recognizable Chinese roofs with ridges, flying eaves and timber beams cover the buildings, similar to other Chinese mosques. What is special here is the bold use of color, from the top to the bottom of the structures. Depictions of Chinese trees, bridges, chrysanthemums and lotus flowers are abundant. Even the roof of the structures feature dragons and gargoyles, which people believe are permissible because their eyes are closed. Such imagery is attributed to early Confucian thought, which linked all existence to a coherent whole, and colors to the spectrum of human emotion.
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