Lingtang Township

Lingtang Hui minority Township = Língtáng Huízú xiāng = 菱塘回族乡

Lingtang township is in the south west corner of Gaoyou County. It is home to Jiangsu Provinces’ largest population of the Hui minority (Huí Mín 回民 = Hui People), and as such it is designated a Hui nationality village, the only minority village in Jiangsu province. By definition, the Hui people are Muslims, and of Lingtang’s population of 23,000, 7,000 are of the Hui Nationality. This makes the town Jiangsu Province’s largest Muslim enclave.

Lingtang is also home to eastern China’s largest Mosque (Qingzhen Si 清真寺) as well as an older Mosque just north of Lingtang in Qingzhen Village. These temples are the activity centers for Muslims throughout Jiangsu Province as well as Anhui Province just west of here. During important Muslim celebrations thousands of faithful, journey to Lingtang to worship.

The newer, larger Mosque was built in 1996 in the Middle Eastern style at the cost of 1.8 million yuan. The older temple at Qhingzhen was built in 1844 in the traditional Chinese palace style of architecture using cyan bricks and small tiles. Gaoyou Vice-Director Ni Wencai described it as “of classicality and sobriety”. Inside the temple is one maidenhair tree and one golden cherry bay that are over 300 years old.

In November 1989, the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and other five members Gulf Cooperation Council visited Lingtang Township with their wives