TempleOld Canton: Beijing Road, Yuexiu Park and the Nanyue King
HUAISHENG MOSQUE AND THE GUANGTA MINARET (GUANGTA ROAD) · HUAISHENG SI
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Old Canton: Beijing Road, Yuexiu Park and the Nanyue King · 23.126°N 113.254°E
FreeClosure day
'China's first mosque' by the city Islamic association's account (627, Tang; the 2025 protection plan says 'the earliest built after Islam reached China' and notes the minaret's date is argued between Tang and Song), built for the Arab and Persian traders of the 'foreign quarter' when the Pearl River still ran past its wall: the 36 m plain round minaret, the Guangta, doubled as a lighthouse for ships and gave the street its name. Inside are a Chinese-courtyard plan, a Ming moon-watching tower and a prayer hall; it is a working mosque and the centre of Guangzhou's Muslim life, so for tourists it is officially exterior-only (the platform listing says 不对外开放) while visitors report the gate guard admitting some on non-Friday daytimes — the mosque publishes no rules we could read. For Muslim travellers this street is the anchor: prayer here, halal restaurants along Guangta Road.
AdmissionFreeNo ticket; the platform lists it as not open to the publicSecondhand source
HoursPlatform: exterior only; visitors report daytime entry at the gateSecondhand source
ClosedPlatform: not open to tourists; Fridays and prayer hoursSecondhand source
IDNone reportedNot independently verified — check official channels before you go
Address56 Guangta Road, Yuexiu District (越秀区光塔路 56 号) — the city's protection plan gives the site as 23°07′31″N 113°15′13″EVerified · 2025-12Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceMetro Line 1 Ximenkou station, about 370 m (city plan): south on Haizhu Middle Road, then east into Guangta Road; the gate faces the street
Last verified 2026-09-15Source: platforms and press
How to book
None; the platform lists it as exterior-only, visitors report the gate guard admits some (ask, never on Fridays)Secondhand source
Beat the crowds
Weekday mid-morning, after the dawn prayer and before the midday one; never Friday 12:00-14:30, when the courts fill for jumu'ah and the gate turns visitors away.
Language
Chinese and Arabic inscriptions; a bilingual heritage board at the gate. No English visitor page.