📜 About & history
Yiwu Grand Mosque grew out of makeshift prayer rooms used by the first wave of Arab traders (including several hundred Iraqi merchants) who arrived around 2000 to buy from Yiwu's wholesale markets. As the foreign Muslim community swelled after 2002, the local authorities provided a former factory site on Jiangbin West Road, and the current mosque was built in September 2004, funded largely by overseas and local Muslim donations. With a building area of about 3,200 square metres, it can hold roughly 5,000-6,000 people and is one of the busiest mosques in eastern China. It is the spiritual heart of Yiwu's international trader community, drawing Arabs, Africans, Central Asians and Chinese Hui together. On major festivals and busy Fridays the halls and surrounding streets overflow with thousands of merchants.
🕌 Prayer & visiting
Open for the five daily prayers and Friday Jumu'ah; ablution (wudu) facilities on site; modest dress required and women should cover the head. Friday and festival crowds are very large (thousands), spilling into nearby streets, so arrive early for the Jumu'ah khutbah.
📍 Address
🇨🇳 Inside China use Baidu or Amap; Google Maps needs a VPN.
🚇 How to reach the mosque
Yiwu has no metro. Several city bus routes stop along Jiangbin West Road near the mosque; a taxi or ride-hail (Didi) is the simplest option, especially from the markets.
From Futian Market (Yiwu International Trade City / China Commodity City), the mosque is roughly 10-20 minutes by taxi depending on traffic; many traders share taxis, especially for Friday prayer.
About 10-15 minutes by taxi from Yiwu city centre / Choujiang district to Jiangbin West Road along the river.
Yiwu is one of China's most international Muslim trading hubs; halal restaurants (Arabic, Turkish, Uyghur) cluster around Chengzhong Road and the market district. Come early on Fridays as it gets extremely crowded. Chinese taxi phrase: 请带我去义乌清真大寺