With its sloping roofs covered with green tiles and enhanced by red coloured sharp curved ridges, this building appears more like a Chinese temple. Visitors could mistakenly think it is a Chinese temple due to its pagoda-like structure. However, this is Silver Jubilee Mosque of Sultan Ismail Petra (or well known as Chinese Beijing Mosque). The mosque is located in the town of Rantau Panjang, in the province of Pasir Mas, Kelantan, Malaysia. This mosque can accommodate up to 1 000 worshipers at one time. The unique architecture features fusion of Chinese and Islamic architecture and resembles Niujie Mosque of more than 1,000 years old in Beijing. The Chinese Beijing Mosque is the first Chinese architecture mosque built in Malaysia. The Chinese Beijing Mosque is located on the edge of Pasir Mas - Rantau Panjang highway, about 2 km away from the Rantau Panjang town area. The mosque’s main edifice consists of a two-storey building. The first and mezzanine floors have amenities such as a multipurpose hall, library, kindergarten and a bazaar, while the second floor houses facilities like the main prayer hall as well as VIP rooms. The interior design of the mosque combines Islamic elements from India and Uzbekistan. The mosque is open for all visitors, but for non- muslim visitors, you can visit the mosque during non-prayer time, and should dress appropriately. Female visitors are required to fully cover themselves, while male visitors are required to wear long pants. Non-muslim visitors can tour around the authentic building except for the main prayer room. There is a cheap and halal restaurant nearby the mosque, a good option after visiting the mosque. In addition, in the mosque area, you can find hawkers selling local food such as glutinous rice with mango and coconut flavoured ice cream with chunk of breads, jellies and nuts!

How to Get There

If you are traveling by air, nearest airport is the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport (IATA: KBR, ICAO: WMKC) an airport that operates in Kota Bharu, a city in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. The airport is in Pengkalan Chepa, about an hour from the mosque, which is located in Rantau Panjang. You can take public bus from Kota Bharu town to the mosques, and the bus station is just 3 minutes from the mosque. At Kota Bharu bus station; look for, red coloured, No. 29 Cityliner bus that will bring you to Rantau Panjang. The bus fare to Rantau Panjang is around RM 6.00.

Tourist Attractions

Rantau Panjang

Rantau Panjang is one of a famous town in Kelantan, Malaysia, approximately 45 km to Kota Bharu. It is the major border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand for the East Coast of Malaysia. Rantau Panjang is also one of the duty-free zones in Kelantan where you can find good deals on food, electronic goods, cigarettes and clothes. This place is popular among the tourists for its tranquil environment, magnificent Malay villages, a crystal clear water and white sandy beach. Afia Deer Farm is another points of interests in Rantau Panjang. Get the chance to feed the deer and get basic knowledge on deer farming. Besides, you also can buy fresh venison as well as fresh goat milk from this farm.

Hotels 

Hotel Ani

Located about 1.6 km away from the Chinese Beijing Mosque, Hotel Ani is the best budget accommodation for you in Rantau Panjang. The hotel provides basic amenities to all guests which includes standard room, family room, private bathroom, parking and free internet at the lobby. You can experience staying with the locals as the hotel is situated in Malay villages area.