Note 27 — Chapter X · THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN CHINA.
Reading edition
About thirty years later, his successor, the Emperor Kʼien Lung, showed distinguished marks of his favour towards the Muhammadans by ennobling two Turkī Begs who had materially helped in suppressing a revolt in the north-west and Kāshgar, and building palaces for them in Peking; he also erected a mosque for the use of the Turkī Begs who visited the Imperial court and for the prisoners of war who had been brought to the capital from Kāshgar. Among these prisoners was a beautiful girl who became a favourite concubine of the emperor, and it is stated that for love of her he built this mosque immediately opposite his own palace and erected a pavilion within the palace grounds, from which the concubine could watch her fellow-countrymen at prayer and could join in their devotions. This mosque was built in the years 1763–1764 and contains an inscription in four languages, the Chinese text of which was written by the emperor himself.27