JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script src="http://ajax.microsoft.com/ajax/jquery.validate/1.7/jquery.validate.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.2/themes/ui-lightness/jquery-ui.css">
<div id='somediv'>
    <span id='mySpan'>this is the span</span>
</div>

JavaScript

myVar = $('#mySpan').detach();

   // Add the new content, and append the element stored in myVar
$('#somediv').html('some new content<br>').append( myVar );