The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China is the only provincial-level ethnic Hui region and is the best place to experience China's Muslim culture. In today's travels, we'll follow our reporter Ning Yan on her visit to a Hui Culture Park in Ningxia.

Reporter:

The Hui culture park was established in September 2005. It is located in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The park is the only place in China designed especially to display ethnic Hui culture and traditions.

Lei Runze is in charge of the park. He explains why the culture park was started.

"Ningxia is a Hui autonomous region and the home to many Hui people. There are 10 million ethnic Hui people in China and 2.1 million of them live in Ningxia. However, there was no place that exhibited the history and culture of the ethnic Hui. So the government of Ningxia built this Hui Culture Park and Ethnic Hui Museum to fill this tourism and culture vacuum."

"The Hui culture is an integration of Islamic culture and traditional Chinese culture from the Han and Tang Dynasty. The timing of the park's establishment was good and it meets the public's desire to learn about the Hui culture."

With Lei as our guide we arrive at the entrance to the park, where we first see a large performance square. Lei says the square holds an audience of 20,000 people and that during festivals it turns into a sea of song and dance.

Looking to the west, we are amazed by a grand, white Islamic style building, surrounded by a long, round corridor. This is the park's main attraction. A typical Islamic gate with a round arch that has been decorated with intricate bas-reliefs stands at the front of the building.

Xu Wei, an ethnic Hui who works here tells us about the park.

"The 300 mu or 20 hectare culture park includes an ethnic Hui museum, a ritual palace, a Hui ethnic customs village and a Hui catering and performance center. It integrates the culture, history, songs and dances as well as traditions and customs of the ethnic Hui people. It's the only place in China where you can see every aspect of the Hui culture."

After entering the main gate, we first see a wonderful building shaped like the Chinese character "Hui". This is the Ethnic Hui Museum.

Inside the museum, we feel like we are traveling through the history of the Hui people. The museum is divided into five halls and has 1,000 relics and books on the Hui people and Islamism. The exhibits point to the historical and cultural origins of the ethnic Hui people, the development of Islamic civilization, the distinctive culture and customs of the Chinese Hui people, the Hui people's contributions to Chinese culture and the establishment, development and changes of the Hui people in Ningxia.

Xu Wei says the variety of historical relics provide valuable materials for people to study Islamic culture.

"We are working with Islamic associations and institutes. Recently, the Islamic Koran Institute of Ningxia sent a plaque to the museum as a gift. The words 'Muslim Patriotism Education Base' are written on the plaque. The institute has also organized an Akhond class to visit the park regularly and learn Hui culture."

A Koran as small as a finger nail and an ancient golden bell as large as a human are both exhibited in the museum.

Among the exhibits, the most highly treasured include the oldest and best preserved Ningxia-discovered Koran from the Ming Dynasty between the 14th and 17th century, two ancient Arabic ship models and 12 sets of Islamic apparel which were donated by Abdullah Maatouk, the Kuweit judicial minister.

Lei Runze says the Culture Park has attracted many foreign tourists with its rich exhibits.

"After the museum opened, ambassadors and scholars from Kuwait, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt and other Islamic countries all came to visit. They were very happy to see such a grand display of original, boldly designed Islamic buildings representing the Islamic culture on the Chinese mainland."

Lei Runze says visiting officials from Islamic countries were surprised by the Chinese Islamic culture displayed in the museum. They proposed to cooperate with the museum and have donated more relics to further enrich the museum.

Lei says, he and his colleagues are now preparing to transform the culture park into a gathering, discussion and exchange center for domestic and overseas Muslims.

"The purpose for building this culture park is to offer a place for tourists from home and abroad to appreciate the Hui people's history and culture, including Hui folk culture, dances, songs and movies. Our next plan is to expand the park. We are planning to set up an Islamic cultural exchange center and an Arabic language school. We want to establish a platform for friendly exchanges with the world's Islamic countries. I think this will also help Ningxia to open up to the outside world."

As we leave the park, Ethnic Hui workers from the park sing us an ethnic Hui song in Arabic.