A Hui staffer chants prayers in Arabic as she walks through...READ ON
A Hui staffer chants prayers in Arabic as she walks through the main hall of the Golden Palace at the Hui Culture Park outside of Yinchuan, in the autonomous region of Ningxia.
On a small road in the Najiahu Village, looking at the Hui Culture Park behind the wall.
Visitors take a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal-inspired...READ ON
Visitors take a selfie in front of the Taj Mahal-inspired main entrance to the Hui Culture Park. The park’s name is inscribed in yellow over the gates.
Inside the main gate of the Hui Culture Park, whose design...READ ON
Inside the main gate of the Hui Culture Park, whose design was inspired by India’s Taj Mahal, wall carvings with Arabic calligraphy mimic traditional Islamic architectural patterns.
Currently only mud and sand, plans to develop a Hui culture...READ ON
Currently only mud and sand, plans to develop a Hui culture library and other buildings on this piece of land are part of the second and third phases of park construction.
Traditional Arabic outfits donated by Kuwait Embassy in China...READ ON
Traditional Arabic outfits donated by Kuwait Embassy in China and a photo of a girl in traditional Arabic clothes are on display at the entrance to the exhibition in Aisha Palace at the Hui Culture Park.
A Hui tour guide gives visitors an introduction to the...READ ON
A Hui tour guide gives visitors an introduction to the “Islamic Civilization to the World†exhibit in the Aisha Palace.
A store inside the Aisha Palace sells souvenir scarves. The...READ ON
A store inside the Aisha Palace sells souvenir scarves. The mirror reflects a mannequin wearing an example of a traditional Arab outfit, often known as adishdasha or a thawb, that was donated by the Embassy of Kuwait in Beijing.
A replica of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, seen in the...READ ON
A replica of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, seen in the background, that was built for the Shanghai World Expo 2010, is one of the buildings being constructed in phase two of construction of the Hui Culture Park. The original was designed to resemble an oil tanker.
A visitor picks out a headscarf to wear before entering the Golden Palace.
A Hui woman helps her friend to put on the headscarf in the...READ ON
A Hui woman helps her friend to put on the headscarf in the Golden Palace where all women visitors are asked to wear headscarves. Although being Hui, the two women said they don't have to wear headscarf at home in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
Construction continues behind the Golden Palace.
A building decorated as a “traditional Hui homeâ€...READ ON
A building decorated as a “traditional Hui home†undergoes renovation. It used to serve as a souvenir shop in the Hui Culture Park.
Two Muslim Hui men stand at the gate of Najiahu Mosque...READ ON
Two Muslim Hui men stand at the gate of Najiahu Mosque talking before the prayer. The sign on the table on the left reads "ticket." Tourists will buy tickets here before they enter the mosque.
Waiting for prayer to begin inside the Najiahu Mosque.
Two men sit on the floor and read a Quran together, before...READ ON
Two men sit on the floor and read a Quran together, before the prayer begins in the main prayer hall of Najiahu Mosque, March 23, 2016.
Two men leave their shoes at the entrance to the main prayer hall of Najiahu Mosque.
Muslim Hui men gather before afternoon prayer outside the Najiahu Mosque.
Workers attend to the landscaping in front of Ningxia...READ ON
Workers attend to the landscaping in front of Ningxia International Hall, which was completed in 2015 and was the site of the China-Arab States Expo the same year.
Wang Lijuan leads an Arabic Intensive Reading class for...READ ON
Wang Lijuan leads an Arabic Intensive Reading class for second-year students at Ningxia International Language College.
Two copies of Quran are put by the window in a classroom...READ ON
Two copies of Quran are put by the window in a classroom where students paste Arabic vocabulary cards all over the wall, at Ningxia International Language College in Yongning County, Ningxia Province, China, March 25, 2016.
A pedestrian street in front of a shopping mall in Yinchuan’s city center.
An observant man walks to the corner of the main prayer hall...READ ON
An observant man walks to the corner of the main prayer hall of Najiahu Mosque before mid-day prayer.
An assignment for a news analysis on ChinaFile on the development of cultural tourism in Ningxia, the only Hui Muslim autonomous region in China, and Chinese government's attempt to promote its own narrative of Islam in China in that process. A few photos from this series also appeared in Foreign Policy.
Yan Cong
Yan Cong is an independent photographer based in Beijing. She focuses most of her long-term projects on women’s issues, rural China, and China’s relations with its neighbors.