Since 1958, Yinchuan, a city 600 miles west of Beijing, has been the capital of the Ningxia region governed by China\u2019s Hui Muslims. <\/p>\n
WRITTEN BY Elizabeth Winkler
May 13, 2016<\/p>\n
Since 1958, Yinchuan, a city 600 miles west of Beijing, has been the capital of the Ningxia region governed by China\u2019s Hui Muslims. Now China\u2019s leaders are spending $3.5 billion to turn it into a \u201cWorld Muslim City<\/a>,\u201d replete with a mosque-like \u201cGolden Palace,\u201d Arabic street signs, and an elaborate light and dance show inspired by The Thousand and One Nights, <\/em>that is, the version in which Aladdin was born in China.<\/p>\n It\u2019s part of the government\u2019s larger bid to improve relations with the Arab world by emphasizing shared Sino-Arab history and culture.<\/p>\n China has come under criticism for its repressive treatment of Muslims, especially the Uighurs\u2014Turkic-speaking Muslims who live in the country\u2019s Xinjian region. Last year, Turkey denounced China\u2019s policies, prompting protesters in Istanbul to attack local Chinese establishments. In December, the Islamic State released a chant, in fluent Mandarin, calling on Muslims to \u201cwake up\u201d and overcome \u201ca century of slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n Beijing has a vested interest in promoting a more positive image of Chinese Islam. President Xi Jinping published a white paper<\/a> in January detailing his ambitious plans to increase China\u2019s influence in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Noticeably, leaders chose not <\/em>to build the theme park in Uighur territory. Hui Muslims, unlike Uighurs, speak Mandarin and are ethnically related to the Han majority. Their name is less likely to be invoked in relation to terrorism or police crackdowns. By building the theme park in Yinchuan, Chinese leaders are trying to shift the focus to this officially approved version of Islam.<\/p>\n