China's Islamic-Themed 'Hui Culture Park' Is No Tourism Mecca

A Chinese tourist adjusts a borrowed abaya at the Golden Palace, a replica of a mosque that is the centerpiece of an Islamic theme park in Yinchuan. Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

by JANIS MACKEY FRAYER
JUL 10 2016, 7:41 AM ET

YINCHUAN, China — China's government is pouring billions of dollars into a lavish Islamic theme park to attract Muslim tourists and boost its image in the Arab world.

All that's missing are visitors.

The attraction boasts buildings that resemble the Taj Mahal and Istanbul's Blue Mosque — although these days it is less a "AAAA-rated national tourist site," as advertised, than a massive construction site.

The China Hui Culture Park is being expanded as part of a plan to transform a dusty plain in central Ningxia province into a tourism mecca.



Hui dancers before a performance at China Hui Culture Park. Janis Mackey Frayer / NBC News

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/china-s-islamic-themed-hui-culture-park-no-tourism-mecca-n588036

5:41 video at link.