New exhibition center celebrates national diversity in Beijing

Muhtar Mahmut, a dancer with the Kashgar Prefecture Song and Dance Troupe in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, performed recently in a new space that is part of the freshly renovated National Mongolian and Tibetan School in Beijing.

The school reopened last month with a new exhibition space known in Chinese as the Chinese Ethnic Community Experience Hall, which is dedicated to China's ethnic cultures and national unity.

"People loved our performances. They said they were wonderful and that the Uygur are beautiful and handsome people," Muhtar said.

His troupe came to Beijing to treat the public to a display of Uygur culture with a performance of the Twelve Muqam, a musical form common across the Islamic world that blends song, poetry, music, dancing and singing. The Twelve Muqam is known for its characteristic Uygur elements and is attributed to the 16th century poet and concubine of Yarkant Kingdom, Amannisahan, making it a great vehicle for the troupe to introduce the diversity of Uygur culture to the Beijing public.

The new space is located on the former site of the National Mongolian and Tibetan School, which was established in 1913, and focuses on the cultural heritage of all of the country's ethnic groups.

It is divided into eight sections that cover the history of exchange between ethnic groups, integration, the homeland, music, dance, clothing, medicine, literature and handicrafts, and drew crowds of visitors when it opened on March 28.

One of those visitors, Xu Changzai, who is a cultural consultant at the Beijing National Digital Publication Base Institute, said that China is an amalgamation of different ethnic groups and that all are inalienable parts of the Chinese nation.

"Ethnic culture is precious. It is the existence of these cultures that makes Chinese culture more colorful. These exhibits are integral parts of national existence," Xu said during an interview in the clothing section.

"In the decorative and aesthetic sense, the head ornaments on display are indispensable to China's national costumes. These days, costume designers at art colleges are very interested in their colors and patterns and are working to ensure they continue to survive and making them more modern," he added.

Yang Hong, a 65-year-old Beijing resident, said she was very impressed by the exhibits.

"I am interested in the head ornaments, which I've only seen on TV before. It seems to me that people from other ethnic groups are doing better in art. They start training at a very young age," Yang said.

In the literature section, Liu Zifei, who works at the center as a guide, introduced literary classics to visitors. She said that people are able to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture through reading, multimedia and lectures.

"This is a library that includes the essence of Chinese literature. There are many literary classics written in different languages in China. We plan to invite scholars to give lectures to the public twice a month," Liu said.

Pan Yue, director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said that as the center is on a busy street in Beijing's core area, this will help attract visitors.

"It has an excellent collection of cultural examples drawn from all ethnic groups and introduces their traditions. This will promote exchange between ethnic groups," Pan added.

Wang Songsong contributed to this story.