Texts and tolerance

Ma Ying opened an envelope, took out a monthly magazine for Chinese Muslims and displayed it on a shelf along with the other publications at Lanzhou Muslim Library in Lanzhou, Gansu province. It's China's only library specifically for Muslims and has a collection of more than 30,000 books about Islam and its followers.

Situated on the second floor of an old building next door to Gansu library, the center's walls are hidden behind bookcases and chairs are dotted around a large table in the center of the room. A photograph of Premier Wen Jiabao signing a Chinese dictionary for the library in March is proudly displayed at the entrance.

The privately operated library was established in 1993 by a group of Muslim businessmen and is financed exclusively by donations. "The library used to be offices that belonged to a local businessman, but he offered it for free when we were looking for a suitable space," said Ma Weiyuan, one of the founders.