Cultural Palace of Ethnic Communities

On the northern side of Fuxingmen Street directly to the east of the Ethnic Community (Minzu) Hotel stands the Cultural Palace of Ethnic Communities. The palace is designed after the Chinese character for mountain, with a central section towering above two wings. The pagoda-like tower of 13 stories is exactly the same height as the famous White Pagoda in Beihai Park. Three colors predominate in the building itself: the earthen-gold of the granite foundation, the white of the unglazed wall-tiles, and the peacock blue of the roof tiles on the pagoda-like tower. The palace has a total floor space of 30,700 square meters and consists of six sections- museum, library, auditorium, dance hall, restaurant and guesthouse. The museum is in the north section of the building and consists of five main exhibition halls and 35 small exhibition rooms on the first and second floors and other sections of the tower. The library is located in the basement below the exhibition hall to the north of the central hall. On the second floor, there are a dance hall and coffee shop. The third floor contains a Muslim restaurant serving the typical dishes of the Hui and uygur ethnic communities.