The growing intensity of the struggle between the central government and Xinjiang Muslims is reflected in the construction of the huge mosque on the SW corner of the park. (#10-#11) Not only is the mosque larger than life, the quality of construction-consistent with that throughout the park-is higher than any other public works projects I saw around Beijing city. By incorporating these depoliticized simulacra into the political center, the state scripts itself as the legitimate representative and protector of these fragile cultures, forever frozen in a geographically and culturally distant past.