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Geography of
Ningxia |
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Ningxia Hui
Autonomous Region is situated in the west part of the Yellow River
Bend, which bordering on Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, Shaanxi
Province and Gansu Province. It has an area of 66,000 square
kilometers, most of which is mountains and highlands. There are 30
nationalities: Hui, Han, Mongolian, Manchu, etc, with population of
6.1 million (2008), of which Hui people accounts for 33.88%. With Yinchuan
City as its capital the Region has two prefectures, two cities and
16 counties under its jurisdiction. |
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Ningxia Climate |
As it is inland, the Region enjoys a temperate
continental semi-moist and arid climate. The annual
temperature averages 5°C
to 10°C
(41°F
to 59°F). The frost-free
period in a year is 100 to 162 days. The annual rainfall
varies from 190 to 700 mm.
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Brief History of
Ningxia |
Ningxia
became an administrative region during the Qin and Han
dynasties known as North Prefecture. During the period of
the Song dynasty, it was split into two parts, one was
controlled by the Song ruler, and one became part of a minor
state Western Xia independent of Song sovereignty. In the
Yuan Dynasty it was restored to the status of prefecture. In
the Ming dynasty it was upgraded to the status of Wei
directly controlled by the central government while in the
Qing dynasty it was degraded by two grades administratively,
assuming the status of Fu. In 1928 it was upgraded again to
provincial level. 1958 it was restructured and named as
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region following the policy applying
to regions where the minority nationalities inhabit.
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Ningxia
Local Products |
The practice of
introducing the Yellow River which traverses the Plain for
irrigation by digging canals was carried out as early as 2,000 years
ago by the local inhabitants, known as one of the oldest irrigated
area in China. There are sayings: “The Region is the only area
benefited by the Yellow River while the rest along its courses
suffered from its frequent flooding due to the river bed getting
higher exceeding the banks caused by the accumulated deposit of the
huge amount of sand rushed down from the upper reaches.” “It is the
richest region along the Yellow River” and “Its land is as fertile
as the southern valley in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River,
one of the most productive areas in China.” After 1949, the top
priority in farmland investment was to repair and built irrigation
and drainage projects. The completion of the Bronze Gorge Power Dam,
a key project, has greatly improved the water and power supply. With
the old canals straightened and new ones added the acreage of the
irrigated area has been expanded, water-logging areas controlled and
the areas of saline-alkali reduced to a considerable extent.
Its farm produce has wheat, the major crop, mostly grown in the
Yellow River irrigated area, rice and sorghum grown in the Plains
accessible to irrigation and corn and millet grown highlands. Among
the cash crops are sesame, hemp, leaf mustard, rape and sugar beet.
The wolfberry, a kind of medicinal herbs, has high reputation on
world market. It is also known for its sheep raising, being an
important supplier of sheep fur both for home and world market. The
Chinese wolfberry together with sheep fur, liquorice root, facia and
Helan stone listed as Ningxia’s five specialties or the five
treasure described as “red, yellow, white, black and blue” because
of their respective colors. |
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Ningxia
Local Cuisine |
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There is a
variety of restaurants in the capital of Ningxia. Some of
them specialise in local dishes. Lamb, Ningxia’s famous
traditional food, is very tender and cooked in different
ways such as lamb braised in soy sauce, lamb steamed in
clear soup and so on. These dishes are so tasty that they
are served on festivals and at dinner parties. In addition
to the local cuisine, Beijing, Islamic and many other kinds
of foods are available. |
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Places of Interests and Tourist Attractions of
Ningxia |
Yinchuan, the region
capital, is a beautiful ancient city having the Helan Mountains to
its west and the Yellow River to its east. Nestling in luxuriant
greenery it looks like a piece of green jade inlaid on the Ningxia
Plains. Yingchuan area is one of the places where the ancient
culture of the Yellow River Valley came into being.
Sea Treasure Pagoda, nicknamed the North Pagoda or the Black Pagoda,
stands in the courtyard of the Treasure Pagoda Temple in the
northern suburb of the city. It is a 54-metre high square structure
of brick in classical Chinese style. It has II stories inclusive of
base. From the first to the ninth floor on each of the four sides
there is an arched opening which protrudes slightly. The pagoda is
unique in style having clear lines, sharp angles, and rich inlaid
works. Inside there is wooden stairway leading to the ninth floor
which provides an ideal place for a bird’s-eye view. Although little
is known about the year when it was first built, it is said that the
pagoda was rebuilt by the ruler of the Western Xia in the fifth
century A.D. Now it is a top rank relic to be protected by the
central government.
The Heavenly Pagoda of Longevity is located in the south-western
corner of the old city of Yingchuan, commonly known as the West
Pagoda. Built in 1050, it is a brick pagoda in octagonal shape
having 11 stories and a spiral staircase inside leading to each
floor. Nowadays this ancient pagoda surrounded by trees and flowers
houses the Ningxia Museum.
The Helan Mountain lies to the northwest of Yingchuan. They stretch
over 200 kilometres from north to south and 15 to 50 kilometres from
east to west. Lofty and precipitous, there are natural barriers of
the west part of the Yingchuan Plain. At the east foot of the
mountains, lie places of historic interest with beautiful scenery
such as the Tombs of Rulers of the Western Xia, Helan Temple, the
Mosque, etc, all of which are nice summer resorts.
Xumi Mountain Grottos, at the northern end of the Liupan Mountain
range, are situated at the east food of Xumi Mountain, 60 kilometres
northwest of Guyuan County. The high mountains and craggy rocks
offer an excellent place for building grottos for the followers of
Buddhism to retire to. Building grottos here was started in the
North Dynasty and carried on in successive dynasties. There are 20
well preserved grottos now. They are an important heritage of grotto
art in China.
Liupan Mountain lies in the south part of this region. The southern
part of the mountain is called Longshan which stretches from north
to south for about 240 kilometres. The paths in the mountain are
full of twists and turns. The ancient winding mountain path up to
the top has six hairpin bends, so it is called Liupan Mountain (six
Bends Mountain). The main peak is about 2,900 metre high. The summit
is round. The step-like slope is very steep. Liupan Mountain looks
especially magnificent in the autumn when “The sky seems high with
few clouds”. The temperature in the mountain is comparatively low
while the rainfall is abundant. So there is a saying “autumn comes
when spring’s gone, hot summer never comes along. In the April, snow
flakes glitter like silver flowers.” In October 1935, Mao Zedong
wrote a glorious poem “Liu Pan Shan” when he led the Red Army across
the mountain on the Long March.
A Hundred and Eight Pagodas at Bronze Gorge are built on the steep
slope of the west bank of the Yellow River at Bronze Gorge. A huge
triangle is formed by these pagodas arrange in 12 rows, offering a
spectacular view. Below these pagodas, there is a big dam across the
roaring Yellow River with a lake created by the dam. Sailing on the
lake, visitors can enjoy the wonderful scene of the lake and gorge
with 108 pagodas on its slope.
Shapotou Scenic Spot at Zhongwei County lies on the edge of Tenger
Desert. Shapotou is world famous not only its own natural beauty but
also the great successes achieved in bringing desert under control
in the area. There is a sand hill over a hundred metres high. It is
as steep as a waterfall. If one slides down the slope from the top,
a loud bell-like sound can be heard. So it is called “Golden Bell
Sand”. After enjoying the “Golden Bell Sand” visitors can take a
ride on a sheep skin raft on the river or ride on a camel roving
around the desert. Staying here over night, visitors can watch and
enjoy the beautiful sunset and the sunrise the next morning. There
is an old waterwheel and the Gaomiao Temple which is the Holy Land
for followers of Buddhism, Taoism and Cofucianism.
The Tombs of the Rulers of the Western Xia is situated at the east
foot of the Helan Mountain, 40 kilometres west of Yinchuan City.
There are eight tombs of the rulers and more than 70 tombs of
sacrificial victims covering a wide area. Each of the tombs is a
complete architectural complex. The halls above the ground are in
ruins, but the mourning platforms and sacred walls remain in
imposing style. |
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Related Report Links of
Ningxia |
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Ningxia Related Report |
Journey to the
west -
At the edge of the Tengger
Desert, the undulating sand dunes extending far into the
horizon bring to mind exotic Africa. But this is actually
the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, neighboring the Tibetan
and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions. While China's
westernmost regions are familiar to most rugged travelers,
few know that Ningxia offers a similar adventure and
cultural-immersion experience, but without the distance and
special travel-permit requirements.
Getting to Ningxia is an expedition in itself. The red and
green painted trains, among the oldest in China's vast rail
network, carry passengers to Yinchuan, capital of the
autonomous region. On these trains, basic amenities such as
toilet paper and soap are sparse, but flying to Yinchuan is
an option, it costs three times more.
I decided
to save the luxury for my return. Going there, I decided
that I would try to get a firsthand feel of the
cross-country migration of a worker from the west.
What to pack for a three-day camel trek in the Tengger
Desert, I wondered. The closest city to my journey's
starting point was Zhongwei, a place never mentioned in any
major weather forecast. On the Internet, estimates for day
and nighttime temperatures ranged from zero to 30 deg C. I
filled my bag with layers of summer and winter clothing.
The train for Yinchuan leaves Beijing West Station in the
early afternoon and arrives at its destination 19 hours
later. The "hard sleeper" train, a barrack-style
compartment, looked like a village on wheels. Passengers
played cards ceaselessly, ate pan-friend sunflower seeds,
and watched train attendants hawk goods in the aisles.
The Ningxia autonomous region is home to the Hui people, a
Muslim minority comprising one-third of the local
population. Yinchuan is small for a capital city, with less
than 1.5 million residents and only four registered
English-speaking tour guides. While the Tengger Desert is
the chief tourism draw, there are several cultural sites
around Yinchuan that are also worth exploring.
At the Western Xia Imperial Tombs (Xixia Wang Ling), one can
see what remains of the Tangut emperors who ruled the region
from 1038. The tombs are located less than an hour's drive
west of Yinchuan. Nine imperial tombs and 70 odd
accompanying tombs dot an area of 40 square kilometers.
These enormous mound-shaped structures rise abruptly from
the dry flat terrain, earning them the moniker "Chinese
pyramids".
There is little in the way of signage at the tomb site, but
a small and surprisingly well-appointed museum nearby
educates visitors on the Western Xia Empire's position on
the Silk Road and its fall to the Mongol leader Genghis
Khan.
An entirely different kind of historical and cultural
experience awaits travelers at the West China Zhenbei Film
Studio. Zhenbei was once a border fortification. Over time,
the village fort lost its military value and was used to
produce steel during the "Great Leap Forward" (1958-60). In
the 1980s, the Chinese film industry rediscovered this
sprawling tract of land. Classic films, such as Zhang
Yimou's career-launching Red Sorghum, were shot at Zhenbei
and the iconic sets used in this film remain standing to
this day.
Visitors can experience different eras of Chinese history at
Zhenbei. The most popular - and morbid - of the studio sets
is the Cultural Revolution Alley. Here, 1960s-style
buildings are covered with slogans and murals. Gleeful
tourists rent khaki uniforms, wield prop rifles, and stage
mock "denunciation sessions", filmed by hired camera crews.
Watching live reenactments of such distressing incidents can
be disconcerting to the foreign traveler, but it does serve
to give a glimpse into the conflicting mix of forgiveness,
nostalgia, and amnesia that pervades modern China.
After the film studio, a visit to Helan Mountain can be a
welcome respite. This national cultural-heritage site is
home to nomadic cave paintings dating back 3,000 to 10,000
years. Despite fanciful names - such as "Lion Roaring" and
"Crouching Tiger" - the images are small and scattered
around a large park area. But anthropological value aside,
the paved park trail and jagged mountain peaks make for a
scenic hike.
A day of sightseeing around Yinchuan is best rounded off
with a halal Chinese dinner. Dining options are modest, but
many Muslim-friendly restaurants serve healthy fare,
featuring plenty of leafy greens. There is little nightlife,
besides the Chinese staple of karaoke. But this is just as
well, as an early bedtime is good preparation for the
three-day desert trek ahead.
The portion of the Tengger - China's fourth largest desert -
accessible to travelers in Ningxia sits on the outskirts of
Zhongwei city, a three-hour drive southwest of Yinchuan.
"Tengger" means "sky" in Mongolian, evoking an image of sky
meeting sand on the desert horizon. Indeed, when my van
finally stopped on a two-lane road, the awesome scene in
front of me reminded me of the rich tableaux of Latvian-born
American Mark Rothko's paintings.
As our caravan of camels, their caretakers and adventurers
set off, the Tengger Desert spread out before us like an
endless yellow blanket. Its dunes and valleys appeared soft
and welcoming in the distance. The camels walked
languorously, swaying from side to side and occasionally
slipping on a sheer sandy cliff, but steadying quickly
thanks to their thickly padded hooves.
Their minders, local farmers who had found in camel tourism
a better way to make a living, walked beside them. Over the
three days we spent together, I only saw the tanned and
good-natured guides ride these animals to lead them to the
grazing areas.
The colors and moods of a desert scene are intense and pure
and present a wide variety. In calm moments, the blue sky
and sandy earth gave the Tengger the appearance of a faraway
dry beach. During high noon, the quiet heat lulls all living
creatures to sleep under any available shade. At other
times, furious winds blow up sheer panes of sand, forcing
travelers to shield themselves behind kerchiefs and hats.
We spent the days just wandering around the desert and I
suspected that by day two, the guides were leading us on
lateral laps instead of further into the desert. Despite
this, the scenery was ever changing and continually
breathtaking.
When the sky began darkening to a velvety blue, the guides
led us to sheltered valleys. Everyone busied with
preparations for the night: pitching tents, gathering
firewood, and arranging sitting rugs around the campfire. As
the moon shone whiter and brighter, we huddled close to
fight off the biting cold. The camel guides, quiet during
the day, became loquacious, entertaining us with beer and
drinking games. Soon, a multilingual round-robin of love
songs echoed through the dunes.
By early afternoon on the third day, we were led out of the
Tengger Desert. As Zhongwei's smoke stacks and narrow roads
came into view, I felt myself longing for a hot shower, a
chance to shake out the sand from my clothes, and a real
meal.
Yet, I lingered when saying goodbye, to take in the serene
beauty of the desert and enjoy the humble hospitality of my
guides a while longer.
(Source: China Daily
2010-05-20) |
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