West Xia Kingdom (1038-1227) stands among the once powerful kingdoms, with its capital in Yinchuan shaded by the Mt. Helan imperial forests. Its Imperial Tombs reflect the past cultural and military glories. The Western Xia Mausoleums are 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) west of Yinchuan on the east side of Helan Mountain. Since June 1972, nine imperial tombs and 253 lesser tombs have been unearthed, which are as grand as the Ming Tombs in Beijing. With a total area of more than 50 square kilometers (19.3 square miles), it is unique among royal burials. The layout is patterned after the celestial bodies.
The Haibao Pagoda (Sea Treasure Pagoda), with a history of over 1,500 years, is situated in Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Since it is in the northern suburb of the City, it is also called 'North Pagoda'. It is not known when it was originally founded; literary record has it that it was rebuilt in the fifth century. Over the centuries the Haibao Pagoda has endured several earthquakes. It has collapsed and been rebuilt time and time again. The existing pagoda was restored in the year 1788 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is one of the eight highlights in Ningxia and is on the list of the sixteen famous pagodas in China.
China Western Film Studio is one of the "Chinawoods" where over 200 films were shot. It features simplicity, primitiveness, ruggedness, and wildness, and has become the best outdoor shooting base for films and TV series based on West China and Chinese history. Located 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of the Yinchuan city in Ningxia, it was formerly the site of the Zhenbeibu frontier castle in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) to defend against northern tribes. When film crews come here to shoot, which began in the 1980s, they are asked to preserve the setting. In return, they don't need to pay site use fees. Gradually, it has developed into today's China Western Film Studio.
Shapotou, situated in Zhongwei County, lies on the north bank of the Yellow River where it crosses the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. Administratively it falls under the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, some 150 km (93 miles) south of Yinchuan City. Shapotou Tourism Area is regarded as one of the five most beautiful deserts in China and is widely recognized as the Capital of Sand. Standing on the sand hill, one can see the desert extending to the north, and to the south a boundless oasis. Both the grandeur of the north of China and the elegance of the south come together in this lovely place.
In the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368), Shuidonggou Site was a military defense base along the Great Wall of China, where a lot of military buildings and facilities were built to defend against the northern nomadic tribes. Nowadays, many of the relics can still be seen here. In 1923, two French biologists dug out a large number of stone tools and animal fossils in Shuidonggou, making it China’s earliest excavated site of the Old Stone Age (300 million to 10 thousand years ago) and the “Birthplace of Prehistoric Archaeology in China". Located at Linhe Town in Lingwu city, 19 kilometers (12 miles) from Yinchuan City in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shuidonggou Site is part of a Yardang landform with cliffs, hollows, and quicksand. To co-exist harmoniously with these natural features, the buildings are the same color as the soil, stone or wood, and bridges are built of wood or stone.
Helan Mountain, or Helan Shan is an natural barrier extending 250km from north to south, which divides Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. The west slopes of Helan Shan are gentle and smooth, connecting Alashan Plateau, while the east slopes are rugged and steep, overlooking Yinchuan Plain. On the over-30 passes in the east slopes of Helan Shan and the wild grasslands on the alluvial fan, exist some 6,000 pictographs of rock carvings. The rock engravings at Helan Shan mainly depict animals, plants, hunting scenes, faces and figures. They are the last remnants of the nomadic tribes living on the steppes. The rock carvings at Helan Mountain date back to some 10,000 years, predating any dynasties that once appeared in the area. The Helan Shan rock art belongs to the China north rock art system and has various animal images – domestic animals: cattle, horse, donkey, camel and wild animals: tiger, wolf, leopard.
Huangsha Ancient Ferry is located in the crescent lake in Xingqing district, Yinchuan City with a distance of 52 kilometers to downtown Yinchuan city. It is 38 kilometers from Yinchuan Hedong airport and 66 kilometers from Yinchuan railway station. The area is 32.3 square kilometers and it combines with the Yellow River, desert, wet land, lake and countryside scenery. The whole scenery spot consists of six parts: the functional service area, Yellow River Wetland park, Wangniang pavilion, Sun-watching platform, ancient ferry, and crescent lake.
