Hèlán Shān 贺兰山
%0951
The rugged Hèlán mountains (贺兰山; Hèlán Shān) have long proved an effective barrier against both nomadic invaders and the harsh Gobi winds. They were the preferred burial site for Xixia monarchs, and the foothills are today peppered with graves and honorific temples.
Hèlán Shān Rock CarvingsARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(贺兰山岩画; Hèlánshān Shíhuà ¥70; h8am-6.30pm)
The most significant sight in Hèlán Shān are these ancient rock carvings, thought to date back 10,000 years. Over 2000 pictographs depict animals, hunting scenes and faces, including one (so local guides like to claim) of an alien, and they are the last remnants of the early nomadic tribes who lived in the steppes north of China. Admission includes entry to a museum on ancient rock art and a ride in a golf cart to the valley containing the rock carvings.
Don’t miss the image of the Rastafarian-like sun god (climb the steps up the hill on the far side of the valley). Bus Y2 (游二路; ¥15, two hours) goes to the Rock Carvings from Xinyue Sq (新月广场; Xīnyuè Guǎngchǎng) in Yínchuān; get off at the last stop. The last bus back to town is at 3.30pm.
Sūyùkǒu National Forest ParkPARK
(苏峪口国家森林公园; Sūyùkǒu Guójiā Sēnlín Gōngyuán ¥60; h7am-5pm)
This park is a good place to start exploring the Hèlán mountains. You can hike up the trails from the car park or take the cable car (up/down ¥50/30) straight up to cool pine-covered hills. Bus Y2 (游二路; ¥15, two hours) goes to the Sūyùkǒu National Forest Park from Xinyue Sq (新月广场; Xīnyuè Guǎngchǎng) in Yínchuān; get off at the second-last stop. The last bus back to town is at 3.30pm.
Twin Pagodas of BàisìkǒuPAGODA
(拜寺口双塔; Bàisìkǒu Shuāngtǎ ¥40; h8am-6pm)
About 10km west of the Hèlán Shān rock carvings are these pagodas. You can’t climb them, but they’re an impressive sight against the backdrop of the barren mountains: 13 and 14 storeys high and decorated with intricate animal faces and Buddha statuettes.
Western Film StudiosFILM LOCATION
(镇北堡西部影城; Zhènběibǎo Xībù Yǐngchéng ¥100; h8am-6pm)
This rather over-priced film studio is where the famed Chinese movie Red Sorghum was shot, as well as countless other films and TV shows. Hugely popular with Chinese tour groups, who swarm all over it in the summer, it’s fun to explore the fake fortress and re-creations of old Ming and Qing streets. To get here, take a red minibus (¥7) from the bus station just north of Nánguān Mosque (南关清真寺; Nánguān Qīngzhèn Sì), which run from 7am to 7pm.
Sūyùkǒu Ski ResortSKIING
(苏峪口滑雪场; Sūyùkǒu Huáxuěchǎng %0951 2079 103, 0951 503 5959; Sūyùkǒu National Forest Park; 苏峪口国家森林公园 ¥150-320; h8am-5pm from December)
The largest ski resort in northwest China, Sūyùkǒu Ski Resort has pistes for skiers of all levels.
Most visitors come to Hèlán Shān on a day-trip excursion from Yínchuān.
It's best to stock up with snacks and bring your own food as the area is not well supplied with restaurants, and food can be both expensive and not particularly varied.
Bus Y2 (游二路; ¥15, two hours) goes to the Hèlánshān Rock Carvings from Xinyue Sq (新月广场; Xīnyuè Guǎchǎng) in Yínchuān; the bus also stops at the Sūyùkǒu National Forest Park, the stop prior to the Hèlánshān Rock Carvings. Alternatively, you can hire a taxi to take you to and around the Hèlán Shān area. You can hire a minibus from the train station for ¥200 return to do a loop of the sights. You could combine that with a visit to the Western Xia Tombs for around ¥300.
There is no public transport around the Hèlán mountains, although bus Y2 will take you from the Hèlánshān Rock Carvings to Sūyùkǒu National Forest Park and vice versa.
Zhōngwèi 中卫
%0955 / Pop 1 million
With its wide streets and relaxed feel, Zhōngwèi (中卫) – 167km to the southwest of Yínchuān – easily wins the prize for Níngxià’s best-looking, most laid-back and friendliest city. It’s an ideal base for a trip up the Yellow River or further afield into the Tengger Desert.
Zhōngwèi
1Sights
1Gāo TempleA1
4Sleeping
2North by Northwest HostelA1
3Zhōngwèi DàjiǔdiànB1
5Eating
4Zhōngwèi Shāngchéng Night MarketA2
Transport
5Train Ticket OfficeA2
1Sights
Gāo TempleTEMPLE
(高庙; Gāo Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Gulou Beijie; 鼓楼北街 ¥30; h7.30am-7pm)
Gāo Temple means 'High Temple', and this is one of the most extraordinary temples in China, where the three faiths of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are revered, although Buddhist deities are clearly in the ascendancy. Do check out the unnerving Arhat Hall (罗汉堂; Luóhàn Táng), which contains 500 arhat, many in grotesque and unsettling guises and postures, including one whose arm shoots through the ceiling. The drawcard oddity is the Dì Gōng (地宫), a former bomb shelter and labyrinth converted into a Buddhist hell.
The eerie, dimly lit tunnels contain numerous scenes of the damned having their tongues cut out, being sawed in half, eyes poked out or stoked in the fires of hell, while their screams echo all around. The ceiling is very low, so prepare to crouch your way through. Look for the signs to 'The Infernal'.
The name of the temple becomes clear after you exit the Hall of Heavenly Kings (天王殿; Tiānwáng Diàn) to climb some seriously steep steps to the halls high above. After your climb, you are greeted by woodwork in a blaze of gold, blue, green and vermilion paint. At the time of research, the temple halls on the upper floors at the top of the steps were closed. To the rear, a reclining Buddha lies supine in most relaxed fashion within the Sleeping Buddha Hall (卧佛殿; Wòfó Diàn), while other side halls are dedicated to Guanyin and other Bodhisattvas as a host of obscure Taoist deities peek out from smoky shrine niches in the walls.
ShāpōtóuDESERT
(沙坡头 winter/summer ¥65/100; h7am-6pm)
The desert playground of Shāpōtóu, 17km west of Zhōngwèi, lies on the fringes of the Tengger Desert at the dramatic convergence of sand dunes, the Yellow River and lush farmlands. It’s based around the Shāpōtóu Desert Research Centre, which was founded in 1956 to battle the ever-worsening problem of desertification in China’s northwest.
These days, though, Shāpōtóu is more of an amusement park. The main office is more of a massive service centre, with a post office and a large number of shops. You can zipline (¥80) on a wire across the Yellow River, go sand-sledding (¥30), camel riding (¥60 to ¥100) or bungee jumping (¥160).
It’s also a good place to raft the churning Yellow River. The traditional mode of transport on the river for centuries was the yángpí fázi (leather raft), made from sheep or cattle skins soaked in oil and brine and then inflated. From Shāpōtóu you can roar upstream on a speedboat and return on a traditional raft. Prices range from ¥80 to ¥240, depending on how far you go. You can also combine the boat/raft ride with a camel ride (¥110). If you want to flee the crowds for the sands, off-road buggies (¥300 to ¥1500) are available for rent, taking up to three passengers. Tourist buses wheel visitors around (¥10 to ¥15) from point to point.
Shāpō Shānzhuāng is a basic but comfortable hotel near the dunes. Meals are available.
Bus 2 (¥5, 45 minutes) from the bus station (客运总站; kèyùn zǒngzhàn) runs between Zhōngwèi and Shāpōtóu from 7.30am to 6.30pm. You can also pick it up on Changcheng Xijie about 200m past the Gāo Temple on the opposite side of the road. Taxis cost ¥30 each way.
WORTH A TRIP
TENGGER DESERT
If you fancy playing Lawrence of Arabia, make a trip out to the Tengger Desert (腾格里沙漠; Ténggélǐ Shāmò), a mystical landscape of shifting sand dunes and the occasional herd of two-humped camels. Shāpōtóu lies on the southern fr
inge, but it’s definitely worth heading deeper into the desert to avoid the crowds. The sun is fierce out here, so you’ll need a hat, sunglasses and plenty of water. Nights are cool, so bring a warm layer.
Níngxià Desert Travel Service in Zhōngwèi offers overnight camel treks through the desert, with a visit to the Great Wall by car, for ¥500 per person per day for a group of four. The price includes transport, food and guide. Ask your guide to bring along a sand sled for a sunset surfing session. Drinking beers around the campfire under a starry sky tops off the experience. The desert trek can be combined with a rafting trip down the Yellow River.
4Sleeping
Quite a few hotels in Zhōngwèi won’t accept foreigners. If your Chinese is up to it, you can try your luck with the cheap guesthouses that line the east side of People's Sq and its environs, but we don't guarantee success.
North by Northwest HostelHOSTEL$
(西北偏北青年旅舍; Xīběi Piānběi Qīngniánlǚshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0955 763 5060; [email protected]; 87 Xinglong Beijie; 兴隆北街87号 dm ¥40-50, d/tr ¥150/180; aW)
This is Zhōngwèi’s only hostel, but rooms and shower rooms really need some TLC as things are coming apart at the seams. The murals, mosaic-like washbasins and homemade Zhōngwèi postcards create an art-school vibe and the jovial young staff are extremely helpful, have a go with English and offer Shāpōtóu and desert tours.
oZhōngwèi DàjiǔdiànHOTEL$$
(中卫大酒店 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0955 702 5555; 66 Gulou Beijie, 鼓楼北街66号 d & tw ¥429-498, f ¥598, ste ¥698, all incl breakfast; aW)
This smart hotel has large and comfortable rooms with decent-sized beds and attractive rosewood furniture. Discounts are available outside peak season, bringing room prices down most of the time to the ¥198 mark, making it a bargain.
5Eating
Zhōngwèi Shāngchéng Night MarketMARKET$
(中卫商城夜市; Zhōngwèi Shāngchéng Yèshì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; off Xinglong Nanjie; 兴隆南街旁边 dishes ¥10-20; h4pm-4am)
A Dante’s Inferno of flaming woks and grills, the night market is made up of countless stalls in the alleys running left off Xinglong Nanjie (which is lined with Chinese-style bars). There are tonnes of cheap eats. Two favourites to check out are ròujiāmó (肉夹馍; fried pork or beef stuffed in bread, sometimes with green peppers and cumin) and shāguō (砂锅; mini hotpot), as well as the ever-present pulled noodles (拉面; lāmiàn).
8Information
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Gulou Beijie & Gulou Dongjie; 鼓楼北街鼓楼东街的路口 h9am-5pm)
One of many around town.
China PostPOST
(中国邮政, Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; Gulou Xijie; 古楼西街 )
Right at the heart of town.
Níngxià Desert Travel ServiceTRAVEL AGENCY
(宁夏沙漠旅行社; Níngxià Shāmò Lǚxíngshè GOOGLE MAP ; %186 0955 9777, 0955 702 7776)
Professional outfit for camel and rafting trips. A five-night desert camping trip starts at around ¥1480. Contact Billy, the English-speaking manager.
Public Security BureauPOLICE
(PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú %0955 706 7520; Ping'an Donglu; 平安东路 h8.30am-noon & 2.30-5pm)
Around 3.5km south of the Drum Tower. For visa extensions you have to go to Yínchuān.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
The long-distance bus station (汽车客运总站; qìchē kèyùn zǒngzhàn) is 2.5km east of the Drum Tower, along Gulou Dongjie. Take bus 2, which runs to the train station, or a taxi (¥7, 10 minutes). Destinations include the following:
AGùyuán ¥70, four hours, two daily (10.10am and 2.30pm); express bus (快车, kuàichē)
ATóngxīn ¥26, two hours, five daily (from 9am)
AYínchuān ¥35 to ¥53, 2½ hours, every 45 minutes (7.20am to 6pm); express bus
Buses to Xī’ān (¥180, eight hours, 6pm) run every other day from in front of the train station.
Train
You can reach Yínchuān in 2½ hours (¥25, regular), though you’ll be dropped off closer to the city centre in Yínchuān if you take the bus. It’s 5½ hours to Lánzhōu (hard seat/hard sleeper ¥47/101, nine daily) and 12½ hours to Xī’ān (hard/soft sleeper ¥169/253, five daily). For Gùyuán (¥33, 3½ hours, nine daily) take the Xī’ān train. A train ticket office (火车票代售点; Huǒchēpiào Dàishòudiǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Yingli Nanjie & Gulou Xijie; 应理南街鼓楼西街路口 ) can be found in the west of town.
8Getting Around
Bus 2 (¥5) runs to Shāpōtóu ( GOOGLE MAP ) from the main bus station, running along Changcheng Lu, taking 45 minutes. The first bus departs at 7am and the last bus returns at 6pm.
THE HUI
The Hui (回族) are perhaps China’s most unusual ethnic minority; they are the only people to be designated as one solely because of their religious beliefs. The Hui don’t have their own language, speaking only Mandarin, and are scattered throughout every province of the country with nearly 80% of the 10-million-odd Hui living outside their official homeland.
Their origins date back more than 1000 years to the time of the Silk Road, when trade thrived between China and the Middle East and Central Asia. Arab traders intermarried with the local women and now most Hui are ethnically indistinguishable from the Han Chinese. What marks them out is their adherence to Islam.
Most Hui men wear white skullcaps, while many women don headscarves. The more educated can read and speak Arabic, a result of studying the Koran in its original language. For many young Hui, learning Arabic is the path to a coveted job as a translator for the Chinese companies on the east coast doing business in the Middle East.
Although the Hui can be found all over China, they are most numerous in the northwest provinces of Gānsù, Níngxià and Shaanxi. True to their origins as traders and caravanserai operators, many Hui are still engaged in small businesses, especially the running of restaurants.
Gùyuán 固原
%0954 / Pop 1.2 million
An expanding but still small and historic city that dates to the 6th century, Gùyuán (固原) makes a convenient base for exploring little-visited southern Níngxià. Largely populated by easygoing Hui Muslims and a large Han community, the city sees few foreigners, so expect some attention from the locals. An important but abandoned and neglected vestige of the town's history is its City Wall.
1Sights
Xūmí ShānCAVE
(须弥山 ¥50; h8am-5pm)
These magnificent Buddhist grottoes (Xūmí is the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit sumeru, or Buddhist paradise) some 50km northwest of Gùyuán are southern Níngxià’s must-see sight. Cut into the five adjacent sandstone hills are 132 caves housing a collection of over 300 Buddhist statues dating back 1400 years, from the Northern Wei to the Sui and Tang dynasties. Cave 5 contains the largest statue, a colossal Maitreya (future Buddha), standing 20.6m high.
Further uphill, the finest statues are protected by the Yuánguāng Temple (圆光寺; Yuánguāng Sì; caves 45 and 46; 6th century) and the Xiànggúo Temple (相国寺; Xiàngguó Sì; cave 51; 7th century), where you can walk around the interior and examine the artwork up close – amazingly, the pigment on several of the statues is still visible in places, despite the obvious weathering.
To reach the caves, buses run from Wenhua Xilu, by the two big hospitals opposite the Xiǎochī night market, to Sānyíng (三营; ¥7, one hour), from where you’ll need to take a taxi for the 40km return trip (¥100 including waiting time) to Xūmí Shān.
Liùpán Shān Guójiā Sēnlín GōngyuánPARK
(六盘山国家森林公园; Liùpán Mountain National Forest Park %0954 564 8319; ¥65; h7am-6pm)
Those on the trail of Genghis Khan will want to visit southern Níngxià’s Liùpán Shān, where some maintain the great man died in 1227. Legend attests that the Mongol emperor fell ill and came here to ingest medicinal plan
ts native to the area, but perished on its slopes (though it’s much more likely he died elsewhere). The mountain is now a protected area.
A walking trail leads 3km up a side valley to a waterfall. About 5km further up the main valley is a clearing with some stone troughs and tables that locals say was used by the Mongols during their stay.
To get here, take a bus from Gùyuán’s main bus station to Jīngyuán (泾源; ¥16, one hour) and then hire a taxi for the final 18km to the reserve (¥80 return). A return taxi from Gùyuán will cost around ¥200.
Gùyuán City WallHISTORIC SITE
(固原城墙; Gùyuán Chéngqiáng Kaicheng Lu; 开城路 )
Largely demolished during the tenure of Mao Zedong, Gùyuán's city wall has mostly vanished, but you can explore its earthen remnants between the two gates of Hépíng Mén (和平门) and Jìngshuò Mén (靖朔门). Just around the corner from Jìngshuò Mén, it's possible to climb atop the earthen city wall (for free) and walk along to Hépíng Mén for around 300m to 400m. The crumbling ramparts are in a state of neglect, but are interesting to explore and afford views over town.
Gùyuán MuseumMUSEUM
(固原博物馆; Gùyuán Bówùguǎn 133 Xicheng Lu; 西城路133号 h9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun, to 6.30pm summer)
For such an out-of-the-way place, Gùyuán’s museum is rather good, with Neolithic-era artefacts, Tangut ceramics and some fine figurines from the Northern Wei dynasty. Decent English captions, too. At the time of writing, the museum was shut for a complete refurbishment.
Lonely Planet China Page 181