Tongxin Great Mosque

The Tongxin Great Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in China. It is located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Ningxia is the largest residential place of the Hui ethnic minority group in China. There are more that 2,000 mosques with Arabic and traditional Chinese architectural styles. The Tongxin Great Mosque is one of them. Originally built in the early Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) and repaired three separate times in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), the Great Mosque is an imposing structure mingling traditional Chinese wooden architectural style with Arabian wood and brick carving art.

Covering an area of 3,432 square yards, all the buildings are built on a cyan platform of seven meters high. In front of the gate there is an imitated-timber work entrance wall decorated with brick carvings. Visitors can climb to the pedestal of several meters high via an arch and a hidden passageway. On the pedestal, the first building you see is a two-storeyed minbar. Passing through the door beside the minaret, visitors can enter the courtyard that is composed of the main worship hall and the southern and northern sermon halls. The main worship hall consists of two connected halls, and can seat more than 1,000 worshipers.

The mosque complex is divided into inner and outer courtyards. During key Islamic festivals, Muslims will gather here for religious activities. The main building is the prayer hall which faces east and can hold about 800 worshippers. Inside, there are more than twenty columns supporting the roof. The walls are decorated with calligraphic works extracted from the Koran. The hall’s exterior is marked by elegant convex eaves and tiers of elaborate brackets and crossbeams giving the structure a solemn and ethereal character.

Tongxin Great Mosque symbolizes peace and harmony. Its unique design blends Arabian and Chinese culture and exemplifies mutual friendship.

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Nanguan Mosque

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as indicated in its name, has the largest population of the Hui ethnic group in China. Therefore there are a lot of mosques in the region. Among them, the Nanguan Mosque is one of the most famous. Rebuilt in 1981, it occupies an area of 2,074 square meters and has two floors. During every local festival, thousands of Muslims worship here. 

The Nanguan Mosque has a long history. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, the original location was at the Gongbei Pavilion, outside the Nanguan District and the size was small. In 1916, the Mosque was moved to Nanguan District and was rebuilt into a classical large-scaled Mosque. During the 60s of the 20th century, the Mosque was totally destroyed. In 1981, many Muslims raised funds to rebuild the Mosque at Nanguan.

The Nanguan Mosque has a 22-metre-tall, 945-wquare-metre Prayer Hall that can seat 1,000 worshipers. On top of the main building, there stand five green hemispherical decorations in center. It is said that the biggest one in the center symbolizes the Mohammed, the prophet of Islamism, and that the other four symbolize four famous imams.

The mosque is marked for its group of green domes, with the one in the center dedicated to Mohammed, the father of Islamism, and the four in the corners honouring the Hanafiyah, Malikiyah, Shafiiyah, and Hanabilah schools respectively. The mosque is the venue for Id-al-Fitr, Corban, and Mawlid alnabi festivals and the daily morning and evening prayer services.

The Nanguan Mosque is famous for its unique, graceful structure and classical Islamic architectural style. If you want to visit Nanguan Mosque, you should adapt yourself to new condition there. The admission fee is 8 Yuan. You can walk there from Nanmen Square of Yinchuan.

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Jade Emperor Pavilion (Yu Huang Ge)

Located at the crossroads of Jiefang Road and Yuhuangge Street in Yinchuan City, Jade Emperor Pavilion is a Taoist temple at the foot of Penang Hill in Air Itam, Penang. Occupying an area of 1040 square meters, Jade Emperor Pavilion is the only ancient high-rise pavilion with timberwork in Yinchuan. With its history of more than 600 years, Jade Emperor Pavilion was built originally during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was destroyed by earthquake during the Qing Dynasty in the reign of Qianlong (1711-1799), and was rebuilt later.

The Jade Emperor Pavilion (Yuhuang Ge in Chinese) is dedicated to the eponymous deity, who according to Chinese legend is the leader of all the gods. The Jade Emperor is considered the omnipotent ruler of Heaven and Earth as well as the spirit world. The bronze statue of this all powerful Emperor, once worshiped by the faithful, stands in the pavilion. 

The Jade Emperor Pavilion is the main structure within a group of buildings and has a height of about 22 meters (72 feet) and covers an area of about 1040 square meters (1244 square yards). It stands on a rectangular rammed-earth base, through which runs a north-south archway; there are steps providing access to the pavilion on the north-western side.

This is the only remaining traditional wooden structure in Yinchuan and you are sure to be left with a deep impression by the exquisitely designed and constructed winged eaves, curved-canopy roofs, the cloisters and the red-lacquered balustrades. Together with the bell tower and the drum tower, standing respectively to the east and west, the overall complex resembles a flying roc with great majesty and beauty.

The Jade Emperor Pavilion is an embodiment of the consummate skill of the ancient craftsmen of Yinchuan and contributes greatly to the study of the architectural style and materials used during the Ming Dynasty. Considerable attention has been paid to protection work and the pavilion is now open as one of Yinchuan's major tourist attractions.

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Chengtiansi Pagoda

Chengtiansi Pagoda (the ''Western Pagoda'') is located in Yinchuan's Chengtian Temple (Chengtian Si) and is known to be the tallest ancient brick pagoda in the region, dating back to 1050. However, the structure currently standing on the site only dates back as far as 1820, when it was rebuilt in its original Western Xia Dynasty style after an earthquake nearly destroyed it in 1738. Apparently built as a tribute to the child King Li Lianzuo, it took over 6 years to build and became a favorite spot for the young ruler and his retinue to listen to sermons. 

According to the historical record, Buddhism prevailed for a time during the Western Xia Dynasty period. After the death of Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia, the empress dowager conscripted tens of thousands of solders in 1050 for the construction of the Chengtian Temple and a pagoda of the same name as her wish for the longevity of Li Liangzuo, his son, only one-year-old then, had just been enthroned。

This pagoda is located in a beautiful garden. A number of small iron bells were hanged on corners of the pagoda. Via a wooden stairway, people can walk up to the top, where a panoramic view of the city is available through the windows. Today, the Museum of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is situated in the temple together with the pagoda.

With a total height of 64.5 meters (some 211 feet), Chengtiansi Pagoda is half a meter (about 1.6 feet) higher than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian. It is an octagonal structure with 11 wooden floors. The small iron bells hanging on the corners of the Pagoda ring in the soft winds. The sweet bells will inspire your imagination. Through a wooden stairway, people can access to the top of the Pagoda, where looking out of the window, they can perceive a fine view of the ancient city of Yinchuan.

Chengtiansi Pagoda has been well preserved and become one of key protected cultural relic sites. In addition, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Museum is located in the Temple. It mainly displays rare cultural relics of the Western Xia Dynasty and Ningxia, and has now become one of the most important places to visit for both sightseeing and recreational purposes.

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Shapotou Tourism Area

220 km south of Yinchuan (3.5 hours ride), Shapotou Tourism Area lies on the southeastern rim of the Tengger Desert with breathtaking scenery of desert dunes, the Yellow River and lush farmlands. It is based around the Shapotou Desert Research Center, which was founded in 1956 to battle against the ever-expanding problem of desertification in the area and sand dune stabilization to protect the Baotour-Lanzhou railway. In 1980s, here was developed into a famous tourist attraction due to its unique desert scenery. 

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. Nowadays Shapotou has become a desert amusement park, where tourists are recommended to try 3 most popular activities: Yellow River Drift, Sand Slide, and Yellow River Cableway Slide.

The Yellow River Drift

Floating along the Yellow River on a sheepskin raft - the most unpretentious of vehicles - is something of a special thrill. When a sheep is killed the locals will remove the skin and skillfully make a balloon out of it. A number of these balloons are strung together to form a buoyant base for a floor of bamboos. This sheepskin raft may look flimsy, but it is eminently safe. The drift requires great courage, but this does not mean that it is unsafe. Experienced boatmen will make sure that you cannot only sense the excitement but also enjoy the fascinating scenery along the way. The ruins of a part of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are there, as is the site of ancient waterwheels-an image of the Yellow River culture.

Sand Slide

Shapotou International Sand Slide Center is the biggest natural sand slide field in China. It is also one of China's Four Sounding Sand Fields. It has a length of about 1000 meters (about 1094 yards), a height of over 100 meters (about 109 yards) and a slope of 60 degrees. When the weather is fine, people sliding down the sand hill can hear the sound of sand underneath them, for all the world like tolling bells. It is adventurous, breathtaking, strange and heady experience-not designed for the weak of heart.

Yellow River Cableway Slide

The cableway slide across the Yellow River at Shapotou has won fame as the First Yellow River Cableway Slide. The cableway here is 820 meters (about 897 yards) long, 54 meters (about 59 yards) high above the water and the slide is at an average speed of 8 m/s (about 26 feet per second). The cableway at Shapotou is unique in China, in that it depends totally on gravity to set it in motion.

Besides, tourists can enjoy the beauty and mystery of the desert from the vantage point of a camel's back. Sunset on the Yellow River and sunrise in the desert are particularly memorable. One can spend an evening in a Mongolian camp or sit by a bonfire enjoying an ethnic-style performance or even take part in a dance. If one prefers a more gentle experience, one can take a yacht along the Yellow River and visit the show of local sand-controlling achievements.

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Sand Lake (Shahu) Scenic Resort

Fifty six kilometers from Yinchuan, near the Helan mountain, is the little oasis of Shahu set amid the sand dunes. The clumpy reed marshes that dot the clear waters of Shahu Lake are home to tens of thousands of birds and one of Ningxia’s most popular tourist attractions. If you love both the desert and the world of water, Sand Lake is an ideal choice. Sand Lake (Shahu) Scenic Resort is more than 80 square kilometers (about 31 square miles) in area, including 45 square kilometers (about 17 square miles) of lakes and over 22 square kilometers (about 8 square miles) of desert. This unique, natural scenery attracts millions of visitors from China and abroad.

Sand Lake is a paradise for birds in China. Every year during spring and autumn, over one million migratory birds stay at Sand Lake. Among them there are many rare species including white cranes, black cranes, red-crowned cranes, swans, wild ducks and mandarin ducks. At the same time, Sand Lake is also a good place for birdwatchers.

Sand Lake also has several species of fishes. Not just the common carp, silver carp, grass carp and crucian carp but also the blunt-snout bream, which is rarely found in North China. You can find giant salamanders here as well. Because of the abundance of fish, the reeds and the lotuses seem to be endless at Sand Lake.

Meanwhile, the resort also offers some on-land activities, the scariest one being the bungee-jump ride that straps you into a two-seater ball and catapults you way up into the sky within a fraction of the second. This one’s not for the faint-hearted. While riding the motorboats, the breeze in your face and the scenery rushing by will give you an exhilarating feeling. The blue sky, green lake water, yellow sand dunes, green reeds, lotus and beautiful birds create a pure and peaceful picture of nature.

Besides natural beauty, Sand Lake also offers you more than thirty recreational opportunities. Some are only for the adventurous but less strenuous activities are also available, such as water-motorcycling, wind surfing, and sliding down the dunes.

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West Xia Imperial Tombs

Located on the eastern slopes of the Helan Mountains, some 35 kilometers west of the city of Yinchuan, the Imperial Tombs of Xi ("Western") Xia, covers an area of about 50 square kilometers. The West Xia Imperial Tombs, are shaped like giant beehives and dot the valleys of the region. In the entire tomb area, there are 9 massive mausoleums, along with 250 lesser tombs. The mausoleums hold the remains of the imperial leaders of the Western Xia Dynasty.

According to records, the tombs were patterned after Song Tombs in Gongxian County, Henan Province. They adopted the zhao-mu burial system (the father is zhao, son is mu while grandson is zhao again.). East line and west line are formed from south to north with zhao on the left and mu on the right. Each imperial tomb is an individual and integrated group of architectures, sitting north and facing south in a rectangle.

However, the Western Xia Tombs seem to be extremely unique in contrast to the wooden and stone structures of the Ming and Qing imperial tombs. They are actually earth and brick constructions that reflect the culture of the ancient western kingdom. Each main tomb, encircled by a wall with an entrance gate in each direction, has an independent group of buildings; also each has an array of watchtowers and four corner towers; external city; pavilions housing stone tablets; sacrificial hall and coffin platform from south to north. 

The tombs show clear relics of an inner square, roads, courtyards, wells and houses. In the middle of the south end of the heavenly wall stood watchtower platform. To north stood stele pavilions, varying from one mausoleum to another. The extant stele records in both Chinese and West Xia characters the accomplishments of the given emperor. The earth platform in the west was for sacrificial offerings. Behind it is an eye catching mausoleum platform, an earth pile with a remnant height of 23 meters (about 75.44 fee), which used to be a five- or seven-storied solid eight-sided pagoda. This is unique in Chinese mausoleum architectures. It is this relic that is called Oriental Pyramids by foreign tourists. Between the sacrifice palace and mausoleum platform lies earth ridge, under which is corridor leads to the chamber--the underground palace.

There are mysteries yet to be unveiled. Floods in Mt. Helan are numerous but somehow the area of the West Xia Imperial Tombs is left untouched. Also, there are 8 or 9 stone kneeling statues unearthed with sticking teeth, glower and plump breast with unknown significance and function.

The West Xia Imperial Tombs are not only a state cultural heritage but also a state scenic spot. The magnificent labyrinth and the continuous Mt. Helan and boundless desert are definitely worth visiting. At present, only two tombs are open to the public, of which the mausoleum of Emperor Hao (the mausoleum of Weiming Yuan Hao) is the most prominent.

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