This is Ningxia, the only province of China with the Yellow River running through its entire region. Since the ancient time, Ningxia has benefited a lot from the Yellow River and formed many most amazing attractions such as Nanchangtan Folk Village & Beichangtan Folk Village in Zhongwei City, the Yellow River Grand Canyon in Qingtongxia, Sand Lake Nature Reserve, and Shapotou Scenic Spot.
(the Yellow River Grand Canyon)
“Ningxia is blessed by the Yellow River while Zhongwei city benefits the most from it.”Zhongwei, as the first city that the Yellow River running through in Ningxia, is well-known for its beautiful sandscape, waterscape and mountain views. There are famous attractions in Zhongwei city like Shapotou Scenic Spot reputed as “The Desert Capital of China”, No. 66 Road with the desert and river enhancing each other’s brilliance, and the No. 1 village by the Yellow River in Ningxia —Nanchangtan Folk Village (a crescent-shaped village located in south shore of the Yellow River).
(Shapotou Scenic Spot)
Wuzhong, located in the central of Ningxia Plain, enjoys the reputation of “An Oasis in the hinterland”. As the essence of the Yellow River water irrigation area, Wuzhong benefits the most from the Yellow River. Besides the unique morning tea culture, it also has many new landscapes along the Yellow River like the Yellow River Tower and the Yellow River Alta.
(Photographer：Li Peng)
Yinchuan is known as the “Lake City in the Hinterland”, thus the beauty of it is always about water. Numerous canals extended from the Yellow River spread all over the Yinchuan Plain, forming the extraordinary sight beyond the Great Wall like the Huangshagudu Scenic Spot. It is also the birth place of many intangible cultural heritage arts such as Ningxia’s China-hemp Weaving Craft and the Shadow Puppets.
(China-hemp Weaving Craft)
At the junction of the Helan Mountain and the Yellow River, there is a piece of hillstone extruding like a mouth. This is how Shizuishan (Stone Mouth Mountain) gained its name. Shizuishan enjoys convenient location that you can go to the Sand Lake to watch birds, taste the famous northwest dish “Huangquqiao Stir-fried Lamb” and appreciate intangible cultural heritages like claywow (a traditional Hui musical instrument shaped like a kind of ocarina ) and carving paintings on dried shell of gourd.
(the Sand Lake)
Although Guyuan is the only city in Ningxia where the Yellow River does not flow through it, it is the headstream of many rivers flowing into the Yellow River. Thus, many intangible cultural heritages possessing strong regional culture and the Yellow River culture have been generated here, such as the Wei’s Brick Carving and the Yang’s Clay Sculpture.
(the Yang’s Clay Sculpture)
