General Introduction

Ningxia in the middle Yellow River valley in northwest China, where the Huis have for long years lived in compact communities, was set up as an autonomous region in 1959. It has an area of more than 60,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 3.74 million, of which 21 per cent live ha the cities and 79 per cent in the rural areas and about 1.16 million are Huis and the rest from the Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan and Hun nationalities.

Scenic Spots

Bell-and-Drum Tower
Chengtiansi Pagoda
Cliff Engravings at Helan Pass
Gunzhongkou
Haibao Pagoda
Mausoleums of Western Xia Kingdom
Ming-dynasty Great Wall at Sanguan Pass
Nanguan Muslim Mosque
Najiahu Muslim Mosque
Shahu Lake Tourist Zone
Shapotou Tourist and Scenic Zone
Sun Yat-sen Park
Suyukou Forest Reserve of the Helan Mountain
Twin Pagodas at Baisikou
Yinchuan
Yuhuang (Jade Emperor) Pavilion
Western Motion Picture City

Topography

Ningxia can be divided into two geographical sections according to terrain. The southern section, generally 2,000 meters in elevation, is part of the Loess Plateau with the Liupan and other ranges as the main body. The northern section is the Ningxia Plain, or the Yinehuan Plain, formed by Yellow River alluvial deposits. With the Yellow River flowing through it, the Ningxia Plain is the major farming area of the autonomous region.

Climate

Nlngxia has a marked continental climate. It has a mean annual temperature of 5°-9ºC. and a mean annual precipitation of 200-700 mm.


Communications

Railways

The Baotou-Lanzhou Railway passes through northern and central Ningxia, and the Zhongwei-Baoji Electrified Railway, the second passage from the coastal areas to the northwest, turns Ningxia into a vital point on the “second Eurasian bridge.” The completion of the electrification of the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway will further improve transport facilities in the autonomous region.

Highways

The length of highways open to traffic increases at a speed of 330 kilometers yearly. The total length of highways is 8,700 kilometers, including 7,900 kilometers of various grades. Ningxia is one of China’s provinces and autonomous regions with a dense distribution of highways. Yinchuan is the center of a network composed of 13 national and provincial highways as well as more than 100 county and township highways that lead to all parts of the autonomous region.

Waterways

Six highway bridges have been built over the 397-kilometer section of the Huanghe River flowing through Ningxia, averaging one bridge on every 66 kilometers of the river course. Construction of the seventh bridge is now under way.

Airports

In September 1999, the Hedong Airport in Yinchuan, a fourth-degree modern airport which allows various large-and medium-size aircrafts to take off and land, went into operation. Yinchuan has air routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Foshan, Chengdu, Urumqi, Wuhan, and Chongqing and formed an aviation network leading to north, southeast, and southwest China.