Atlas of China
Ningxia 宁夏Níngxià
A Yellow River oasis of Hui culture, royal tombs and desert vineyards
- Type
- Autonomous region
- Capital
- Yinchuan
- Featured places
- 2
- Cities and prefectures
- 5
- Listed sites
- 555 rated 5A · 30 rated 4A · 28 national heritage
About Ningxia
Ningxia is a compact region where the Yellow River waters a green strip between the Helan Mountains and the desert, earning it the old nickname 'the lush south beyond the frontier'. As the autonomous region of the Hui, China's Chinese-speaking Muslims, it is shaped by their mosques, halal kitchens and tea-drinking customs. Visitors come for the earthen tombs of the Western Xia kings, the dunes of Shapotou on the Yellow River and vineyards on the Helan foothills.
Ningxia at a glance
- Area
- 52,188 km²
- Population
- 7.2 million 2020
- Highest point
- Helan Mountains 贺兰山3,556 m
- Borders
- Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi
Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.
What to eat in Ningxia
- Tan sheep hand-grabbed mutton (手抓羊肉)
- Eight-treasure tea (八宝茶)
- Spiced mutton offal soup (羊杂碎)
Places to visit in Ningxia
-
Shapotou 沙坡头
Where the dunes of the Tengger Desert tumble down to the Yellow River
-
Western Xia Mausoleums 西夏陵
Earthen mounds of a vanished Tangut empire, beneath the Helan Mountains
Listed sites in Ningxia
55 sites in Ningxia are on the official lists, 5 of them rated 5A and 28 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.
All 55 listed sites in NingxiaCities and prefectures of Ningxia
- Guyuan 固原 City
Buddhist caves in red sandstone and Persian glass from Silk Road tombs - Shizuishan 石嘴山 City
Sand dunes beside a reed-fringed lake, and a Tangut town's earthen walls - Wuzhong 吴忠 City
Teahouse breakfasts, a hillside of 108 stupas and Tan sheep on the desert edge - Yinchuan 银川 City
Lakes, pagodas and wineries beneath a range carved with ancient faces - Zhongwei 中卫 City
Sand dunes on the Yellow River, a temple of three faiths and goji country
Before you go
- Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
- Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
- Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
- Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
- Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
- When to go When is the best time to visit China?
On the map
Open Ningxia on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.
Open Ningxia on the map