Ningxia

Ningxia (宁夏 Níngxià) is an autonomous region in Northwest China.

Cities

 * - capital of the region
 * - has a huge statue of Maitreya Buddha
 * - home of the 108 Dagobas (pagodas)
 * - Helan Shan and Shahu Lake
 * - trapped between the desert and the Yellow River
 * - center of Chinese Muslims, Chinese Hui Cultural Park
 * Tongxin - one of the oldest mosques, Ming dynasty

Other destinations

 * - Tombs from the lost Western Xia kingdom

Understand
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, established in 1958, is bordered by Inner Mongolia to the north and west, Shaanxi to the east and Gansu to the south. Chinese provinces and regions has an explanation of the term "Autonomous Region".

The region is mostly mountains and plains with little truly fertile land. Chinese Muslims, called the Hui, make up 1/3 of the population of the region.

Around 1000 AD, the Tangut kingdom of Western Xia was centered in Ningxia, and often in conflict with the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties. In 189 years the throne changed hands ten times. Eventually it was overrun by the Mongols and absorbed into the Chinese empire of its day. Marco Polo visited it at around that time.

Get in
Yinchuan Hedong International Airport

See
The Great Wall of China within Ningxia has the following wall sections:


 * The Eastern Ningxia Wall - Hongshan Castle and Water Cave Gully (Shui Dong Gou)
 * The Northern Ningxia Wall - in the area of Helan Shan
 * The Western Ningxia Wall - Zhenbeibu and Sanguankou

Eat
1. Sheng cuan noodles (生汆面)

Drink
One of the better cups of tea offered in this region is the "eight treasures tea" (八宝茶). It yields (not surprisingly) eight ingredients. Sugar lumps, wolfberries, tea leaves.