108 PagodasSituated 60 km south of Yinchuan, this is a group of 108 Tibetan-style pagodas. The towers, measured 2.5 m to 5 m in height, are arranged in 12 rows, by the numbers of 1, 3, 3,5, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13... to form a triangle that spreads down a hillside. There is no written record on the construction date of the pagodas, but archeologists believe they were constructed in either the Xixia period or the Yuan Dyansty (11th to 14th century).
Chengtiansi TowerThe tower is part of the Chengtian Temple. The local pepole call it Xita, Western Tower, because it is located in the western part of old Yinchuan. The pagoda rises up to 65.5 m (211.6 ft), which makes half a meter taller than the famed Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian). The tower was originally constructed in 1050, by a prince of the Xixia Dynasty. The tower that stands today, however, is a reconstruction in 1820. Chengtian means "Follow the Heavenly Way".
Drum Tower (Gulou)The Drum Tower of Yinchuan is located the heart of the city, at the intersection of Jiefang Street and Gulou Street. Measured 36 m (118 ft) in height, the tower was originally constructed in 1821. Officially it was a drum-and-bell tower, used to announce dawn and sunset as well as important ceremonies.
Gunzhongkou Scenic ZoneGunzhongkou Scenic Zone is located 35 km northwest of Yinchuan, close to the royal burial places of the Xixia dyansty. Part of the Helan Mountain, the area is both pleasant with its natural beauty and significant in terms of historical attractions. Among the latter, there are over a dozen Buddhst temples, Daoist shrines and sites of Islamic worship, which were built over the centuries. The founder of the Xixia dynasty, Li Yuanhao, also built a summer resort in the area, which, however, was destroyed in the past.
Haibao TowerThe precise construction date for this tower is unknown, but some scholars speculate that it was originally erected in the 5th-6th century. Over the century the tower (53.9 m or 176.8 ft in height) suffered damages from disasters such as earthquake and was repaired or rebuilt a number of times. The locals call the tower Bei Ta ("Northern Tower") since it stands in the northern part of old Yinchuan.
Helanshan Rock ArtThousands of rock carvings that date back two thousand years are found in the Helan mountains west of Yinchuan. An area with a high concentration of the carvings on rocks and cliffs is Helankou, which is about 55 km northwest of Yinchuan. In a half-mile long stretch of a valley one finds several thousand ancient engravings that portrait animals and humans and depict scenes of life in the remote past.
Nanguan Great MosqueThis is the largest mosque in Yinchuan, a city with numerous Hui people, who are followers of Islam. A two-storied building with room for over a thousand worshipers to pray at the same time, the mosque was constructed in 1981 at a site where an old mosque stood, a location that is close to what used to be the southern gate - Nanguan - of old town Yinchuan.
Ruins of the Great Wall at SanguankouSanguankou is located 40 km west of Yinchuan. Here one finds of a section of the Great Wall that ran through the region. The spot is a wide opening in the Helan mountain range, a key point that link which connect the Mongolian highland and the Ningxia plain. In the 16th century, generals of the Ming Dynasty fortified the area to guiard the strategic mountain pass. "Sanguankou" literally means "Three Gates." The wall built here was mostly earthen. Of the three "gates," only ruins of the first and the second still stand.
Suyukou National Forest ParkWith a total area of 165 square kilometers, the Suyukou National Forest Park is located 40 km northwest of Yinchuan, adjacent to the Gunzhongkou Scenic Zone. With its mountains and streams covered with trees and flowers, the park is good for retreat from the bustles of the city.
Tombs of Xixia KingdomThirty kilometers west of Yinchuan, at the foot of the Helan Mountains, there are burial places of Xixia kings. The Xixia Dynasty was founded by a minority people who dominated this part of northwestern China back in the 11-13th century. In an area measured 53 square kilometers there scattered nine royal tombs, along with over 200 burial places for lesser royals and nobles. Although they cannot compare in scale to, for example, the Ming Tombs outside Beijing, the ruins of the tombs and their auxiliary structures stand as good testimony to what transpired in the region close one thousand years before.
Yinchuan National Wetland ParkLocated on the low land through which the Yellow River flows though, Yinchuan has a number of wetland areas. Yuehai Wetland is in the northwestern part of the city, measured 21 square kilometers. Mingzuihu Wetland is about 10 km east of the city and 3 km west of the Yellow River; it is over 6 square kilometers in area. Baohu Wetland is in the southern part of the city, with an area of 82 hectares.
Zhenbeibao Western Movie CityThis is an old-town-look movie-making set built in the desolate open field 30 km northwest of Yinchuan. Shot over here are some scenes from well-known movies such as Red Sorghum by the director Zhang Yimou. At the site there used to be two fortresses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties that formed part of the frontier defense in the region.
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