Yinchuan

Geography and Climate

Yinchuan, literally means’ silver river’, is the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northern China. The city lies in the middle of the Yinchuan Plain and borders the deserts of Mongolia to its north and the Helan Mountain to its west. The city has a population of 1.4 million of which more than 400,000 are people of Hui. In addition, the urban district of Yinchuan covers around 4,467 square kilometers.

Located in the temperate zone, Ningxia has a moderate continental climate with four distinct seasons. The annual average temperature is around 8.5 centi-degrees and the mean precipitation is just above 200 millimeters. With the annual sunshine reaching about 2,800 to 3,000 hours, Ningxia becomes one of the cities which enjoy most sunny days around a year.

Tourism

Yinchuan has a long history dated back to Qin dynasty when it is the empire’s northern administration county. The city was later used as the capital of the Western Xia Empire of the Tanguts. The prosperous of the Western Xia as a result turned Yinchuan into a city abundant of historical ruins and cultural heritages. The famous attractions in Yinchuan involve the Western Xia tombs and two renowned pagodas which are part of the ‘Eight Famous Scenery of Ningxia ’; one is the Haihao Pagoda and the other is the Chengtiansi Pagoda. As being the Hui Autonomous Region, the city has many Muslim-style buildings.

There are numerous specialties you can buy in Yinchuan and the most reputed ones are the ‘Five Treasures’ which include: Chinese wolfberry, licorice, goat skin, Helan stone and the hair weeds named Facai by the local inhabitants.

Education

Ningxia University and University of North are the two most reputed educational institutes in the region.