Ningxia: Desert, Wine and the Western Xia Tombs

A Small Province With Range

Ningxia is one of China's smallest provinces and one of its least visited by foreign travellers, which is part of the appeal: within an hour or two of Yinchuan you can see the tombs of a vanished empire, ride dunes beside the Yellow River, and taste wine from vineyards that have collected international awards over the past two decades.

The Western Xia Tombs

The tombs of the Western Xia — a Tangut empire that ruled this region until the Mongols destroyed it in the thirteenth century — stand in the desert outside Yinchuan: earthen mounds, some pyramid-like, spread across a plain with a museum that explains a civilisation with its own script and its own architecture. It is one of the most atmospheric archaeological sites in China, and rarely crowded.

Desert and the Yellow River

The dunes at Shapotou, where the desert meets the river, are the region's adventure playground: sand sledging, camel rides, and a view over the Yellow River's great bend. Further out, the Helan Mountains separate the desert from the grasslands and hold rock carvings and forest walks.

Wine and Food

Ningxia's wine region, along the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, has become China's most respected: wineries welcome visitors for tastings, and the dry climate keeps disease pressure low. The food is north-western and Muslim-influenced — lamb, noodles, and the region's own goji berries, which grow here in quantity.

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