There are two kinds of travellers. The types who like to visit major tourist hotspots and then those who prefer to go to destinations off the beaten path. If you fall in the latter category, then Yinchuan, a city in the heart of China, has just become more accessible to tourists, thanks to the launch of a non-stop flight by Emirates airline earlier in May.
Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, lies to the west of the Yellow River and to the east of Helan mountain range. With a large Hui Muslim population, it serves as a gateway connecting China to Arab countries.
Ningxia enjoys an agriculture-based economy due to the Yellow River, the second-longest river in China after the Yangtze. The river basin was the birthplace of ancient Chinese civilisation and the most prosperous region in early Chinese history.
With a population of just two million, Yinchuan offers a fascinating alternative if you want to visit a place devoid of hat-wearing, camera-toting tourists armed with selfie-sticks jostling for space.
A recent trip to the city, dotted with the beautiful pagoda tree laden with white or pink flowers, threw up some interesting insights. For instance, the local Hui people, one of the 56 ethnic groups recognised by China, are of varied ancestry, many directly descending from Silk Road travellers. Their ancestors include Central Asians, Arabs and Persians who married Hans.
A more contemporary lesson came at meal times. The dinner plates in China are the size of side plates in the rest of the world. There are no fizzy drinks or juices on offer to accompany meals at restaurants, only lots of green tea or hot water.
A typical Chinese diet includes rice and several kinds of animal meat but vegetarian is no longer an exotic idea in the country as most Chinese are now giving up meat for health reasons. Everyone eats early with most restaurants serving lunch between 12.30 and 1pm while dinner at 6pm.
Here’s a quick round-up of places to see:
Najiahu mosque
Located in the centre of the Hui village in Yongning County, the mosque is the oldest in the region. Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in traditional Chinese architecture style, the mosque features Arabic calligraphy inscriptions on the walls and doorways. Women can enter the courtyard but cover your head and wear modest clothes.
Yellow River Alter
Inaugurated in April 2011, this is a tribute to the river which runs 397 km across the Ningxia region from the west to the northeast. Designed by Feng Qinduo, this riverside monument features an altar, a bronze tripod, a temple, a courtyard, two avenues lined with displays, three theme areas, three bridges and four grand sculptures.
The imperial tombs of Western Xia
At the foot of the Helan mountains, the tombs are spread over an area of nearly 50 square km. Entrance fee of 60 yuan includes the charge for an electric train which ferries tourists around the sprawling site. Western Xia dynasty was founded by Tangut ethnic group in 1038 and destroyed in 1227 by the Mongols who later established Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Before hopping on the train to see the nine imperial mausoleums and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials, visit the museum that displays impressive artefacts related to Western Xia culture. For 50 yuan, enjoy a ride on a bactrian (two humps) camel which has a thick, shaggy coat that protects the camel from the cold in the winter.
The Rock Art Park
Situated about 56km to the northwest of Yinchuan, this is home to the rock carvings at Helan mountains which depict symbols, mask-like faces, human figures and animals such as tigers, leopards, reindeer, sheep, horses and camels. The carvings date back to about 10,000 years.
Shuidonggou Ruins
Discovered by French paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Emile Licent in 1923, an excursion into the ruins — costing 100 yuan — begins with a visit to a museum that offers a glimpse into the paleolithic age with stone tools and animal fossils dating back to 30,000 years. Next up is a re-created village that shows how people in the area lived almost 100 years ago. An electric cart then takes tourists to the site of the Ming Dynasty-era Great Wall. On the other side of the wall is Inner Mongolia.
Short rides on a boat and carts pulled by a donkey and a camel lead to the caves built into the walls of the yellow clay mountains in the area by Ming soldiers to guard the wall and keep the Mongols away. If you are claustrophobic, skip the caves.
Taj Mahal replica
This edifice serves as the gate to the China Hui Culture Park which celebrates the history and culture of China’s largest Muslim ethnicity, the Hui. The park opened to the public in 2005 but work is still under way. Ningxia’s tourism bureau hopes to attract Arab tourists to the culture park which includes a museum, a “mosque-like” palace, a Hui model village and a performance area.
Drum Tower
Standing on the crossroads of West Jiefang Road and Gulou Nanbei Street, is the Drum Tower, a square structure with a height of 36 metres, originally built in 1821 in Qing Dynasty. South of the structure is a vehicle-free shopping street packed with department stores and vendors.
If you go:
- The best time to visit is from May to October. In the winter, the temperature dips to -20°C so people “wrap themselves up like dumplings” when they step out, says Esther Zhang, my travel guide.
It is advisable to have a light sweater or scarf handy as the temperature tends to vary widely from one day to another. I witnessed a warm, sunny day with a temperature of 29°C that dipped to 11°C the next day.
- Brush up on your chopstick skills as all the restaurants in town only offer a fork and a knife upon request.
- Learn a few Mandarin phrases as not many people speak English. I got by with just five: ‘nǐ hǎo ma?’ (How are you?); ‘xièxiè’ (thank you); ‘bookachi’ (you are welcome); ‘dui’ (correct); and ‘bu dui’ (not correct).
- Since most places of interest are on the outskirts of the city, it would make sense to hire a car with a Mandarin-speaking driver for sightseeing.
Don’t miss:
The auspicious sounding Eight Treasures Tea is a delightful beverage. Called Ba Bao Cha in China, the herbal tea is a blend of eight ingredients and is prepared by pouring hot water into a bowl containing green tea, dried apple slices, red dates, dried longan fruit, sesame seeds, goji berries, jujube and rock sugar.
If you like cashmere, this is the place to pick up a sweater or a scarf as it is locally produced in Yinchuan. A good-quality one may cost up to 800 yuan (Dh450).
Used in ancient Chinese medicine for centuries, goji berries have been cultivated along the Yellow River for more than 700 years. Dried goji berries are one of the famous local products exported to the rest of the world.
