Ning Xia II 

cctv.com 09-22-2005 09:31

Remotely stationed in the northwest of China, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is a small region with imposing landscapes. About 1000 kilometers to the west of Beijing, It borders Shaanxi province on the east, Inner Mongolia on the north, and Gansu Province on the South.

The total population of Ningxia is a little over five million, and about one third of which is Hui people. Due to its inland location, Ningxia features short and dry summer with long and cold winter.

Ningxia is one of the ten major pastures in China with 3 million hectares of exploitable meadows. It is also rich in mineral resources and agricultural produces.

Little known to the outside, and little visited by tourists; Ningxia actually has everything that makes a great travel experience. It was once an important stop along the north Silk Road, connecting the central Asia, north desert and inland plains.

Yellow River winds through Ningxia for about 400 kilometers and becomes the main source of irrigation here. It makes an abrupt turn at Zhongwei county upon entering Ningxia from the west, forming the spectacular Shapotou scenic zone.

There are many interesting ways to experience the yellow river at Shapotou such as taking a goatskin raft? The raft is floating upon 14 pieces of goat skin pumped with air. Can you imagine that it used to be the major vehicle to take people across the Yellow river 40, 50 years ago in this area?

Don鈥檛 shy away from the rafting just because it鈥檚 a tourist must-do here. Sitting on these simple goatskin dinghies and listening to the folk song 鈥渢he yellow river has 99 bends,鈥you may think there is a better way than this to connect with the River.

Tengger Desert from the north is stopped at Shapoutou by the Yellow river, resulting in a huge sand dune. Hence this famous travel item 鈥sand slides. The slope is 300m long and rises to about 100 meters high. It makes you dizzy just looking down from the top of the sand dune. For those who are really afraid of height, take the cable cart down, drag the board up halfway, and slide down. At least it鈥檚 a good exercise.

The nearby Zhongwei county town has one intriguing sight, Zhongwei Gao Miao, or high temple. Originally built in the early 15th century, and rebuilt many times, the temple is now a magnificent jumble of buildings and styles.

From the front entrance you can see dragonheads, columns, stairways and rooftops spiraling up in all directions.

The temple covers an area of over 4,000 square meters with a total of more than 250 temple rooms, towers and pavilions. Those rooms, towers and pavilions were built symmetrically and layers upon layers to 29 meters high.

This extraordinary temple used to cater to many different religions, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and even Christianity. But now, it鈥檚 mainly a Buddhist temple. Inside the temple, you still can find the traces of its unique history if you鈥檝e got an expert eye.

Baolan railway, China's first railroad passing through deserts, and a strategic east-west lifeline, cuts through the southern border of Tengger desert at Shapotou. The railway has been operating smoothly for about 50 years thanks to the Shapotou desert control program. The Shapotou Desert Research Station developed an effective method to contain the dessert by planting straw grids on the sand dunes. This method has won the Station an environmental Control Award from the United Nation.

At about 42,000 square kilometers, Tengger Dessert is the fourth largest desert in china. Located at Alashan plain in Inner Mongolia, it joins the border of Ningxia at Zhongwei county. The narrowest part of the desert is only a little over 20 kilometers, making it possible for a hike across the desert.

It takes about six hours to get to Tonghu grassland at Inner Mongolia from zhongwei shapotou riding a camel. When the weather is nice, you can get to appreciate gorgeous desert sunset along the way, and many other fantastic desert landscapes.

Of course driving is a more time-efficient way to cross the desert. There is a well-built desert highway connecting the two places, and it takes just about 40 minutes to get to Tonghu grassland.

Want to have more fun? Taking a detour in the desert and riding upon those rolling sand dunes, the desert is all yours, no traffic jam.

You won't miss the entrance of Tonghu grassland resort. Just follow the boisterous greeting songs.

Tonghu resort provides accommodation. But, camping outside on the sand dunes in the Tengger desert is a fun alternative. It's pretty safe to camp on the desert nearby the resort, no wild animals and dangerous sandstorms.

At night, join guests from everywhere inside a yurt for a typical Mongolian dinner party. Singing, drinking, and Mongolian barbecue, those are the three basic elements of A typical Mongolian dinner party. Definitely ask locals to sing Mongolian folksongs of their hometown; all of them are great singers.

Driving further down south from Zhongwei, you will pass the most well known mosque in Ningxia, The grand Tongxin mosque. It was first built in Ming Dynasty about five hundred years ago and refurbished many times over the years.

The Chinese style compound was believed to be a Buddhist temple in the beginning and was later converted to a mosque.

On the two sidewalls of the entrance hallway to the worship chamber, you can find quite a few elaborate brick carvings.

Most of the carvings were of the traditional decorative patterns popular at the time, but taking a closer look, you'll find details reflecting local culture, such as this tea set for Eight-treasure tea, a favorite of Ningxia Hui people.

Most of the people in Tongxin are of Hui ethnic group. This unique Chinese Muslim tribe was gradually formed in Ningxia area starting from the 7th century, when some Persians and other Islamic believers came to the area along the north Silk Road.

The weather in Ningxia is conducive to the growth of all kinds of melons. Therefore, summer is a sweet season in Ningxia. The south of Ningxia is mainly inhabited by Hui minority group, and is one of the main agricultural bases in the region. The pastoral landscape in the south is incredibly beautiful.

The grottoes are located 55 kilometers northwest to the Guyuan county town. Although little known to the outside world, Xumishan grottoes are actually on the par with many famous grottoes in China in terms of its cultural and artistic values.

The largest Buddha in Xumishan grottoes stands at over 20 meter tall at Cave number 5. It's also one of the largest Buddha sculptures left from Tang dynasty in China.

The construction of the grottoes started from 1,500 years ago when Buddhism was getting popular in China. Most of the grottoes are from the Northern dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Cave number 51 from Northern Zhou period is the largest cave of central pillar style in the grottoes. The color paintings on the Buddha are rare among the Buddha sculptures from the same period grottoes. The three-seated Buddha statues on the altar at the back are as tall as six meters; rarely seen among the northern Zhou works. The color painting on their chins, is it beard or clouds? Even the tour guides cannot give me a definite answer.

Most out of the 150 caves are from Sui and Tang dynasties. Cave No. 105, also known as Taohuadong, is representative of Tang grottoes.

Although a relatively unknown small city, Guyuan has a museum that rivals those big-name museums in China, as it used to be a point where the ancient Chinese civilization meets the western civilization.

The museum houses a wealth of cultural relics unearthed around Guyuan area of distinct and exotic styles. For example, unique ornaments and articles of northern nomadic tribes in the Spring and Autumn Period over 2,000 years ago. Some cultural relics are even one of a kind in the world.

Editor:Hu  Source:CCTV.com