Discover Ningxia: Unlock a Hidden Treasure!

May 18th is International Museum Day

The famous saying "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man"

(Distribution map of the Great Wall in Ningxia and surrounding areas, designed by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Wei/Planet Institute)

The province with the imperial mausoleums of the Western Xia Dynasty

(Please view horizontally, Western Xia Mausoleums in morning light, photographer Ding Junhao)

The province entirely within the Yellow River Basin

Dynasties throughout history dug irrigation canals here

Forming a wealth of ancient hydraulic engineering heritage

Yet Ningxia still displays vibrant greenery

(Satellite image of Ningxia, designed by Zhang Wei & Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute)

A fleeting glimpse of "Treasure Ningxia"

And the colorful eras they represent

Are the essence of Ningxia's historical and cultural heritage

Located in the central-northwestern part of China

(Please swipe to view more, Ningxia and China's three natural zones, temperature zone divisions, and zoogeographical divisions, designed by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Wei/Planet Institute)

Annual precipitation remains stable at over 400mm

Suitable for farming and grain production

The arid and semi-arid regions in the northwest

Have annual precipitation mostly below 400mm

(Rubbing of a hunting scene from Helan Mountain rock art, image courtesy of Planet Institute, designed by Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute)

Frictions among ethnic groups continue to escalate

(From "The Book of Songs · Minor Odes · June," which records the wars against the Rong and Di tribes during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou in the regions of Shaanxi and Ningxia)

(Some bronze weapons from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, photographed by Ding Junhao and Liu Siyao, graphics by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin designed a plot to kill the Yiqu King

(Queen Dowager Xuan of Qin was China's first "Queen Dowager." Below is the Great Wall of the Qin State during the Warring States period, photographed by Liu Jie, annotated by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Diagram of the relationship between Xiaoguan Pass, the Great Wall, and the Guanzhong Plain, graphics by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Wei/Planet Research Institute)

Emperor Wu of Han dispatched the famous generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing

Subsequently, Emperor Wu of Han constructed the Great Wall on a large scale in Ningxia

"Gazing upon the states, the Yuezhi submit, the Xiongnu yield"

(The above text is from the Han Yuefu poem "The Emperor's Return." Below is a Han-era bronze crossbow trigger and its schematic diagram, image courtesy of Planet Research Institute, graphics by Zheng Borong and Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

A region of mixed habitation by the Qiang, Xiongnu, Xianbei, and other ethnic groups

Former Zhao (Xiongnu), Later Zhao (Jie)

Former Qin (Di), Later Qin (Qiang)

Xia (Xiongnu), Northern Wei (Xianbei)

Northern Zhou and other regimes successively emerged here

(Some soldier figurines from the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou periods, image courtesy of Planet Research Institute, graphics by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Tang Dynasty soldiers accomplished this in just 20 years

Most were settled in the Hetao region (including the Ningxia Plain)

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, personally traveled to Lingzhou (modern-day Wuzhong City, Ningxia)

To pacify the submitted nomadic minority tribes

The tribal chiefs honored him with the title "Heavenly Khan"

(The above data is from "A Study of the Relationship Between the Turkic Khaganate and the Sui-Tang Dynasties." The images below show some Tang Dynasty warrior figurines, sourced from @Planet Institute, Ding Junhao, Liu Siyao, and designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute.)

Wang Wei beheld the vastness of heaven and earth, his heart filled with heroic passion

He picked up his brush and wrote, "A lone smoke rises straight in the desert; the long river sets with the round sun."

The Xiaoguan region once again became the frontline of war

(The ruins of Xianzhou Ancient City, located in Haiyuan, Ningxia, sourced from @Visual China.)

To "drive my chariot through the gaps of the Helan Mountains"

(Please view horizontally. The Helan Mountains described by Yue Fei may not be the present-day Helan Mountains, as scholars still debate this. However, there is no doubt that Yue Fei's poem greatly enhanced the fame of the Helan Mountains. The image below shows the Great Wall at Guidegou in the Helan Mountains, photographed by @Guo Zhihong.)

Even the emperors of the Song Dynasty wore this sword

(Xia Kingdom sword, sourced from @Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute.)

(Western Xia porcelain caltrops, sourced from @Planet Institute, Li Peng, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute.)

Neither the Song nor the Western Xia were the ultimate victors

The leader Genghis Khan led his cavalry southward to compete for supremacy

But he passed away at Liupan Mountain (located in Haiyuan, Ningxia)

Then swept across the world and established the Yuan Dynasty

(Please view horizontally. There is academic debate about the location of Genghis Khan's death, with mainstream opinion holding that he died at Liupan Mountain. The poem above is from Mao Zedong's "Qingpingyue: Liupan Mountain." The Great Wall in the poem refers to the Warring States Qin Great Wall in Pengyang shown below, sourced from @Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, labeled by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute.)

A dynasty that unified China from south to north

Driving the Mongol-Yuan forces beyond the Great Wall

(Ming Dynasty chainmail armor, sourced from @Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute.)

Rebuilt and added a series of military fortresses

(Schematic diagram of the relationship between the Great Wall and fortresses, mapped by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Jing/Planet Institute)

The ancient city of Guyuan near the site of Xiaoguan Pass

(Restoration schematic of the Ming Dynasty Guyuan ancient city, terrain for illustrative purposes only, not an actual scene, mapped by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Jing/Planet Institute)

During the nearly 300 years of the Ming Dynasty's reign

The construction of the Great Wall was almost uninterrupted

Influencing the demarcation of nearly half of today's Ningxia regional boundaries

(Distribution of Ming Dynasty Great Wall in Ningxia, the Xiaoguan marked on the map is the Han Dynasty site, abandoned by the Ming Dynasty, mapped by Zhang Wei & Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute)

Re-examining the precipitation that triggered all of this

Precipitation acts like an invisible hand

Silently controlling the course of the Great Wall and warfare

(Schematic of Ningxia's Great Wall and precipitation distribution, showing remarkable overlap with modern precipitation lines, for illustrative purposes only, mapped by Zhang Wei & Wang Shenwen/Planet Institute)

This land of relatively scarce precipitation and widespread Great Wall

Instead became one of the most prosperous regions in northwest China

The Tengger Desert, Mu Us Sandy Land, and Ulan Buh Desert

Ningxia could have been dominated by vast deserts and Gobi

Forming several beautiful "Ω"-shaped bends along the way

(The Yellow River in Ningxia, photographed by Yu Ming)

Combined with the waters originating from the Helan Mountains

Which also replenish the plains below

Ningxia, endowed with relatively abundant water resources

(Fossil of a cattle skull, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute and Ding Junhao, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Ostrich egg fossil, image courtesy of @Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Rubbing of Helan Mountain rock carvings, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Rubbing of Helan Mountain rock carvings, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Rubbing of Helan Mountain rock carvings, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

This was an extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive task

Because the ancient people of Ningxia lacked sharp tools

Only through repeated abrasion could they carve out lines

Leaving traces of their existence between heaven and earth

(Rubbing of Helan Mountain rock carvings, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Distribution map of Stone Age sites in Ningxia, graphic by @Zhang Wei & Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Continuing to document this world nurtured by the Yellow River

(Flat-mouthed painted pottery pot, shaped like a waterbird, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Recreating the moment a beast tears into its prey

(Animal-patterned gold buckle ornament, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute and Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

A vibrant world where deer and sheep roam freely

(Bronze ornaments depicting some animal figures, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, graphic by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

They also fitted horses with bridles

Unlike what we see in museums today

(Please view horizontally, reconstruction of chariot and horse fittings, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, Zhou Yangsong Dan, and Jianwang's Travel Photography, graphic by @Zheng Borong & Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Utilizing the Yellow River's convenience on a larger scale

(On one side is the Yellow River wetland, on the other is barren land; photographer: Lu Wen)

People gradually excavated the Qin Canal, Hanyan Canal

Tanglai Canal, Haowang Canal, and other Yellow River diversion projects

Currently, among the 14 main Yellow River diversion canals in Ningxia

11 are still renovated based on ancient canals

(Major ancient Yellow River irrigation canals in Ningxia; map by Chen Zhihao, Wang Shenwen & Zhang Wei/Planet Research Institute)

People irrigated the land and reclaimed farmland

(Gilded bronze plaque ornament; image source: Planet Research Institute; design by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Northern Song Dynasty brick carving of rice pounding; the mortar and tilted pestle in the image were mainly used to hull rice; image source: Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department; design by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Pushing the millstone lever taller than themselves

(Brick carving of a mill-pushing scene; image source: Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department; design by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Through the relentless efforts of generations of Ningxia people

The area gradually increased to over 2 million mu by the Ming and Qing dynasties

(Data from "Research on Ningxia's Agricultural Development and Environmental Changes"; below is the change in cultivated land area in the Yinchuan Plain; design by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Please view horizontally: Shahu Ecological Tourism Area in Xidatan, Pingluo County; photographer: Lou Guangchen)

In Mu Us, Tengger, and Ulan Buh

Ningxia, relying on the Yellow River and Helan Mountain

Forcefully repelled the invasion of the desert

Creating the largest-scale ancient Chinese

(Please view horizontally, the Yinchuan Plain traversed by the Yellow River in Ningxia. The above data is from "The Epic of the Yellow River: Grand Scenery of the Yellow River · Ningxia Volume," photographer @Chen Jianfeng)

One of the important grain-producing regions in the northwest

Cities along the Yellow River in Ningxia were also the first to develop

Generating over 90% of the GDP

(The above data is from the 2021 "Ningxia Statistical Yearbook." The image below shows the main rice-producing areas in Yinchuan, Ningxia, mapped by @Chen Zhihao & Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

It also irrigated a "Land of Abundance Beyond the Great Wall"

A great road network passing through Ningxia

(Please view horizontally, the Silk Road overland route, mapped by @Zhang Wei & Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Tiele, Rouran, Gaoche, Turkic, Sogdian

Uighur, Tangut, Mongol, and many other ethnic groups

(Equestrian figurines and camel figurines, images courtesy of @Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department, Xu Jianfeng, mapped by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Some coin artifacts, images courtesy of @Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department, Planet Research Institute, mapped by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

They "splurged" on luxury goods brought via the Silk Road

Such as items that rivaled the price of gold at the time

(Glass bowl, images courtesy of @Liu Yedao, Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department, mapped by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

As well as the exquisite and luxurious gilded silver pot

Unfolding the figures on the pot horizontally

A continuous scene from ancient Greek mythology

(Gilded silver pot. The first set of patterns depicts Trojan Prince Paris presenting the golden apple to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Later, Aphrodite helps Paris meet Helen, Queen of Sparta. The second set shows Helen holding a jewelry box and eloping with Paris. However, the King of Sparta, enraged, launches the Trojan War and wins with the "Trojan Horse" strategy. The third set depicts the helmeted King of Sparta welcoming back his wife Helen. Images courtesy of @Sun Zhijun, Ningxia Cultural and Tourism Department, mapped by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Present-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan)

(Please view horizontally, distribution map of Sui and Tang tombs in Nanyuan, Guyuan, Ningxia, mapped by Wang Shenwen & Zhang Wei/Planet Research Institute)

(Gold mask unearthed from the Shi family tombs, image courtesy of Planet Research Institute, mapped by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

The circular and crescent shapes can be clearly seen.

This may be related to the Sogdian belief in worshipping the sun and moon.

(Gold facial ornament, image courtesy of Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, mapped by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Bringing customs and artifacts from various regions to Chang'an along the Silk Road.

Girls in the Tang Dynasty could wear Hu-style clothing.

(Painted pottery figurine of a horseback-riding woman, image courtesy of Li Peng & Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, mapped by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

And even flirted with their dance partners.

(Stone-carved tomb door depicting the Whirling Dance, image courtesy of Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, mapped by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(The "Conversion Jar," also known as the "Soul Jar," is a burial object related to religion, image courtesy of Planet Research Institute & Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, mapped by Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Among them, the most influential foreign religion

The Xumi Mountain Grottoes, initially constructed during the Northern Wei Dynasty.

(Xumi Mountain Grottoes, photographer: Lu Hu)

The largest ancient temple complex in architectural scale.

(Niushou Mountain Temple Complex, photographer: Liu Siyao)

(Najiahu Mosque, photographer: Liu Siyao)

They serve as religious sites integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

The main structure is situated on a high platform.

(Lingwu High Temple, its main hall is divided into three levels: the first level houses the Great Hero Hall with statues like the Tathagata; the second level houses statues like the Jade Emperor; the third level houses statues like Laozi, photographer: Li Peng)

It absorbed the structure and strokes of Chinese characters

while incorporating the Western Xia people's understanding of language

(Large Western Xia script wooden printing block, image courtesy of @Ningxia Culture and Tourism Department, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

It inherited the tradition of Tang and Song dynasty tombs

causing the central axis of the mausoleum to slightly lean westward

(Please view horizontally, restored illustration of Li Yuanhao's tomb. There is still academic debate whether L3 tomb belongs to Li Yuanhao, requiring further research. Designed by @Wang Shenwen & Han Qing/Planet Research Institute)

Some experts speculate it may have been built based on Buddhist philosophy

earning it the title "Pyramid of the East"

(Structural analysis of the mausoleum tower, photographer @Ding Junhao, designed by @Wang Shenwen & Han Qing/Planet Research Institute)

(Cultural relics depicting figures from Ningxia, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

(Qing Dynasty acrobat figurines, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute, designed by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

making them even more worthy of exploration and protection

The grand walls once guarded by thousands of troops

(Helan Mountain and the Great Wall, photographer @Guo Zhihong, annotated by @Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

October 25, 1958

This place holds nearly 300,000 movable and immovable cultural relics

(Western Xia Mausoleum under restoration, photographer @Zhao Runhong)

(Cultural relic restoration scene, image courtesy of @Planet Research Institute)

The people of Ningxia have forged their own history

a miracle of "pioneering and land reclamation" across generations

(Yinchuan Plain, Ningxia, photographer @ Chen Jianfeng, annotation @ Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)

Faces carved by ancient people in their own likeness

(Rock carvings in Helan Mountain, photographer @ The Forgetful Traveler)

When we step into the museums of Ningxia

The grandeur of the Great Wall and the romance of civilization

A treasure spanning 66,400 square kilometers

(Cave 51 of the Xumi Mountain Grottoes, constructed during the Northern Zhou Dynasty, is the largest in scale at Xumi Mountain. The cave houses seven well-preserved Buddhist statues, each over 6 meters tall, photographer @ Li Wenbo)

Reviewers: Chen Jingyi, Ruo Zijun, Lushumao

This article is specially produced by the Culture and Tourism Department of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

[1] Ningxia General Chronicles Compilation Committee. Ningxia General Chronicles[M]. Local Records Press, 2010.

[2] Xue Zhengchang. The Oasis of Yellow River Civilization: Ningxia's Historical and Cultural Geography[M]. Ningxia People's Publishing House, 2007.

[3] Guo Laixi, Liu Yi (eds.). The Epic of the Yellow River: The Splendor of the Great Yellow River · Ningxia Volume[M]. Science Press, 2010.

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