Yinchuan

Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is located at the center of North China and the East Asia Continent. Yinchuan is in the middle of the Yellow River Irrigated Area of Ningxia. The Yellow River is on its east and the Helan Mountain is on its west. The total population of Yinchuan is 1,487,900 and it covers an area of 9,491 square kilometers. The area code of Yinchuan is 0951 and the zip code is 75001. Yinchuan is populated by 25 ethnic groups, most notably the Hui ethnic group, as well as the Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Korean and etc.

With lots of cultural landscape and natural scenery, Yinchuan is rich in tourism resources. It is one of the most charming cities in the west part of China. Here travelers can visit the precious remains of the Xixia Culture and enjoy the landscape of waterside villages. In addition, the unique beauty of the borders and the colorful Hui customs are also very attractive to tourists. The major scenic spots and historical sites in Yinchuan include the Mausoleum of Xixia dynasty, Mosque at Nanguan, Haibao Pagoda, Yuhuang Pavilion, Nanmen Pavilion and etc. Moreover, there are the Suyukou National Forest Park and the Zhenbei Fantasy Film City in the outer suburbs of Yinchuan.

History

Yinchuan is a city with a long history. It is one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization. In the Shuidonggou, scientists have found many ruins and relics which can be tracked back to the Upper Paleolithic period. These ruins and relics indicate that human activities began as early as in the Age of Primitive Society in Yinchuan. During the Spring and Autumn Period (from the 11th century B.C. to 221 B.C.), Ningxia was one of the multi-ethnic areas. There were many ethnic groups living there such as the Qiang, Rong, and Hun etc.

After the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty unified China, General Mengtian led his troops guarding here. During this period, Mengtian was in charge of the construction of the world-famous Great Wall and the Qin Canal. The construction of the Qin Canal made the history of drawing water from the Yellow River to irrigate farmlands. Up till the Han dynasty, the farming economy has become quite prosperous. During the region of Emperor Yangshuo of Han Dynasty (more than 2,000 years ago), the Beidian Town was built which was the first town built in the Yinchuan area.

Liuche, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, made two inspection tours of Ningxia while in reign. Under Liuche’s direction, about 700,000 people were forced to migrate to Ningxia. The agricultural irrigation was also further developed. During the reign of Emperor Gao of the Tang Dynasty, the Huaiyuan New Town was built in 678, now Xingqing District of Yinchuan.

After the An Lushan-Shi Siming Rebellion, Prince Li Heng came to Ningxia and proclaimed himself Emperor Su of Tang Dynasty in Lingwu County. At that time, Yinchuan was one of the most important trade links with foreign countries. Farming economy and commerce were flourishing there.

In 1038, Li Yuanhao, the leader of the Tangut people, built the Great Xia country which is known as the West Xia country in history. The Great Xia country was built with Ningxia as its center. Xingqingfu, now Yinchuan, was selected as its capital. In Xingqingfu, Li Yuanhao proclaimed himself Emperor of the Great Xia.

At that time, a large area of northwest China was territory of the West Xia country, including Ningxia, most parts of Gansu, North Shanxi, and East Xinjiang etc. It had fought against the Song, Liao and Jin country for 189 years. When it was replaced by the Yuan Dynasty, the Ningxiafu Town was built in 1288.

Ever since then, Yinchuan had always been an important strategic post. After the founding of People’s Republic of China, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was founded in 1958 and Yinchuan was made its capital.