Aut. Region

Ningxia

宁夏回族自治区 · Capital: 银川

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Ningxia is a small autonomous region on the upper Yellow River, the heartland of the Hui (Muslim) Chinese and a former Western Xia kingdom.

An oasis region of the Ningxia Plain irrigated by the Yellow River, flanked by the Helan Mountains and the Tengger Desert.

The seat of the Tangut Western Xia empire (1038–1227) and later a Hui Muslim center, Ningxia became an autonomous region in 1958.

Ningxia blends Han and Hui Islamic cultures, visible in its mosques, halal food and the Xixia mausoleums.

The food is halal and hearty: hand-pulled lamb, noodles, and the famous Ningxia goji berries and seabuckthorn.

Highlights: the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, the Helan Mountain rock art, and the sandy Shapotou reserve.