Mountain range · Ningxia · Inner Mongolia
Helan Mountains
贺兰山
The desert rampart above the Yinchuan plain
The Helan Mountains form a narrow range about 200 km long along the border of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, rising to about 3,556 metres. They shelter the irrigated Yinchuan plain from the Tengger Desert and the cold north-west winds, carry thousands of ancient rock carvings at Helankou, and look down on the imperial tombs of the Western Xia dynasty and the vineyards of the Ningxia wine region.
- National nature reserve (Ningxia Helan Shan)
- National nature reserve (Inner Mongolia Helan Shan)
Key facts
Overview
Seen from Yinchuan, the Helan Mountains are a long, bare, dark ridge on the western horizon, likened in old descriptions to a galloping horse. They are a climatic and cultural divide: to the east lies the Ningxia plain, watered by the Yellow River and its canals; to the west, the Alashan Plateau of Inner Mongolia, where the Tengger and Ulan Buh deserts begin. For centuries the range was a frontier between farming China and the herders of the steppe.
The eastern slope in Ningxia is dry and rocky; the western slope in Inner Mongolia is gentler, and its higher valleys hold forests of spruce and pine. The range is the northern tip of the belt of mountains that runs along the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
How the landscape formed
The Helan Mountains are a fault-block range raised along the western margin of the Yinchuan graben, one of the rift basins around the Ordos block. The eastern side is a steep fault scarp with alluvial fans at its foot, cut by short, dry gullies (kou, 口) that served as passes through the range. The rocks range from ancient metamorphic basement to Palaeozoic limestone and sandstone, with coal in the northern part near Shizuishan. The range is still active: the 1739 Pingluo–Yinchuan earthquake along its frontal faults was one of the most destructive in the history of north-west China.
Highlights
Helankou petroglyphs
贺兰口岩画
Thousands of images pecked into the rock of a gully — faces, masks, animals and hunters — made over several thousand years by herding peoples.
Suyukou
苏峪口
A forested valley on the Ningxia side with walking trails, the main area for enjoying the mountains' woods.
Twin Pagodas of Baisikou
拜寺口双塔
Two Western Xia brick pagodas at the mouth of a valley on the eastern slope.
Aobaogeda
敖包疙瘩
The highest summit of the range, about 3,556 metres, on the Ningxia–Inner Mongolia border.
Plants and wildlife
Though surrounded by desert, the higher parts of the range catch enough moisture to support forest, making the Helan an island of woodland and a refuge for animals. The reserves on both sides protect this forest and the dry mountain steppe below it.
Plants
Qinghai spruce
青海云杉
Forms the forest belt on the higher, shaded slopes.
Chinese red pine
油松
Grows on the middle slopes, especially on the western side.
Wildlife
Blue sheep
岩羊
Found in large numbers on the rocky slopes; herds often come down to the valley mouths.
Red deer
马鹿
The Alashan red deer lives in the forests of the range.
Culture and legend
The range was the heartland of the Western Xia (1038–1227), a Tangut state with its capital at Xingqing, today's Yinchuan; its emperors were buried at the eastern foot of the mountains, and the Western Xia Imperial Tombs were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2025. Much older are the petroglyphs of Helankou and other gullies. In the ci poem “Man Jiang Hong” the gap in the Helan Mountains stands for the northern frontier; today the eastern foothills are planted with vineyards.
驾长车，踏破贺兰山缺。Jià chángchē, tàpò Hèlán Shān quē.
“Driving our long chariots, we will break through the gap in the Helan Mountains.”
— “Man Jiang Hong” (满江红), attributed to Yue Fei (1103–1142); the attribution is debated
Western Xia Imperial Tombs
西夏陵
The mausoleums of the Western Xia emperors at the eastern foot of the range, with tall earthen mounds.
Eastern foothills wine region
贺兰山东麓
Vineyards on the gravel fans at the foot of the mountains, planted since the 1980s and now a national wine region.
Guangzong Monastery
广宗寺
A Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Alashan Mongols on the western slope, known in Mongolian as the Southern Monastery.
History
Prehistoric to historic periods
Rock art of Helankou
Herding peoples carve images of animals and faces into the rock of the valley over thousands of years.
1038–1227
Western Xia dynasty
The Tangut state rules from the plain below the range and buries its emperors at its foot.
1739
Pingluo–Yinchuan earthquake
A great earthquake on the range-front faults devastates the Ningxia plain.
2025
Western Xia Imperial Tombs on the World Heritage list
UNESCO inscribes the royal tombs at the eastern foot of the mountains.
Through the seasons
Spring
Dry, windy and prone to dust; apricot blossom in the foothill valleys.
Summer
Hot on the plain but cooler in the valleys; brief heavy storms can cause flash floods in the gullies.
Autumn
Clear skies and the grape harvest in the foothill vineyards; the best time to visit.
Winter
Cold and dry, with snow on the high ridges and clear views from the plain.
Routes and ways in
Helankou
A short walk up the gully past the petroglyphs, which are best seen in the low light of morning or evening.
Suyukou forest trails
Walks and a cable car in the forested valley on the Ningxia side.
Western slope from Alxa Left Banner
The Inner Mongolian side, with the Guangzong Monastery and forested valleys.
Practical notes
- Do not touch or climb on the petroglyphs.
- Gullies can flood suddenly after storms; stay out of dry stream beds in bad weather.
- The high ridges are in nature reserves with restricted access; stick to designated areas.
- Yinchuan is the base; the range lies about 50 km west of the city.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Helan Mountains — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Western Xia Imperial Tombs — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Helan Mountains — Wikipedia (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Government — Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Ningxia
Related
Dynasty
Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) →
The Song dynasty (960-1279 CE) was the Chinese imperial dynasty founded by the general Zhao Kuangyin that reunified China after the Five Dynasties…
Philosophy
Chinese Buddhism →
Autonomous region
Ningxia →
The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is a small region in north-west China on the upper Yellow River, set up in 1958 for the Hui, China's largest…
Autonomous region
Inner Mongolia →
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of northern China that stretches about 2,400 km along the borders with Mongolia and Russia, from the Greater…
City · Ningxia
Yinchuan →
Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on the irrigated plain between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River. As Xingqing it…