What can be seen of the Western Xia in Yinchuan?

The imperial tombs west of the city, with their site museum; the Chengtian Temple Pagoda; the Western Xia collections of the Ningxia Museum; and the Baisikou twin pagodas in the Helan Mountains. The Western Xia palace itself has not survived.

Is Yinchuan a Muslim city?

It is the capital of the Hui autonomous region and has a large Hui Muslim community with many mosques and halal restaurants, but the majority of its population is Han.

Capital · Historic city · Ningxia

Yinchuan

银川 (Yínchuān)

Capital of the Western Xia between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River

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 was the capital of the Western Xia empire from 1038 to 1227; the Western Xia imperial tombs west of the city became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2025.

ProvinceNingxia

Key facts

Province: Ningxia (capital)
Administrative level: Prefecture-level city
Area: about 9,025 km²[1]
Resident population: 2.86 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Western Xia capital: 1038–1227
UNESCO World Heritage: Xixia Imperial Tombs (2025)[3]

Overview

Yinchuan lies at about 1,100 m in the middle of the Ningxia Plain, a green oasis of canals, lakes and rice fields with the bare wall of the Helan Mountains to the west. The old city, with its drum tower and Ming-era gate, is in Xingqing district; the newer government and cultural district of Jinfeng spreads to the west.

The city is the political, commercial and cultural centre of the Hui in Ningxia, with many mosques and a large Hui population, and the host of the China–Arab States Expo.

Names and nicknames

凤凰城 (Fènghuáng chéng)
“Phoenix City”
From a legend that a phoenix settled on the site; the city's traditional epithet.
兴庆府 (Xìngqìng fǔ)
The Western Xia capital; the name survives in Xingqing district.

History

The Tangut leader Li Deming moved his capital here in 1020 and named it Xingzhou; his son Li Yuanhao declared the Great Xia empire in 1038. The Mongols destroyed the city in 1227. Under the Ming it was the seat of the Ningxia garrison and of the princes of Qing, and under the Qing a prefectural city. It became the capital of Ningxia province in 1929 and of the autonomous region in 1958.

1020
Tangut capital
Li Deming made the city, then Xingzhou, his capital.
1038
Western Xia proclaimed
Li Yuanhao declared himself emperor; the city was renamed Xingqing.
1050
Chengtian Temple Pagoda
Built under the Western Xia; rebuilt in the Qing, it is the city's oldest monument.
1227
Mongol conquest
The capital surrendered and was destroyed as the Western Xia fell.
1958
Regional capital
Yinchuan became the capital of the new Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
2025
Western Xia tombs inscribed
The imperial necropolis west of the city was added to the World Heritage List.

Landmarks

Historic site
Western Xia Imperial Tombs
西夏陵 (Xīxià Líng)
Conical earthen tomb towers of the Tangut emperors on the plain below the Helan Mountains, with a site museum.
Museum
Ningxia Museum
宁夏博物馆 (Níngxià Bówùguǎn)
Regional museum with Western Xia art and texts, Helan rock art and Hui culture.
Temple or shrine
Chengtian Temple Pagoda
承天寺塔 (Chéngtiānsì Tǎ)
The Western Xia “West Pagoda” in the old city.
Temple or shrine
Haibao Pagoda
海宝塔 (Hǎibǎo Tǎ)
The “North Pagoda”, an unusual cruciform brick pagoda of ancient origin, rebuilt in the Qing.
Temple or shrine
Nanguan Mosque
南关清真大寺 (Nánguān Qīngzhēn Dàsì)
A large domed mosque south of the old centre, rebuilt in the 1980s.

Neighbourhoods

Xingqing
兴庆区 (Xìngqìng Qū)
The old city with the drum tower, the pagodas and the main markets.
Jinfeng
金凤区 (Jīnfèng Qū)
The new city with government buildings, the museum and parks around lakes.

Food

Hand-held lamb
手抓羊肉 (shǒuzhuā yángròu)
Tan-sheep lamb, the pride of Ningxia's kitchens.
Lamb offal soup
羊杂碎 (yáng zásuì)
The standard breakfast of the city's Hui eateries.
Eight-treasure tea
八宝茶 (bābǎo chá)
Green tea with rock sugar, dates, goji and dried fruit in a lidded bowl.

Culture

Yinchuan's culture draws on the Western Xia past, the Hui community and the frontier landscape. The Zhenbeibao Western Film Studio, set in two ruined Ming and Qing forts, has been the location of many Chinese films, including Red Sorghum (1987). Wineries along the Helan foothills west of the city are a newer part of local life.

Getting around

Yinchuan station is the terminus of the high-speed line from Xi'an and a stop on the line to Zhongwei and Lanzhou.
Yinchuan Hedong International Airport lies across the Yellow River in Lingwu.
The tombs, film studio and rock art lie along the Helan foothills west of the city and are reached by road.

Day trips

Helan Mountains rock art
贺兰山岩画 (Hèlán Shān yánhuà)
Thousands of pecked images of animals, faces and symbols in the Helankou gorge.
Zhenbeibao Western Film Studio
镇北堡西部影城 (Zhènběibǎo Xībù Yǐngchéng)
Film sets inside ruined frontier forts, founded by the novelist Zhang Xianliang.
Shuidonggou
水洞沟 (Shuǐdònggōu)
Palaeolithic site and Ming Great Wall fortifications in Lingwu, east of the river.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Yinchuan Municipal People's Government — Yinchuan Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
World Heritage List: China — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
Yinchuan — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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