Sand Lake

Located at the base of Mount Helan, Sand Lake lies 42 km north of Yinchuan and is a National 5A Level Tourist Attraction, and one of the top ten wetlands areas. Its total area spans approximately 80 km2, out of which a desert spanning an area of 20 km2 and a body of water measuring approximately 40 km2 meet. Bird-watching towers allow visitors to observe a wide variety of bird species as well as rare species of fish. The combination of the magnificent desert and the beautiful scenery of Jiang Nan create a rare spot, renowned for cultural tourism.

Shapotou National Desert Ecological Reserve

The reserve is located to the west of Zhongwei and lies to the east of the Tengger Desert. From the east, two rows of sand dunes branch out and bushland surrounds the reserve to the west. The west is connected by the Toudao hills and to the north, lies the Tengger Desert.
The total area covers approximately 4599.3 hectares, which makes up approximately 3.07 percent of the total land area of Zhongwei.

All Traces of Helan Mountain

A type of art gallery of the Chinese Nomad people, it is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. Paintings are carved or painted on the surface of rocks by ancient nomadic people who lived around Helan Mountain such as Xiongnu, Xianbei and the Tufan people. Carved on rock, the carvings show the way of life of the nomadic peoples, as well as what they produced, social customs, and view of aesthetics. Measuring 200 km long from south to north, there are remains of rock paintings in 20 spots along the way, the most representative being the Helankou engraving.

Western Xia Imperial Tombs

Also known as the Western Xia King’s Tombs, or the Western Xia Royal Tombs, it is the burial site of the emperors of the Western Xia Empire. The tombs are located to the west of Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. To the west of the tombs lie Helan Mountain and to the east, the plains of Yinchuan lie adjacent to the tombs. The tombs lie at an elevation of approximately 1130-1200 meters and are the largest and one of the most complete examples of Chinese royal tombs. The tombs are a historic cultural heritage representing Western Xia culture on the largest scale.