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Explore the region
About Shahu Lake
Shahu Lake (沙湖) is a freshwater lake and national 5A-rated scenic area in Pingluo County (平罗县), Shizuishan (石嘴山), Ningxia, lying below the Helan Mountains (贺兰山) 42 km from the regional capital Yinchuan (银川).
The Ningxia Department of Culture and Tourism gives the scenic area a total size of 80.10 km², in which more than 20 km² of desert sits directly beside more than 40 km² of water. The department lists seven elements that combine in the landscape: golden sand, clear water, green reeds, flying birds, fish, the distant mountains and lotus flowers. The inscription "water encircling sand dunes is unmatched anywhere" (水绕沙丘天下绝), written by Wu Bangguo (吴邦国), is carved on a stone in the grounds.
Bird Island (鸟岛), in the wetland on the lake's east side, is where birds concentrate most within the Shahu nature reserve: the department records 178 species and more than 1.5 million birds there. Five species under first-class national protection live on the island: the great bustard, scaly-sided merganser, black stork, white-tailed eagle and golden eagle. Second-class species include whooper and tundra swans and mandarin ducks.
The department lists powered paragliding, camel treks, sand sliding and off-road driving among the activities. The lake is also a national demonstration area for healthy ecological aquaculture, and the "Shahu big fish head" (沙湖大鱼头) it produces is well known.
What to look for
- Bird Island (鸟岛) in the eastern wetland, with 178 recorded bird species
- Ningxia Wetland Museum (宁夏湿地博物馆), opened on 29 October 2010, on wetlands and birds with a focus on Shahu
- International Sand Sculpture Park (国际沙雕园), opened on 11 August 2002 as the venue of Shahu's international sand sculpture contests
- Mao badge museum (毛泽东像章馆) on the south beach, showing 200,000 Mao Zedong badges collected by Yang Weifu (杨维福)
- Land Reclamation Museum (农垦博物馆), which covers state land reclamation, including the army farm-construction division sent to Ningxia in December 1950
- Camel trains on the dunes and the steel white-swan gateway at the entrance
Location & getting there
Combine your visit
Choose from these complementary stops when planning your visit.
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Visitor and wetland displays游客中心与湿地展示
Understand the lake habitat.
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Operating lake route开放湖区路线
See reeds and open water from permitted routes.
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Desert visitor area沙漠游览区
Add the sand landscape if included in your chosen route.
This is a suggested combination, not a timed route; confirm the opening and transport arrangements for your date.
Find Shahu Lake
沙湖 · 石嘴山
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Xinghai Lake 星海湖
16 km awayXinghai Lake spreads along the eastern side of Dawukou in Shizuishan. Open water, reedbeds and green islands create a broad urban wetland landscape, with areas such as Bailuzhou and Xinyuehai forming different parts of the lake…
View guide →Yuhuang Pavilion 平罗玉皇阁
18 km awayPingluo’s Yuhuang Pavilion is a layered temple complex built on a platform that rises from south to north. Halls, galleries and upper pavilions create a dense roofscape, with the Eight Immortals Hall and Jade Emperor worship at…
View guide →Helan Mountain rock art 贺兰山岩画
32 km awayThis entry focuses on the Helankou rock-art visitor area, within the wider distribution of carvings along the Helan Mountains. Human faces, animals and scenes associated with pastoral life appear on the rock surfaces…
View guide →Sources & visit information
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-23. Opening hours, admission and access arrangements are not covered; confirm current visitor information with the site.
Some facts checked against Wikipedia contributors, "沙湖 (石嘴山)" · CC BY-SA 4.0.