Get to know Xingqing District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Yinchuan
- Chinese name
- 兴庆区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Population · 2020 census
- 808,282
- Administrative seat
- Yuhuanggebeijie Subdistrict
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
The district government dates the start of Yinchuan as a city to 112 BC, when a settlement called Beidiannong (北典农城) rose in the area of today's Walu Village (洼路村) in Zhangzheng Town (掌政镇). In the Tang dynasty the town was Huaiyuan (怀远), with a county seat begun in 678. In 1038 the Tangut leader Li Yuanhao (李元昊) founded the Western Xia and made Xingqing Prefecture its capital. Under the Ming it was Ningxia Garrison (宁夏镇), one of the "nine frontier garrisons" (九边重镇), and under the Qing the seat of Ningxia Prefecture (宁夏府). The present district and name were created in November 2002 from the old city district and part of the suburbs.
What to see
The Chengtian Temple Pagoda (承天寺塔), on the west side of Jinning South Street (进宁南街), is described by the district culture and tourism bureau as the only Western Xia pagoda in China with a recorded construction date. It was begun in 1050 by the Western Xia empress dowager to house a set of Buddhist scriptures given by the Song court. The octagonal brick tower has eleven storeys and stands 64.5 metres; it was rebuilt in 1820 after an earthquake and keeps the Western Xia style.
The Haibao Pagoda (海宝塔), known locally as the North Pagoda (北塔), stands in its temple on Minzu North Street (民族北街). Its square, nine-storey brick body is 48 metres tall and rises from a brick-faced platform about six metres high; it has been a national key cultural relic since 1961. The Yuhuang Pavilion (玉皇阁), at the junction of Jiefang East Street (解放东街) and Yuhuangge North Street (玉皇阁北街), is a group of halls with bell and drum towers on a rammed-earth platform faced with grey brick, pierced by an arched north-south passage. It existed by the mid-Ming, was rebuilt after the 1739 earthquake and was listed nationally in 2010. The district also counts the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and the South Gate Tower (南门楼) among its regional-level protected sites.
Highlights
- Chengtian Temple Pagoda 承天寺塔: Western Xia pagoda begun in 1050, eleven storeys and 64.5 metres high; national key cultural relic since 2006.
- Haibao Pagoda 海宝塔: Nine-storey square brick pagoda, 48 metres high, listed nationally in 1961.
- Yuhuang Pavilion 玉皇阁: Old-town hall group on an arched brick platform, recorded by the mid-Ming and listed nationally in 2010.
- Drum Tower 鼓楼: A regional-level protected site in the district.
Sources for this guide
区情简介_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District People's Government, Yinchuan
历史沿革_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District People's Government, Yinchuan
地理环境_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District People's Government, Yinchuan
承天寺塔_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Sports and Radio-TV
海宝塔_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Sports and Radio-TV
玉皇阁_银川市兴庆区人民政府 · Xingqing District Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Sports and Radio-TV
兴庆区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Xingqing District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Xingqing District
Chengtian Temple Pagoda, also called Yinchuan's Western Pagoda, seen through the temple trees; 13 August 2008.Chengtian Temple Pagoda承天寺塔
Chengtian Temple Pagoda is Yinchuan’s Western Pagoda, an octagonal brick tower with eleven storeys. The original monument belonged to the Western Xia period, while the standing tower was rebuilt in 1820 after an earthquake…
Read the place guide →
The Nanguan Great Mosque in Xingqing District, Yinchuan, with its green-domed prayer hall facade · 银川市兴庆区南关清真大寺，绿色圆顶礼拜殿正立面 Source-recorded photograph date: 2020-01-14 17:49:29.Nanguan Great Mosque南关清真大寺
Yinchuan's old-city Hui mosque, founded in the late Ming and rebuilt in 1981; its dome and minarets were removed after 2020.
Read the place guide →
Yinchuan Yuhuang Pavilion · 玉皇阁Yinchuan Yuhuang Pavilion玉皇阁
Yinchuan’s Yuhuang Pavilion is a historic building group in Xingqing District, raised above street level on a rectangular platform.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Xingqing District is about 6 km in a straight line from central Yinchuan. Search for 兴庆区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Chengtian Temple Pagoda and Nanguan Great Mosque are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Yinchuan →More in Yinchuan
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 兴庆区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Chengtian Temple Pagoda · Fanghong · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Nanguan Great Mosque · HMGiovanniV · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Yinchuan Yuhuang Pavilion · 霧島聖 · CC BY-SA 4.0. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.