Get to know Xixia District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Yinchuan
- Chinese name
- 西夏区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Administrative seat
- Xihuayuan
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The district has two landform zones: the gravelly alluvial fans at the foot of the Helan Mountains, at about 1,130 to 1,550 m and sloping east, and the flat, long-irrigated Yellow River plain. Within the district the Helan range reaches about 3,000 m, and the main peak of this stretch, Matipo (马蹄坡), lies north of the Suyukou gully (苏峪口). The Huangqikou plagioclase granite (黄旗口斜长花岗岩体), which the district government describes as the largest rock body in Ningxia, is exposed along the range front at gully mouths running south from Suyukou past Baisikou (拜寺口) to Gunzhongkou (滚钟口). The district government notes that the mountains shelter it from the wind, making it one of the least windy parts of Ningxia.
What to see
The Western Xia Mausoleums (西夏陵) at the foot of the Helan Mountains hold nine imperial tombs and 271 satellite tombs over 57.56 square kilometres. They were listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1988 and are a national 4A scenic area. The scenic area's Western Xia Museum (西夏博物馆) has a permanent exhibition in eight parts, and a hall lets visitors print with movable type in the Tangut script.
Zhenbeibao Western Film Studio (镇北堡西部影城), a national 5A scenic area, is built in two ruined Ming and Qing border forts. The writer Zhang Xianliang (张贤亮) came across them in 1961 and introduced them to film-makers in the early 1980s. Films shot here include Red Sorghum (红高粱), A Chinese Odyssey (大话西游) and New Dragon Gate Inn (新龙门客栈), and more than 140 sets have been kept or copied.
Food and local products
The district sits at the core of the grape belt on the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, with 26 wineries built; Changyu Longyu (张裕龙谕酒庄) and Zhihui Yuanshi (志辉源石酒庄) are 4A scenic areas. Xixia also carries the title of China's home of Helan inkstones (贺兰砚).
Highlights
- Western Xia Mausoleums 西夏陵: Nine imperial and 271 satellite tombs below the Helan Mountains; national protected site since 1988.
- Zhenbeibao Western Film Studio 镇北堡西部影城: Film sets in two Ming-Qing border forts, where Red Sorghum was shot; national 5A scenic area.
- Helan Mountains 贺兰山: Range on the Inner Mongolia border reaching about 3,000 m in the district, main peak Matipo.
- Changyu Longyu winery 张裕龙谕酒庄: One of the district's 4A-rated wineries on the eastern Helan foothills.
- Helan inkstone 贺兰砚: Xixia is titled China's home of Helan inkstones.
Sources for this guide
地理人口 · Xixia District People's Government, Yinchuan
简介 · Xixia District Culture, Tourism, Sports, Radio and Television Bureau
西夏陵 · Xixia District Culture, Tourism, Sports, Radio and Television Bureau
镇北堡西部影城 · Xixia District Culture, Tourism, Sports, Radio and Television Bureau
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Xixia District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Xixia District
Western Xia Imperial Tombs · 西夏陵Xixia Imperial Tombs西夏陵
The Xixia Imperial Tombs preserve the royal cemetery of the Tangut dynasty at the foot of the Helan Mountains. Their surviving rammed-earth cores were once parts of more elaborate buildings. Walled enclosures and the position of…
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Helan Mountain National Forest Park at Suyukou · 贺兰山国家森林公园苏峪口Helan Mountain National Forest Park at Suyukou贺兰山国家森林公园苏峪口
Helan Mountain National Forest Park at Suyukou gives visitors access to a mountain landscape west of Yinchuan, where forested valleys contrast with bare rock and the plain below.
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Entrance to Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio.Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio镇北堡西部影城
Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio uses the rough earth walls and frontier-town setting of Zhenbeibu as a backdrop for cinema. Films including Red Sorghum and A Chinese Odyssey were shot here. The appeal lies in recognising sets…
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AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Gunzhongkou Scenic Area滚钟口
Gunzhongkou is a managed mountain visitor area in Yinchuan’s Xixia District, on the eastern side of the Helan Mountains.
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Winery Visits on the Eastern Helan Foothills · 贺兰山东麓酒庄参访Winery Visits on the Eastern Helan Foothills贺兰山东麓酒庄参访
The eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains form a wine-growing landscape with vineyards and independently operated wineries.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Xixia District is about 6 km in a straight line from central Yinchuan. Search for 西夏区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Xixia Imperial Tombs and Helan Mountain National Forest Park at Suyukou 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.
Photo: Xixia Imperial Tombs · xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
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Photo: Helan Mountain National Forest Park at Suyukou · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio · 261026CQ · CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Winery Visits on the Eastern Helan Foothills · Source photographer · License not provided. 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.