[The Great Land of China Series]Blockade of Jiangnan – Ningxia (Photo) – Silk Road – Xixia – Cultural Talk – Shao Yurou – KanChina.com

Ningxia, located on the “Silk Road”, is an important transportation and trade channel between the east and west. The picture shows the Chengtian Temple Pagoda in Yinchuan, Ningxia. (Fanghong/wiki/CC BY 3.0)

lie in”silk road“UpNingxia, has been an important channel for transportation and trade between the east and west since ancient times.The resources here are rich and preciousXixiaCultural relics, beautiful fortress scenery, and rich poetry culture make Ningxia one of the most charming cities.

Tired of your concrete jungle living space? You might as well come to this vast and mysterious land and quietly feel the prosperity and glory of the past. Amidst the ringing of camel trains and the flying geese in the sky, you can savor the magnificent picture unique to Ningxia.

Guanzhong barrier river throat

Ningxia is located in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River and at the junction of the desert and the Loess Plateau. It is adjacent to Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi and other places. It has been a frontier fortress in the northern part of the Central Plains since ancient times. It has the reputation of “Guanzhong Barrier, River Throat” and strategic Status is very important.

In addition to being an important channel connecting the eastern and western regions, Ningxia is also an important transportation and trade hub on the “Silk Road”. The “Ancient Xixia Kingdom” chose to establish its dynasty center here.

The center of the ancient Xixia Kingdom

Historically, Ningxia has always been a battleground between the Central Plains and Mongolia. The most legendary one is the “Ancient Xixia Kingdom” established by the Hui aristocrats with Yinchuan as their capital in the late Tang Dynasty.

Due to its location as an economic and military fortress, the “Ancient Xixia Kingdom” was once prosperous. In addition to adding a lot of vitality to the barren desert, it also left a glorious historical mark of literature, art, and superb science and technology. The infinite reverie of future generations.

A place steeped in classical poetry

Ningxia is also a cultural city steeped in poetry, where literati from past dynasties have left many immortal poems.

“The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting over the long river” comes from “Envoy to the Fortress” by Wang Wei, a pastoral poet of the Tang Dynasty. It describes the desolate and boundless desert scene in the northwest. In the boundless desert, a wisp of smoke from the beacon tower rises straight into the sky, highlighting the desert’s otherworldly, perseverance and courageous spirit.

In the poem “Sending Lingwu to Lu Pan Shangshu”, Wei Chan, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, highly praised Ningxia, which is “south of the Yangtze River and north of the Great Wall” with “hundreds of flowing canals and forests of fruit trees”. More importantly, “the orchards at the foot of Helan Mountain” As a result, these two poems give people a clearer understanding of “Ningxia Saibei Jiangnan” – “Ningxia Saibei Jiangnan is old famous”.

The beautiful scenery of “Fortress Jiangnan”

Many people’s impression of Ningxia is desert, sunset, and frontier fortress. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The vast desert oasis, the continuous sand waves of the Tengger Desert, and the Xixia royal tombs known as the “Oriental Pyramids”… these are all unique to Ningxia. cultural and natural landscapes.

Due to Ningxia’s unique geographical location, the climate here has four distinct seasons. The loess hills, the green rice in the water town, the golden sands of the desert, and the green willows and red flowers are magically blended together, making it picturesque and poetic. Many people may not know that in addition to mutton, wolfberry, and selenium melon, Ningxia rice is also a major feature here. The rice cooked with Ningxia rice is crystal clear, sweet and smooth, and is known as “Shuofang Gong Rice.”