Shizuishan City (shí zuǐ shān shì 石嘴山市) which has 732,000 Population and 5,310 square kilometers (2,050 square miles) land size. Shizuishan City is located at the northern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (níng xià huí zú zì zhì qū 宁夏回族自治区), Shizuishan City neighbors Yinchuan (yín chuān 银川) in the south and Inner Mongolia (nèi méng gǔ 内蒙古) in the north with the Yellow River flowing along its east side. Map 

 

In the distant past, the ancients in this area used to live by hunting but then developed a wonderful pastoral civilization. In the Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝) (221BC-206BC), towns began to appear. The city was formerly called Shizuizi (shí zuǐ zǐ 石嘴子), and Shizuishan was named from the rocks where the Helan Mountains (hè lán shān 贺兰山) meets the Yellow River in the territory because they are in the shapes of projecting mouths.

Physical Features

Shizuishan is lying on the east of the Helan Mountains, the city is in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. It neighbors the Ordos Terrace in the east and Yinchuan Plain in the west. Therefore, mountain area, alluvial plain and terrace constitute the main landforms of the city.

 

Enjoying a temperate continental climate, Shizuishan is rich in sunshine. Summer is hot and short, while the winter is chilly and long. The weather is relatively dry all the year round, and the temperature varies greatly between day and night. The best time is September to October.

Special Local Products

Medlar, licorice root, Helan stone (hè lán shí 贺兰石), lamb skin.

 

Shahu Scenic Resort (shā hú 沙湖) which is located at 56 kilometers (35 miles) north of Yinchuan, the scenic area is a famous attraction combining South China water towns and desert landscape. The Sand Lake is a paradise of birds and fish.

 

 

From early times, it is where ancient northern minorities lived, multiplied and worked. They have chiseled the scenes of their living and production on rocks in Helan Mountain, which reproduces their social customs and life interests. Along the 124 miles long Helan Mountain interior place, covering over ten hill mouths ranging from north to south, there are over 20 groups of rock paintings which embrace over 10,000 paintings. They were said to be the masterpieces of Qiangrong (qiāng róng 羌容), Xianbei (xiān bēi 鲜卑), Xiongnu (xiōng nú 匈奴), Yuezhi (yuè zhì 月氏) and other minority groups who created them during Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) to West Xia (xī xià 西夏) Dynasty (1038-1227).   

 

The rock paintings are a true record of production development at a particular time. They reproduce the life scenes of ancient people such as livestock farming, war, entertainment, sacrifice and hunting. The animal patterns and abstraction symbol reveals the cultural connotation of nature worship, totem worship and fertility worship. The human figure images are simple and bizarre. Some wear cocked hats, some are stuck with feathers on the head, some wear headgears and some wear hair buns. The animal figures are vivid and lifelike. There are running deer, galloping horse, dogs wagging tails, and the image of beasts such as the leopard has proved that the animal once lived in this place.

 

The rock painting of Helan Mountain is the treasure house of researching Chinese culture history, primitive art history as well as religious history. Helan Mountain is a good place for sightseeing and seeking ancient mystery.

 

 

Lying at the east foot of the Helan Mountains, this ecological tourist zone is made up of a forest park, the building complex of Beiwudang Temple (běi wǔ dāng sì 北武当寺), a geopark, valley and ancient tree fossils. 

 

 

Shizuishan is 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Xining (xī níng 西宁), and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Yinchuan Hedong Airport (yín chuān hé dōng jī chǎng 银川河东机场). From the Dawukou Bus Station (dà wǔ kǒu chē zhàn 大武口车站), there are many buses departing to Yinchuan every few minutes. In addition, buses to the Yinchuan Hedong Airport are also available here. Buses from Dawukou (dà wǔ kǒu 大武口) to the Sand Lake depart every an hour.