Ningxia (;
Postal map spelling: Ningsia), full name
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (), is a
Hui autonomous region of the
People's Republic of China, located on the
northwest Loess highland, the
Yellow River flows through a vast area of its land. The
Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary. Ningxia is the home of the
Hui, one of the officially recognized
Nationalities of China. The capital of the region is
Yinchuan.
Ningxia is bounded by
Shaanxi and
Gansu provinces and
Inner Mongolia autonomous region and has an area of 66,400 sq km.
Formerly a
province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was detached and reconstituted as an autonomous region for the Hui people in 1958. In 1969, Ningxia received a part of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, but this area was returned in 1979. It is nearly coextensive with the ancient kingdom of the
Tangut people, whose capital was captured by
Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. The region is mostly desert and is sparsely settled, but the vast plain of the Yellow River in the north has been irrigated for centuries; over the years an extensive system of canals has been built. Desert and grazing land make up most of the area. Extensive
land reclamation and
irrigation projects have increased cultivation. The northern section, through which the Yellow River flows, is the best agricultural land. One railroad, linking
Lanzhou with
Baotou, crosses the region. A highway has been built across the Yellow River at Yinchuan.
History
Ningxia and its surrounding areas were incorporated into the
Qin Dynasty as early as the third century BCE. Throughout the
Han Dynasty and the
Tang Dynasty there were several large cities established in the region, and by the eleventh century the
Tangut tribe had established the
Western Xia Dynasty on the outskirts of the then
Song Dynasty.
It then came under
Mongol domination after
Genghis Khan conquered
Yinchuan in the early thirteenth century. After the Mongols departed and its influences faded, some Turkic-speaking Muslims also began moving into Ningxia from the west. In the
Muslim Rebellion of the 19th century, twelve million non-Muslims were killed by the Hui Muslims for the purpose of developing a Muslim country on the western bank of the Yellow River (
Shaanxi,
Gansu and Ningxia (excluding the Xinjiang province)), around five million Hui Muslims in
Western China were killed by the
Qing authorities.
In 1914, Ningxia was merged with the
province of
Gansu; in 1928, however, it was detached and became a province. Between 1914 and 1928, the
Xibei San Ma brothers (literally "three Mas of the northwest") ruled the provinces of Qinghai, Ningxia and Gansu. In 1958, Ningxia formally became an
autonomous region of China. In 1969, Ningxia's border was extended to the north and acquired parts of the
Inner Mongolia autonomous region, but was reverted again in 1979.
Geography
Ningxia borders the provinces of
Shaanxi and
Gansu, and the
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Rivers that flow through Ningxia include the
Yellow River.
Ningxia is a relatively dry, desert-like region. There is significant
irrigation in order to support the growing of
wolfberries (a commonly consumed
fruit throughout the region).
Ningxia's deserts include the
Tengger desert in
Shapotou.
On
16 December 1920, the
Haiyuan earthquake, 8.6 magnitude, at , initiated a series of landslides that killed an estimated 200,000 people. Over 600 large
loess landslides created more than 40 new lakes.
In 2006, satellite images indicated that a 700 by 200-meter fenced area within Ningxia—5 km southwest of
Yinchuan, near the remote village of
Huangyangtan—is a near-exact 1:500 scale terrain model reproduction of a 450 by 350-kilometer area of
Aksai Chin bordering
India, complete with mountains, valleys, lakes and hills. Its purpose is as yet unknown.
Climate
The region is 1,200
km from the sea and has a
continental climate with average summer temperatures rising to between 17 and 24
°C in July and average winter temperatures dropping to between -7 and -10°C in January. Seasonal extreme temperatures can reach 39°C in summer and -30°C in winter. The
diurnal temperature variation in summer is 17°C. Annual rainfall averages from 190 to 700
millimeters, with more rain falling in the south of the region.
Environment
Governance
The politics of Ningxia is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in
mainland China.
The Chairman of the Autonomous Region is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Ningxia. However, in the Autonomous Region's dual party-government governing system, the Chairman has less power than the
Communist Party of China Ningxia Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Ningxia
CPC Party Chief".
Ningxia has a friendship agreement with
Sogn og Fjordane county of Norway.
Administrative divisionsNingxia is divided into five
prefecture-level cities:
Economy
Ningxia is the province with the third smallest GDP (
Tibet being the last) in the PRC. Its nominal GDP in 2008 was just 109.85 billion yuan (US$15.8 billion) and a per capita GDP of 17,892 yuan (US$2,576). It contributes 0.3% of the
national economy.
Ningxia is the principal region of China where
wolfberries are grown.
Yinchuan Economic and Technological Development Zone: established in 1992 spanning 32 km2, annual economic output Rmb23.7 billion (25.1% up) (US$3.5 billion) Major investors: Mainly local enterprises such as Kocel Steel Foundry, FAG Railway Bearing (Ningxia), Ningxia Little Giant Machine Tools, etc. Major industries: Machinery and equipment manufacturing, new materials, fine chemicals and the animation industry
Desheng Industrial Park (in
Helan County), is a base for about 400 enterprises. The industrial park has industrial chains from Muslim food and commodities to trade and logistics, new materials and bio-pharmaceuticals that has 80 billion yuan in fixed assets. Desheng is looking to be the most promising industrial park in the city. It achieved a total output value of 4.85 billion in 2008, up 40 percent year-on-year. The local government plans to cut taxes and other fees to reduce the burden on local enterprises. The industrial output value reached 2.68 billion yuan in 2008, an increase of 48 percent from a year earlier.
Transport
Airports
Highways
Bridge
Rail
Universities
See
List of universities and colleges in Ningxia Hospitals
- People's Hospital of Ningxia
- Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Ningxia
- Ningxia Medical College affiliated Hospital
- Yinchuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Yinchuan People's Hospital
- Yinchuan Stomatological Hospital
- Yinchuan Women and Children's Healthcare Center
- Women and Children's Healthcare Center of Ningixa
- Yinchuan No.1 People's Hospital
- Yinchuan No.2 People's Hospital
- Yinchuan No.3 People's Hospital
- Shizuishan No.2 People's Hospital
- Guyuan Hospital of Ningxia
Tourism
One of Ningxia's main tourist spots is the famous
Xixia Tombs site located 30 km west of
Yinchuan. The remnants of nine
Western Xia emperors' tombs and two hundred other tombs lie within a 50-
km² area. Other famous sites in Ningxia include
Helan Shan, the mysterious 108
dagobas, the twin
pagodas of
Baisikou and the desert research outpost at
Shapatou.
Museums
Gallery
