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Our Ning-xia vacation started in Yin-Chuan so
we could see a part of the Great Wall 1000 KM (600 miles) away from the
famous Beijing sections.
Our guide Jonathon (above with Andrew) said bricks were still there when
he was a child, but they are now all gone, allowing the wind and rain to
take their toll. In this picture you can see at least four towers (two
above their heads), plus the extra-large signal tower they are on. The
fourth person (below left) is our friend Alistair, a teacher from
Scotland
who traveled with us. (Click here for photos from
our 2004 visit to Alistair in Scotland.) |
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To
give you an idea of the size of these man-made packed-earth towers, that's Andrew
waving his arms (below) on the same "hill" that is behind the foursome and
"under" Andrew and Jonathon above.
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| Blue skies
and blazing sunshine followed us from the Great Wall to the famous He-lan
mountains, home to hundreds of rock carvings that date back 5000 years.
Experts read many possible meanings into the intriguing forms--though
Andrew is sure at least some of the scratchings are just the way ancient
kids drew the BIG bugs that pestered us during the visit! |
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The beautiful
structure below was in Yin-chuan's public park, while the enchanting park
at the right was in Zhong-wei (three hours down the Yellow River near
Sha-po-tou). The curvaceous roof of Zhong-wei's 15th century temple is
about the only thing that survived a 1942 fire.
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| Huge water
wheels like these distant ones (bottom left) were used for centuries to
irrigate the land. Like most Chinese cities, Yin-chuan also has a
beautiful bell tower (bottom right). |
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Yin-chuan's main tourist attraction (above) is the dirt remains of
once-elaborate 1000-year-old Royal Tombs. The Xia Dynasty was one of the
last Chinese kingdoms to fall under the heavy hand of the Mongols (Genghis
Khan). The Silk Road brought Islam to the minority Hui people who make up
a significant proportion of Ning-xia Province (the city's biggest Mosque
is pictured). Finally, Alistair and Andrew relax during our 13-hour train
ride back to Xi'an.
(The
delta ∆ marks photos
by Alistair.) |
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Click here to see more vacation photos
of nearby "Sha-po-tou,"
and
click here for Vivian's description of our vacation.
There are also a few worth-reading reflections on the summer in our
monthly update for summer 2003.
The Chinese-language website for Ning-xia is
www.nxtour.com.cn |
