Yinchuan History & Culture

The Shuidonggou Paleolithic site, dating back 30,000 to 40,000 years, is the earliest known human settlement in the Yinchuan area. After the Qin Dynasty unified China into 36 prefectures, Yinchuan was part of the Beidi Prefecture. In 1001, during the Song Dynasty, Li Jiqian, the leader of the Tangut people, conquered the entire Yinchuan Plain and moved his headquarters to Lingzhou. Li Yuanhao established the Western Xia Dynasty, with its capital at Xingqing Prefecture. During the Ming Dynasty, Ningxia Garrison was established, comprising seven guards and implementing a combined military and administrative system. The Qing Dynasty reformed it into Ningxia Prefecture, governing prefectures and counties. In 1954, Ningxia Province was abolished, and Yinchuan City became the seat of the Yinchuan Special District of Gansu Province. In October 1958, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was established, with Yinchuan City as its capital. Yinchuan City is a major central city in Northwest China, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, and a significant energy industry base and advanced manufacturing base in Northwest China, as approved by the State Council. It is also a national garden city, historically known for its "seventy-two connected lakes," and now praised as the "lake city beyond the Great Wall." Within its borders are famous historical sites and cultural relics from the Western Xia period, such as the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, and the Shuidonggou Paleolithic cultural site.