Live Your Best Lives
A Chinese Odyssey is a timeless classic, and the love story between Zhizunbao and Zixia has left many people with a lasting impression. So why are we talking about A Chinese Odyssey today? Because we have a big surprise for you! Let the Moonlight Treasure Box transport you to Yinchuan, the filming location for A Chinese Odyssey, and experience the scenes from the film firsthand. Let me take you on a seven-day tour of Yinchuan, the filming location for A Chinese Odyssey.
Before we go on a tour, I would like to introduce Yinchuan to you. After all, although Yinchuan is the capital of Ningxia, it has always been quite low-key and its presence is not particularly high. There must be many of you who don’t know much about it.
Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is located in the northwest of my country, with the Yellow River flowing through it. The city is related to the Silk Road and the Western Development. It is also a national historical and cultural city, and is known as the "Pearl on the Frontier" and "Jiangnan on the Frontier".
Just reading the introduction, you may still be wondering where Yinchuan is located. Then please take a look at the map below~
Now that we have a basic understanding of Yinchuan, let's start with food, entertainment, and how to best plan a 7-day trip to Yinchuan. (Reminder: Yinchuan has a large Muslim population and people don't eat pork, so be respectful and follow local customs.)
Specific route: Yinchuan Downtown Drum Tower - South Gate Square - Lanshan Park - China-Arab Axis
Yinchuan Drum Tower, also known as the "Cross Drum Tower" and the "Four Drum Tower", is located in the old city and is one of the busiest places in the city. Next to it is a pedestrian street where you can go shopping and eat delicious food. It is also a good choice for landmark check-in.
Tips:
Price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Transportation: Take bus No. 1, 11, 12, or 34 to Gulou Station
After visiting the Drum Tower, you can walk about a kilometer to the South Gate Tower, a landmark in Yinchuan. Also known as the "Nanxun Tower," it stands 27.5 meters tall, with a brick-clad platform 7 meters high, 88 meters long, and 24.5 meters wide. A north-south arched doorway runs in the center of the platform. Symmetrical steps lead up to the north side of the doorway, flanking each side. The building boasts a rigorous structure, colorfully painted eaves, and red walls and green tiles, creating a majestic aura. It's often called the "Little Tiananmen Gate."
Tips:
Ticket price: 5 yuan per person
Opening hours: 09:00-18:00
Reference time: less than 1 hour
Transportation: Take bus No. 3, 12, 19, 20, or 28 and get off at "Nanmen Square" stop.
Many people may not know Lanshan Park. While it's a relatively unknown attraction, it has two captivating features. First, the stands are reminiscent of an ancient Roman Colosseum, allowing you to take photos and pretend you've arrived in Rome. Second, it's the perfect spot for watching the sunset. The park's sunset viewing platform is reminiscent of a football field, with only half of the stands visible, leaving the other half open for unobstructed views of the sunset.
Tips:
Admission: Free
Opening hours: All day
Reference time: 1 hour
Transportation: Take bus No. 13, 34, or 201 and get off at Huabohui Station. Then walk 900 meters to arrive.
This landmark building is located in the Yuehai Bay CBD of Yinchuan, Ningxia. The scenic path, 2,100 meters long and 58 meters wide, features an Islamic pavilion, a water feature, large sculptures, and green belts. This renowned Sino-Arab Axis commemorates the great friendship between China and Arab countries. The entire park is imbued with Islamic charm and is a truly beautiful sight.
Tips:
Price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Recommended play time: 1 hour
Tip: The Sino-Arab Axis is most beautiful at night; it's truly magical. The lights go out after 10:30 PM, so you can book a taxi there in time.
Specific route: First visit Yinchuan Film and Television City, Helan Mountain Rock Paintings, and Western Xia Tombs, then stay overnight in Zhongwei
I'm sure 90% of people who know Yinchuan and want to visit it are drawn to its film and television city. As the filming location for "A Chinese Odyssey," many people want to experience the "birthplace" of Fairy Zixia and Supreme Treasure. It's also known as the Hollywood of the East. For true film enthusiasts, every inch of this land is a source of nostalgia. Strolling through it, you'll find many scenes you've seen on TV, and even a fleeting memory will rekindle that most delicate memory.
In addition to "A Chinese Odyssey", there are many other familiar movies, including "Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang", "Red Sorghum", "New Dragon Inn", etc.
Film and Television City Location
Tips:
Ticket price: 100 yuan/person (including the Ming and Qing cities and the old Yinchuan street), half price for primary and secondary school students with valid ID, half price for college students and seniors aged 60-69 with valid ID, free for children under 1.2 meters in height and seniors over 70 with valid ID.
Opening Hours:
Peak season (April 15th - October 15th) 8:00-18:00
Off-season (October 16th - April 14th of the following year) 8:30-17:30
Suitable season for travel: May to October, the weather is suitable, cool and windy
Recommended play time: 3-4 hours
transportation:
Zhenbeibao Western Film and Television City is located in the open wilderness in the northwest suburbs of Yinchuan City, 35 kilometers away from Yinchuan City.
1. There are minibuses that go directly to the film and television city near the Nanguan Mosque in Yinchuan City. The first bus is around 7:00 and the last bus is around 17:00. The bus runs about every ten minutes. The whole journey takes about 1 hour and the fare is about 8 yuan.
2. Direct bus to Ningxia tourist attractions:
Direct buses to the film and television city have been opened at the Yinchuan Railway Station Tourism Distribution Center (Jinfeng District) and Xinyue Square (Xingqing District). There are multiple trips per day, with more trips during holidays and fewer trips in winter. Buses run all year round.
The Helan Mountain rock paintings are distributed on the eastern foot of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, and the Helan Mountains are located northwest of Yinchuan. The location is as shown in the figure below:
The Helan Mountains are rich in natural resources, with over 500 species of wild plants alone. The abundant forest and grassland resources provide food for many animals, creating a grazing area for blue sheep that descend the mountain to forage, and also giving rise to the "Hometown of Camels in China" and "Hometown of Tan Sheep in China" on both sides of the mountain.
In ancient times, the Helan Mountains were a place where northern ethnic minorities, including the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Turks, Uighurs, Tubo, and Dangxiang, settled, hunted, and lived. These ancient northern ethnic minorities carved scenes of their daily lives into the rocks of the Helan Mountains, expressing their yearning for and pursuit of a better life and recreating their aesthetic values, social customs, and interests.
Among the numerous Helan Mountain rock paintings, the most representative is the one depicting the Sun God, reflecting ancient humans' worship of the sun. Besides the rock paintings, the blue sheep that live on the cliffs of the Helan Mountains are also worth seeing.
Tips:
Tickets: Adult ticket: RMB 70; Free ticket: Children 1.3 meters tall and below, seniors 65 years and above, retirees, disabled people, active military personnel, and journalists with valid ID.
Opening hours: 08:00-18:30 (April 1st - October 31st); 09:00-17:00 (November 1st - March 31st of the following year)
Reference time: 1-3 hours
Suitable season for travel: April to October
transportation:
Direct bus to Ningxia tourist attractions: Yinchuan Railway Station Tourist Distribution Center (Jinfeng District), Xinyue Square (Xingqing District), departs year-round, with multiple daily departures and increased frequency on holidays. The one-way fare is 15 yuan.
The Western Xia Tombs are the mausoleums of the successive dynasties of the Western Xia emperors and the royal family. They are located west of Yinchuan City, Ningxia, with the Helan Mountains to the west and the Yinchuan Plain to the east. The specific location is as shown in the figure below.
It was influenced by Buddhist architecture, organically combining Han culture, Buddhist culture and Dangxiang culture, forming a unique form of mausoleum architecture in my country.
Among China's 119 national key scenic spots, the Western Xia Tombs is the only one dedicated to a single imperial mausoleum. There are nine mausoleums, large and small, scattered throughout the site. These tombs are not particularly lavish, but rather rounded and hillock-like, offering a rather unpretentious aesthetic.
Tips:
Price: 75 yuan/person, including the Western Xia Museum, the Western Xia History and Art Museum, the Western Xia Stele Forest, the site of the No. 3 Tomb, and the ruins of the Twin Tomb (Tomb No. 1 and No. 2).
The round trip battery car ticket is 20 yuan.
Students and active military personnel receive half-price tickets.
Opening hours: 08:00~18:00
Recommended play time: 3-4 hours
Suitable season for travel: May to October
Tips:
The Western Xia Royal Tombs scenic area is quite large and requires a battery car to visit.
transportation:
1. From April 20th to October 20th (not operating at other times), take the Yinchuan Tourist Bus Route 1 (Yunlan 1) from Xinyue Square in downtown Yinchuan to the Western Xia Royal Tombs. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes and costs 8 yuan per person. Departures are at 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM daily, with return departures at 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM. On weekends and holidays, additional departures may be added, depending on passenger volume, starting at 9:30 AM. The last return departure is at 2:00 PM.
2. Take bus No. 1, 2, 4, or 18 in Yinchuan to the railway station, and then charter a car to the destination. The price is about 40 yuan per car.
3. There are buses to the Western Xia Tombs from Yinchuan Tourist Bus Station (Beimen Bus Station) every day. The departure times are 8:30 and 9:30, and the return times are 13:30 and 15:30. The fare is 9 yuan per person and the journey takes about 70 minutes.
4. Direct bus to Ningxia tourist attractions:
There are direct buses to the Western Xia Tombs Scenic Area from Yinchuan Railway Station Tourism Distribution Center (Jinfeng District) and Xinyue Square (Xingqing District) all year round. There are multiple buses every day, and the frequency will increase during holidays. Buses run all year round.
Tour route: Spend a day in Shapotou, Zhongwei, and then return to Yinchuan city for a stroll.
Since the hit TV series "Where Are We Going, Dad?" aired, Shapotou has become a popular destination. Located in Zhongwei, Ningxia, Shapotou combines the desert, the Yellow River, high mountains, and an oasis, offering the majestic beauty of Northwest China and the graceful scenery of the Yangtze River Delta. It boasts China's largest natural sand-slide course, the "First Yellow River Cableway in the World" that spans the Yellow River, ancient waterwheels representing Yellow River culture, sheepskin rafts, the oldest means of transportation on the river, and rare mirages in the desert.
In Shapotou, you can ride a camel across the Tengger Desert, take an off-road vehicle to surf on the sand sea, and appreciate the wonders of lonely smoke in the desert and the sunset over the long river at a close distance. It is definitely worth the trip.
The following is the location of Shapotou
Tips:
Tickets: Adults (peak season): 100 RMB; Zhongwei residents (regardless of peak or off-season): 10 RMB (April 1st - October 31st)
Half-price ticket: Students and children with valid ID
Adults (off-season): RMB 65; Zhongwei residents (regardless of off-season): RMB 10 (November 1st - March 31st of the following year)
Half-price ticket: Students and children with valid ID
Opening hours: 08:30-18:00 (April 1st - October 31st)
09:00-17:00 (November 1st to March 31st of the following year)
Best time to visit: May to October
Reference time: 1 day
transportation:
Yinchuan-Zhongwei
Yinchuan South Bus Station has buses to Zhongwei every half hour between 8:00 and 18:00 every day. The ticket price is about 55 yuan and the whole journey takes about 3 hours. Station enquiry phone number: 0951-5613927
Zhongwei-Shapotou
There is a special bus from Zhongwei Bus Station to Shapotou Scenic Area, which runs every half hour and takes about 1 hour. The fare is about 5 yuan.
Taxi: If you take a taxi from Zhongwei city, the fare is about 30-40 yuan
Direct bus to Ningxia tourist attractions:
1. There are direct buses to Shapotou Scenic Area from Yinchuan Railway Station Tourist Distribution Center (Jinfeng District) and Xinyue Square (Xingqing District) all year round. There are multiple buses every day, and the frequency will increase during holidays. The bus runs all year round. The fare is 60 yuan for a one-way trip and 100 yuan for a round trip.
2. There are direct buses from Zhongwei Hotel to Shapotou Scenic Area all year round. There are multiple buses every day, and the frequency will increase during holidays. The bus runs all year round. The fare is 10 yuan for a one-way trip and 20 yuan for a round trip.
Tour route: Sand Lake - Shuidonggou
For southerners, water is common, and for northerners, sand is common. But have you ever seen a place where desert and lakes perfectly combine? Wetlands are common in the south, but can you imagine a lake in the middle of a desert?
The beauty of Shahu lies in its stark contrast: green water on one side, yellow sand on the other. The Ningxia Shahu Ecological Tourism Area is a tourist destination on the "Silk Road Post Station," blending the elegance of Jiangnan's water towns with the grandeur of the northern desert.
The location of Sand Lake is as follows:
Tips:
Tickets: Adults 120 yuan
Opening hours: 8:00 to 18:00
Recommended play time: 6-8 hours
Suitable season for travel: May to October
transportation:
1. Yinchuan North Gate Tourist Bus Station has opened a special line for Shahu tourism. The departure time is: from April 20 to October 20, with one bus leaving every half hour from 8:00 to 10:30 in the morning. The one-way fare is 15 yuan, the journey takes about 1 hour, and the return time is between 13:00 and 18:00.
2. Yinchuan Railway Station Tourism Distribution Center (Jinfeng District) and Xinyue Square (Xingqing District): Departure time is from March 25 to November 30, with multiple departures per day and increased departures on holidays.
3. You can take the shuttle bus to Dawukou, Huinong, Hongguozi, Rujigou, Longhu, Pingluo, Yaofu, Shahu and other places, passing through or going directly to Shahu. The bus departs from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For details and fares, please contact the ticket office of Beimen Tourist Bus Station.
The Shuidonggou Scenic Area in Ningxia is China's earliest excavated Paleolithic cultural site. It is hailed as "the birthplace of Chinese prehistoric archaeology and a historical witness to cultural exchange between China and the West." It has been listed by the state as one of the "100 most significant archaeological discoveries of Chinese civilization." Its numerous unique landscapes document the continuous trajectory of human activity dating back 30,000 years.
The specific location of Shuidonggou is as follows:
Tips:
Tickets: Adult ticket 60 yuan, adult ticket pass 240 yuan
Opening hours: Peak season: 8:00-18:00, Off-season: 8:00-17:30
Recommended play time: 3-4 hours
Suitable season for travel: May to October
transportation:
Shuidonggou is located in Shuidonggou Village, Linhe Town, Lingwu City, Ningxia. It is a scenic spot on the east bank of the Yellow River, 19 kilometers away from Yinchuan City.
Shuttle bus: There are buses going directly to Shuidonggou from Yinchuan Beimen Tourist Bus Station at 8:30 am and 2:30 pm. Please note that the return time is sometimes not fixed. The specific time needs to be confirmed with the driver after getting on the bus.
Ningxia Tourist Scenic Area Through Bus: Yinchuan Railway Station Tourism Distribution Center (Jinfeng District) and Crescent Square (Xingqing District) have direct buses to Shuidonggou Scenic Area throughout the year. There are multiple buses every day, and the frequency will increase during holidays. The bus departs throughout the year and the one-way fare is 15 yuan.
Food Route: Hand-Pulled Lamb - Eight Treasure Tea
Lao Mao Shou Zha is the only restaurant in Ningxia's Shou Zha specialty restaurant industry that has survived to this day, boasting a nearly century-old history. Its unique facade exudes a rich Islamic style, allowing visitors to savor the delicious food while appreciating the exquisite Hui customs.
Lao Mao Shou Zhua has many branches in Yinchuan, you can choose any one of them. The main store is not far from the Drum Tower.
Address: No. 93, Jiefang East Street, Xingqing District, Yinchuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Generally, the tea prepared before meals is "Eight Treasures Tea." It uses tea as a base, with rock sugar, Ningxia wolfberries, red dates, walnut kernels, etc. It tastes sweet and delicious, nourishes the lungs, and clears the throat.
In addition to restaurants, it is also sold in supermarkets and street shops in Yinchuan, making it very suitable as a souvenir to bring back to friends and family.
Food Route: Yinchuan Mutton Noodles and Steamed Buns – Huaiyuan Night Market
Although mutton soup with steamed bun originated in Xi'an, the mutton soup with steamed bun in Yinchuan has been improved. The mutton used is Tan sheep, which has a stronger flavor. For Yinchuan people, a good morning starts with a bowl of mutton soup with steamed bun.
Liangyixuan Pao Mo is a time-honored restaurant in Yinchuan. Its mutton Pao Mo is cooked delicately, with fat but not greasy meat, suitable for people of all ages.
Address: City Center, Xingqing District, Yinchuan
Huaiyuan Night Market is located to the west of Zone B of Ningxia University in Xixia District, Yinchuan City, Ningxia. Originally it was just a grocery market. Over the years, with the gathering of students from all over the country, it has gradually grown into a place where delicacies from all over the world are gathered together.
Here you can find the Imperial Beef Patties that were once recommended by CCTV and Hunan TV, as well as various barbecues, seafood, pancakes, drinks, fruits, etc.
Food Route: Lamb Noodles – Spicy Paste
The old papaya noodles are very famous in Yinchuan, and many people come here just to try them. The noodles in the restaurant are good, and the roasted lamb back is a Ningxia specialty, authentic Yanchi lamb.
I recommend the lamb trotters, which are authentic Northwest flavor, soft and chewy.
Recommended dishes: Lamb noodles, lamb trotters, spiced chicken gizzards, lamb neck, and large-bodied lamb
Location: West of the intersection on the north side of Tongxin Road
For authentic Ningxia people, you may not have eaten mutton offal, but you must have eaten "spicy porridge". Spicy porridge first appeared in the 1980s. There are 1-2 shops around every school that specialize in this snack. It was a favorite during school days.
You can choose any store nearby according to your own travel situation, the taste will not be bad~
In addition to the above must-try delicacies, Ningxia’s spicy strips are also a dish that can be bought not only in snack streets but also in restaurants. They are super delicious.
There are also Yinchuan's wolfberry, red dates, cold noodles, lamb, sand onions, Xixia beer, hot pot, mutton offal, and mutton noodles. These are all famous local delicacies. You can choose to taste them according to your taste.
By now, have you all been on a journey through Yinchuan with me? Are you feeling even more excited and yearning for this mysterious city in the northwest? Do you also want to visit the film and television city and experience the same place where Monkey King and Zixia Fairy once stood? Do you also want to go sandboarding at Shapotou, where you once played in the TV series "Where Are We Going, Dad?" Do you also want to enjoy a bowl of steaming, fragrant mutton noodles?
So what are you still hesitating about? It’s better to act than to think. Hurry up and plan your trip to Yinchuan, my friend!
