Ningxia is located in the northwest, with the Yellow River flowing through a vast area of its land. It covers a total area of 66,000 square kilometers and has a population of 5.62 million, one third of which are Hui minorities.

Ning is the short shortened form for the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, with Yinchuan as its capital city. The Yellow River flows through its northern part. It has a long history of diverting water from the Yellow River for irrigation. As far back as some 2,000 years ago, the people in this area had taken advantage of the unique natural conditions to dig canals to divert the water into farmland. There are crisscrossed irrigation channels, the fertile soil, high yield rice and wheat, delicious and sweet watermelon and fruit on the Yinchuan Plain.

These make the Yinchuan Plain known as "the lush southern-type fields in the northern frontier; land teeming with fish and rice". The resources of coal and gypsum hold an important position in China.

Ningxia has a long history. There are a lot of historic relics. The places of interest are Ming-Dynasty (1368-1644) Great Wall at the Sanguan Pass, Mausoleums of Western Xia Kingdom (Chinese Pyramids), the Haibao Pagoda, the Nanguan Muslim Mosque, the Chengtian Temple, and 108 towers in the Qingtong Gorge, etc.

The varied landforms in the province provide a multitude of tourist resources and places of interest. There are oases as well as deserts. Helan Mountain is in the northwest, and the Liupan Mountain range runs through the south part of the province.

One of Ningxia's main tourist spot is the famous Xixia Tomb located 30 kilometers west of Yinchuan. There are the tombs of 9 emperors of the Xixia dynasty and 200 other tombs from that era. Other famous sites in Ningxia include Helan Shan, the mysterious 108 Dagobas and the Twin Pagodas of Baisikou.

The winters are cold and short while the summers are hot and short. The temperature is the lowest in January, ranging from -10C to -7C and highest in July, where it reaches? 17C to 24C. Annual rainfall averages from 190-700 millimeters. The best time to visit Ningxia should be between May and October.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-km 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.