Dating back to AD 678 it has long been a major trading centre for North West China. Even early 20th century accounts talk of the city's great walls watched by garrisons of troops, long trains of camels coming in from the desert, flocks of sheep and goats being traded at bustling markets and narrow alleys between mud-walled buildings crowded with merchants. Yinchuan today is a modern, bright city with a rapidly changing skyline increasingly of high-rise buildings.

　　Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, located between Inner Mongolia and Gansu Province, is rich in historic remains and cultural diversity. Occupying an environmentally difficult area, settlement has been achieved through stabilising the edges of the Tengger Desert and controlling the northward flowing Yellow River for irrigation and power.

　　Fascinated by the stories of early travellers along the Silk Road I have twice visited Ningxia, not by camel as early travellers did, but by modern train from Beijing. Known in ancient Chinese history as the Xixia (Western Xia) Kingdom it was also called the Mythical Kingdom on the Silk Road? Although not well documented it did conquer a large part of northern China. Eventually Genghis Khan's warriors overran it. The area was renamed Ningxia or Peaceful Xia?

　　Present day Ningxia was established on 25 October 1958 as China's only provincial level Hui autonomous region. The Hui, mainly living in Northwest China, are Moslem and number over 9,000,000. They rank fourth among China's 56 ethnic groups. Ningxia with a total population of 5,000,000 has 1,700,000 Huis - about 34%. Their origins go back to Persian and Central Asian traders who followed the Silk Road along the Hexi Corridor during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Some settled in the Ningxia area, married local Han Chinese and established the roots of today's community.

　　Their religious beliefs mixed with long-established folk customs create unique practices in daily life such as dress, food, hygiene, weddings and funerals. Mostly speaking Chinese they use Arabic in their scriptures. Men wear white circular caps. Older men often have long tapered grey beards. Unmarried women wear green headscarves; married women wear black and older women wear white.Ningxia's capital, Yinchuan, is described as one of China's most pleasant cities? Its name translates as tilver Spring?- a reference to deposits of salt left behind after periodic floods of the Yellow River.

　　Dating back to AD 678 it has long been a major trading centre for North West China. It offered travellers safety, food and water before setting off againsintosthe desert. Even early 20th century accounts talk of the city's great walls watched by garrisons of troops, long trains of camels coming in from the desert, flocks of sheep and goats being traded at bustling markets and narrow alleys between mud-walled buildings crowded with merchants.

　　Today there are two cities 8 kms apart. A new settlement (xin cheng) has been built around the railway station. For today's traveller the old town (lao cheng) holds most interest. Some sections of its former walls and gates still stand including the 400-year-old traditionally tiered Yuhuang Pavilion, the Drum Tower (gulou) and the South Gate (nan men lou). Known as the local Tiananmen the latter is complete with a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong, viewing stands and messages proclaiming Long Live the People's Republic. In the evening many of the city's prominent buildings are outlined in coloured lights. The main square, very pleasant in warm summer evenings, has an illuminated fountain. Its trees are bathed in green lights

　　Being the capital of a Moslem region, the city's main mosque, Nanguan Qingzhen Si, is naturally an important building. Unlike those in eastern China, which appear similar to Buddhist temples, this one is more Middle Eastern in style, with Islamic arches and green tiled dome roofs. Fountains decorate its relaxing courtyard gardens. I was privileged to sit inside the carpeted main prayer hall with a Moslem girl who explained to me in English about the beliefs and lives of the local people. I noticed the walls were decorated with many carpets depicting scenes from Mecca. Outside were bathhousesswheresthe faithful could wash before attending services.

　　To find out more about the region and the lifestyle of the Hui I visited the fascinating Regional Museum. It occupies the tree-shaded grounds of a monastery dominated by the 11th century Chengtian (Heaven Sustaining) Pagoda. One of its halls illustrated religious activities, marriage customs, clothing, headgear and drinking tea - an important activity in Ningxia. It also included models of houses. Another hall was devoted to pictographs found on the Helan Mountains.

　　Ningxia has benefited from central government policies for developing the western regions. China wants the rapid economic growth found in the eastern coastal provinces to help the poorer northwestern regions. Ningxia is twinned with Fujian. This leads to exchange programmes and considerable provincial government inward investment especially for infrastructure development.

　　Yinchuan today is a modern, bright city with a rapidly changing skyline increasingly of high-rise buildings. There have been many environmental improvements since my first visit such as new pavements, modern street lighting and attractive city centre parks. Tall cranes show more construction is underway. Shoppers who used to frequent traditional street markets now crowdsintosnew retail developments on pedestrianised Gulou Jie such as the massive Xinhua Centre or brand-name fashion stores and consumer goods outlets. The young people of Yinchuan are just as fashion-conscious as those in Beijing or Shanghai.

　　In the evening the city's streets are given over to night markets and food stalls offering local specialities. Along Zhongshan Nan Jie skewers of lamb sprinkled with red ground spices (paprika) and curry powder were being grilled over charcoal fires. Potatoes and Yellow River carp were fried in woks over portable fan assisted stoves. Several times I was offered samples of local yoghurt. The aroma, atmosphere and colour of these night markets created unforgettable memories for me.

　　Dining in Yinchuan is a pleasant experience whether at the street stalls or at the growing number of excellent restaurants. One, based on a Song Dynasty (960-1297) theme, served delicious soup prepared in great cauldrons for 12 hours. A new Moslem restaurant had walls beautifully decorated with drawings inlaid with local stones. Window curtains featured Islamic crescents and stars. After many starters, I had peanuts mixed with chicken and vegetables served in a bowl formed from corn. Sweet corn with pine seeds, prawns with duck, and seafood followed this. The food was so beautifully served up that it seemed a pity to eat it!

　　Just outside the city is the North Pagoda (haibao ta si or tea Treasure Pagoda?. A wooden thirteen-tier structure whose bells sound like the music of heaven? it dates back to the 5th century. Destroyed in an earthquake in 1739 it was rebuilt in 1771 to its original design. In its pleasant gardens gentle music played as strolling monks and nuns in yellow robes chanted prayers while fingering beads. The main hall, which houses a large reclining Buddha, was being renovated with new woodwork and statues.

　　Climbing to the top of the pagoda I looked across a spread of fishponds and vegetable fields towards the skyline of the city and thought how much had changed since my first visit in 1997.

　　Since that visit several expressways have been built around Yinchuan. One led out of the city, over the Yellow River Bridge and past the recently completed Donghe Airport. Agriculture in the river valley is quite intensive. Rice is cultivated although cold winter weather does restrict the harvest to one each year. To conserve water some arable farming takes place under plastic sheets. Along roads parallel to the expressway giant lay (cut grass) stacks?were being transported by tractor-hauled carts. The road climbed up onto a plateau of arid yellow-brown desert scenery -mainly flat surfaces and steep slopes. I followed a dirt track leading across an almost dry river valley towards the base of a steep cliff. On top stretched the crumbling remains of a section of the Great Wall. Scrambling up a steep gully I reached the Wall. A short climb then took me to the top of a former beacon tower. The excellent visibility revealed a landscape of sandy, grey wastelands with no contemporary habitation and only the scantiest hint of vegetation. To the east lay the wilderness of the Mu Us Shamo (desert) and the border of Inner Mongolia. In the distance were long chuan feng?or dragon twisting winds - dust twisters. They appeared to be heading in my direction. Inevitably a sandstorm broke outswheresI was standing with swirling dust literally getting everywhere - unforgettable!

　　A short distance from Yinchuan is the extensive and unique Shahu or tand Lake? Formed when water from an irrigation canal seepedsintosthe desert it has been developed since 1990 as a tourist attraction. From its car park I headed by speedboat through tall reeds and across the lake to a dock beneath a wall of sand dunes. There on the beach was a restaurantswheresI had lunch. Several staff wore Mongolian costumes while some women had veils over their faces. Local Ningxia food included a type of meatball soup, Land onions?(sha cong) and tasty mustard on shredded vegetables called Lover's Tear?- it certainly brought tears to my eyes!

　　The park had many amusements and thrills such as harnesses for people to be bounced upsintosspace; balloons rides; hang gliders; chairlifts up the sand slopes and wooden sledges to slide back down, and much more. A tourist village of Mongolian tents (yurts) provided overnight accommodation.

　　Potential Explorers?could ride camelssintosthe desert.

　　The highly folded Helen Mountains reaching up to 3556 metres shelter

　　Yinchuan from the Tengger Desert. The bare slopes and harsh landscape were reminiscent of SW United States. Found in these hills is a special stone considered the best in China for making ink blocks - an essential element in calligraphy.

　　On gravel plains at the base of the mountains lies the Western Xia Mausoleum (xi xia wang ling) - the weathered remains of pyramids, occupying about 40 sq km. The mounds vary in size - some are over 15 metres high. They stand as monuments to the previously mentioned Kingdom of the Western Xia. Nine larger tombs are supposedly those of emperors, while the remaining 200 or more are court officials and relatives. There is a resemblance to the Egyptian pyramids, not in size but rather in the suggestion of mystery and hints of a long-gone civilisation. Today their wooden outer surfaces have either crumbled or have been removed by invaders. Around them lie many pieces of broken green, blue and white glazed tiles belonging to the former outer coating.

　　It was an incredibly beautiful early evening when I was there. Many ridges of the surrounding mountains were bathed in a gentle pastel light. The tombs looked magnificent.

　　My journey through Ningxia was about to start. Next month we will discover more about the Region's treasures and the successful battle against environmental problems.