YINCHUAN

'Yinchuan' () is the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China, and former capital of the Western Xia Empire of the Tanguts. It has an area of 4467 km and an estimated population of 736,300.

Contents

Geography

Climate

Economy

Tourism

Administrative divisions

Colleges and universities

2006 Internet phenomenon

References

Geography

Yinchuan lies in the middle of the Yinchuan or Ningxia Plain. It is sheltered from the deserts of Mongolia by the high ranges of the Helan Mountain to its west. The Yellow River runs through Yinchuan from southwest to northeast. The average elevation of Yinchuan is 1,100 meters (about 3,608 feet).

Climate

Yinchaun has a temperate continental climate with an annual average temperature of 8.5C, and has 158 frost-free days. Annual rainfall averages 200 millimeters.

Economy

The city's gross domestic product per capita was ¥11975 (US$1450) in 2003, ranking 197th of 659 Chinese cities. Its main industries are the production of Chinese wolfberry, wheat, apple, and rice.

Tourism

The city's attractions include the Sand-lake and XiXia mausoleum. There are two pagodas in Yinchuan that are part of the 'Eight Famous Scenery of Ningxia': one is the Haibao Pagoda in the northern suburb and the other is the Chengtiansi Pagoda in the west.
Since 2000, Yinchuan has hosted the annual Yinchuan International Car and Motorcycle Tourism Festival, which usually occurs in August. It is the largest event of its kind in China; approximately 3000 motorcycles attend annually.

Administrative divisions

★ Xingqing District (兴庆区; pinyin: Xīngqìng Qū)

★ Jinfeng District (金凤区; pinyin: Jīnfèng Qū)

★ Xixia District (西夏区; pinyin: Xīxià Qū)

★ Lingwu City (灵武市; pinyin: Língwǔ Shì)

★ Yongning County (永宁县; pinyin: Yǒngníng Xiàn)

★ Helan County (贺兰县; pinyin: Hèlán Xiàn)

Colleges and universities

★ Ningxia University

★ Second Northwest Nationalities University

★ Ningxia Medical Institute

2006 Internet phenomenon

Yinchuan was subject to an Internet phenomenon after a user of Google Earth posted images of what s/he believed was a secret People's Liberation Army military facility.^[1] The facility, estimated at around 630,000 m² in size, is 35 km from Yinchuan and in the town of Huangyangtan. The purpose of the facility was speculated on the Internet following the original posting, although no official explanation for the site has been given. A subsequent posting of a photograph on the Chinese wforum.com claimed that it constituted a terrain model of the disputed Aksai Chin region of China;^[2][3][4] the image includes a watermark of Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China.
Authorities in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have been quoted as saying that the site is used as a tank training facility.^[5]

References

1. Google Earth Community (2006). China - Huangyangtan - Scale model of landscape?. Retrieved August 14, 2006.
2. The riddle of China's Area 51 Stephen Hutcheon
3. From sky, see how China builds model of Indian border 2400 km away Shiv Aroor
4. Chinese black helicopters circle Google Earth Lester Haines
5. Chinese X-file not so mysterious after all Stephen Hutcheon