Exploring Ningxia, the remote outer reaches of China

Travelling to China, it is tempting to head straight for the big city attractions of Beijing and Shanghai. But for my first trip to the Middle Kingdom, I set out on a bumpy two-hour internal flight from the capital on a no-frills plane for a genuine adventure to Ningxia.

This little-known, tiny province nestles on the stark mountainous border with Inner Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, a destination full of surprises.

Ningxia is an autonomous Muslim region, home to the Hui people who arrived here more than 1,500 years ago from Central Asia when Ningxia was a busy hub on the legendary Silk Road trading routes. Arriving in the capital, Yinchuan, I immediately notice ornate mosques as well as soaring Buddhist pagodas, and that restaurants and hotels primarily serve halal food.

Yinchuan, the modern capital of Ningxia. Photo: John Brunton

I check in at the international-standard Kempinski Hotel Yinchuan, a luxurious offering that comes in at less than Dh400 a night. It is the perfect bolt-hole to come to terms with China’s obligatory digital detox – no Google, Gmail, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I feel like a character from Back to the Future when the concierge prints out a map for me to get around, as he explains the simple ground rules for exploring the city without a guide, which include downloading a voice translation app and exchanging currency for small Yuan banknotes, as taxis, shops and even street food stalls will expect exact change. I am also told not to tip, as gratuities are never accepted.

With a half-hour cab ride costing between Dh10 and Dh15, a friendly taxi driver takes me on a tour of sprawling Yinchuan, a utopian garden city of skyscrapers, lakes, parks and tree-lined avenues as wide as freeways. It is difficult at first to imagine that over 2,000 years of history is contained here, from ancient Chinese dynasties to Middle Eastern traders and the conquering hordes of Genghis Khan.

The 60-metre-high Haibao Pagoda was erected 1,500 years ago. Photo: John Brunton

Two landmarks of the past stand out. Nanguan Mosque dates back to the 16th century, with Chinese-style green-glazed tiles on sweeping roofs blending with elegant domes and minarets, while the 1,500 year-old Haibao Pagoda rises 60 metres above a bucolic lake park where families go sailing on the water and fitness fans practise tai chi and other martial arts.

I explore the old town neighbourhood around the imposing medieval Drum Tower, the unofficial city centre that boasts both a futuristic shopping mall that could be in Hong Kong and a traditional covered food market, with narrow alleyways and lanes lined with bubble tea salons, barista coffee bars, Islamic bookshops and calligraphy stands, plus retro terraced houses covere