石嘴山市

Why this place

Shizuishan is a coal and industrial city in northern Ningxia, and its Helan Mountains hold thousands of prehistoric rock carvings — the Helankou petroglyphs — cut into the mountain's gorges by pastoral peoples over thousands of years.

What to see

• The Helankou rock carvings — thousands of petroglyphs of animals, faces and hunting scenes
• The Helan Mountain scenery, with the Suyukou and the mountain temples
• The Shahu lake and wetland, and the Yellow River irrigation country

What to eat

• Ningxia lamb and Hui cooking
• Shizuishan is known for its 'dawukou' and its lake fish

Best time

May–October