A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a more resistant layer or layers of harder rock, e.g. shales overlain by sandstones. The resistant layer acts as a caprock that forms the flat summit of a mesa. The caprock can consist of either sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone; dissected lava flows; or a deeply eroded duricrust. Unlike plateau, whose usage does not imply horizontal layers of bedrock, e.g. Tibetan Plateau, the term mesa applies exclusively to the landforms built of flat-lying strata. Instead, flat-topped plateaus are specifically known as tablelands.
Xingqing District, which belongs to Yinchuan City, was originally the urban area of Yinchuan City. It was a county-level municipal district set up by Yinchuan City in 1970. In November 2002, the division was readjusted and renamed to Xingqing District. In 2003, Taole County was abolished and Yueyahu Township of Taole County was put under the jurisdiction of Xingqing District. The area covers a total area of 828 square kilometers and had a resident population of 690000 at the end of 2011. In 2008, the regional GDP was 18.962 billion yuan and the local revenue was 409 million yuan. On October 22, 2018, he was selected into the list of the creation of the national pilot area for the integration and development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas in 2018. On December 29, 2018, the sixth national unity and progress demonstration zone (unit) was named by the State Civil Affairs Commission.