Old Town: Xingqing District

In the morning, after breakfast at the restaurant, I went to Tongda Street Station to take a bus. There is BRT here. After investing 1 yuan, I went directly to the station and waited for the bus. No need to reinvest in the bus. I took the No. 102 bus to Baohu East Road, where the hotel collapsed tonight. I walked a long way to the hotel. The mainland is vast and rich in resources. It doesn’t look far away on the map, but it’s still tiring to actually walk.

After paying the money and the deposit, I entered the room, but after inserting the room card, the electricity was not turned on, and the inner lock could not be locked. I called the front desk to respond, and I asked a room attendant to check and change one for me.

After a short rest until noon, prepare to go out and take the No. 27 bus to the old city.

Yinchuan City has an old city and a new city. The old city was the main city of the Xixia Dynasty at that time. It was Xingqing District, the busiest downtown area in Yinchuan City, and near the Yinchuan Railway Station where I lived a few days ago-Xincheng Districts are different. The hinterland near Yinchuan Railway Station is spacious and well-equipped. It is a clean and emerging development area; while Xingqing District is an old town, no matter the streets, businesses or signboards, you can clearly see traces of shabbyness.

Looking at the street through the blurred window of the bus, the atmosphere is really different. The old buildings and people coming and going are both lively and full of vitality. Jumping, a feeling that this is what I want.

Chengtian Pagoda Temple

I first went to the Chengtian Temple Pagoda on foot. The tickets for the visiting area were very cheap, but if I wanted to climb the pagoda, I had to buy it separately, which was more expensive than the tickets, but it was still acceptable, so I directly targeted the pagoda.

The Chengtian Temple Tower is located in the west of Yinchuan City, so it is also called the West Tower, and the Haibao Tower in the north of Yinchuan City is also called the Twin Towers.

The Chengtian Temple Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda in the Xixia period, and it is also the only pagoda with written records of when it was first built. However, although it is a Xixia pagoda, it was damaged by an earthquake during the process, so what we see now is rebuilt during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. .

Standing in front of the tower, the tall and straight tower and the narrow round arched entrance make me feel like I want to conquer. In the dim tower, there is a person in charge of ticket cutting, reminding that there are external windows on the top floor that can be opened to see the scenery, but be sure to take it with you after reading.

It looks so spacious from the outside of the tower, but the inside is very narrow. The wrap-around staircase is only about the width of a person. If there are people passing by at this time, you have to be careful. If you are fatter, you may have to stick to the wall.

In this way, I climbed up to 11 floors in one breath, and the steps on each floor became steeper as I went up. For me who is short, it is really tiring to step on these steps.

On the top floor of the tower, there are four windows, but only one or two windows can be opened. I overlooked the city center, and the wind was very comfortable, so I stayed on it for a long time before going downstairs. When going downstairs or upstairs, you always have to hold the side handles or the brick wall so that you don’t feel a sense of vacancy. I didn’t expect that after finally going down to the ground floor, there would be a feeling of erratic legs.

Food: Aye haggis

It was already in the afternoon, and I hiked to the famous Aye haggis for lunch again. Although this is a cheap delicacy, it was a relatively luxurious meal during my trip to Ningxia. After all, I am traveling on a budget, but I don’t want to miss this Lamb in the Silk Road is delicious.

The menu in the store is simple, including three types of haggis with noodles, whole meat haggis, and haggis with steamed buns. The noodle is in the form of strips, a bit similar to sliced ​​noodles, but the taste is similar to noodles but not similar, and the bite is quite to my appetite; the bowl is full of lamb, lamb tripe, lamb liver, lamb tendon, etc., The taste is delicious, the white soup is topped with red chili oil, the taste is very strong but not spicy, and it does not have the fishy smell of mutton.

Bell and Drum Tower, Yuhuang Pavilion

Enjoy the perfect moment of lunch, then go to the heart of Xingqing District, the Bell and Drum Tower, also referred to as the Drum Tower. There is a corner square above the base of the Bell and Drum Tower, and in the middle is a three-storey pavilion with a small area. There is a Ning Garden with a large hinterland, which is an urban garden imitating the architecture of the Qing Dynasty; Ning Garden goes further down, and it is connected to the Yuhuang Pavilion; the Yuhuang Pavilion was also the Bell and Drum Tower in the Ming Dynasty, which was damaged by the earthquake in the Qing Dynasty and was later rebuilt. It was changed to the Jade Emperor Pavilion dedicated to the Taoist Jade Emperor.

Nanguan Mosque

In Xingqing District, I did the whole journey on foot. Between scenic spots, it is not far away, but it is close. After leaving the Bell and Drum Tower and Yuhuang Pavilion, I continued to walk to the Nanguan Mosque. It is a pity. I didn't do enough homework, and it was not open on the rest day. Since I was going to Zhongwei City tomorrow, the Nanguan Mosque had to give up. After taking pictures of the exterior of the building, I went to Nanmen Square and took bus 29 back to the hotel. .

I want to find a convenience store to buy some dry food for today’s dinner. The hotel is full of distribution centers for mechanical parts. I can’t find a convenience store at all. I checked the map and found the nearest supermarket. I walked through the mechanical parts street and walked for a long time. The road finally arrived, and it was closed for business. It was an abandoned supermarket.

It may be because of climbing Chengtian Pagoda Temple in the afternoon, my hamstring hurts like hell, but I can only keep looking. The map showed that there was a convenience store in the narrow alley right behind the hotel. I dragged my painful feet and continued to walk. As I walked, the more I doubted the possibility of a convenience store in this desolate back alley. I really wanted to give up, but suddenly I saw an old and dirty house in front of me, it didn't look like a home, and I looked carefully, and there was a signboard that was so old that I couldn't see the words clearly hanging on the wall, the darkness was not open The light house, I went forward to confirm that it was open, so I stepped in, but unfortunately it was a small convenience store with not many items. I wanted to buy a piece of bread, but there were only super-large ones. I can eat it for 3 or 4 days. I looked at the others and found that there was nothing to buy. I had to buy a bottle of milk tea and drink it sweet. At least I would feel better to make up for the fatigue of walking a lot of wronged ways and foot pain today, and end the old city. District journey.

Second visit to Nanguan Mosque

I didn't give up, after returning to Yinchuan from Zhongwei City and Tengger Desert, I visited Nanguan Mosque again, and this time I finally entered smoothly.

The Nanguan Mosque was built in the late Ming Dynasty, and then it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The current mosque was rebuilt on the original site later, and the architectural style is also more lively and bright.

The main colors of the mosque are white, green and gold. The white main building wall, the green dome, and the golden crochet decoration make it even more magnificent.

The temple is not big, a two-story building, the stairs go straight to the second floor, where the mass is held; the first floor is the exhibition hall, the rise and teachings of Islam are hung on the wall, and various religious related items are placed in the display cabinets, as well as various The models of famous worship mosques in different countries and regions, etc., walking in this space reminds me of the days in Turkey, when I would hear the call of prayer at a fixed time when I was walking on the road, echoing from time to time, and the air was filled with There was an inexplicable sense of comfort and peace.

After the visit, I saw a sign on the left wall of the first floor that read "Nvsi" in big characters. I curiously walked to the rear left. There was a small room there, which was old and dirty. The floor was covered with red and white There is a patterned rug and several neatly arranged cushions, and on the wall is a framed photograph of the Mosque of Mecca, Islam's holiest site.

I was curious why the women’s temple should be set up independently in the corner of the temple. A believer passed by. I stopped him and asked him. He said that generally only men need to go to the mosque for mass, and women only need to do it at home. It is necessary to go there specially, and women only need to go to the mosque on special festivals; and because of conservative Islam, men and women do not share the same room for mass, so a room is specially set up for women.

After listening to his explanation, I picked up the camera and prepared to take a picture of the indicator. When the believer saw this, he looked weird and said, "It's not just a tree, what's so good about a tree."

I was suspicious for a moment. It turned out that he had misunderstood. He walked away and muttered: "What is there to take a picture of?" I smiled and watched him leave, and continued to immerse myself in the precious time of my last trip in Ningxia .

tickets

1. Chengtian Temple Pagoda: Tickets are ¥10, tower tickets are ¥20, and exhibition tickets are 15 yuan (buy tickets according to your own needs, you don't need to buy them all).

2. Nanguan Mosque: ￥12, discount price ￥10.