Preface: Stay safe, Ningxia
In the magical Ningxia, the Yellow River and the desert are intertwined here, forming multiple and diverse worlds. It is like a beautiful secret place, fascinating and amazing.
For a long time, I have longed to set foot on this vast, desolate and mysterious land, looking for those magnificent pictures among the bells of the camel caravan and the geese.
The moment the sun shines on the sky and the sound of the car sounds, everything is an arrangement of fate, so let's go as you like, regardless of the way ahead, to meet all the unknown surprises.
1: Walking into the desert 1. Sand Lake
Plug the blue sky in the south of the Yangtze River, the rippling water and the yellow sand. The Shahu Scenic Spot in Ningxia is very large, with the natural landscape as the main body, and the organic combination of the five sources of sand, water, reeds, birds and mountains constitutes a unique and beautiful landscape.
From the perspective of aerial photography, you can see the magnificent scene of the unique half-sand and half-lake of Shahu Lake. This is a "Pearl on the Fortress" that combines the beauty of the south of the Yangtze River with the magnificent scenery outside the Great Wall. It has the majesty of the Gobi desert and the beauty of the water town in the south of the Yangtze River.
Because of its unique landform, the sand lake needs to take a boat to reach the desert area. There are many sand sculptures here, like the daughter of the sea, etc. The huge statues are lifelike, standing in the desert, and the long yellow sand stretches across the sky.
There are many fun facilities in the desert, such as camping, sand skiing, and hot air balloon rides. Even in the hot summer, tourists can't stop their yearning for sand projects. Of course, you can also soar into the sky and overlook the beautiful scenery of the sand lake on a paraglider.
If the weather in the desert is good, the best time to shoot is at sunset. At this time, the golden sun is not as strong as during the day, so you can take pictures with warm tones just by looking for a place.
Since you come to Shahu, you can’t miss the performance of "Legend of Sand Lake". The theater to watch is the "Legend of Sand Lake" equestrian theater next to the Agricultural Reclamation Museum. It takes only five minutes to walk there. It is a large-scale live performance, and the scene is shocking.
The characteristic real-scene equestrian drama performance lasted for nearly an hour, forming a unique landscape. There are two performances every day, at 12:00 am and 17:00 pm every day
The story mainly revolves around Shahu Lake and tells the moving story of young men and women defending their hometown. The plot is wonderful and fascinating. The actors are also very professional, including Ma Er, who is quite obedient, and they are all excellent actors too!
The biggest feeling after watching it is that the equestrian show is too powerful. I am more afraid of horses, but the horses here are quite good. The actors can perform all kinds of difficult acrobatic moves on horseback while the horse is running fast.
If you want to feel the tranquility of Shahu Lake, you can stay in Shahu Lake for one night. There is a unique Internet celebrity house here, where you can live in it and watch the stars, and spend a beautiful and romantic night.
It has been a long time since I have enjoyed such a charming dusk and sunset quietly. In fact, the meaning of travel is not to hurry, but to slow down, experience and feel.
2. Shapotou
The confluence of sand and water, the natural fusion of blue sky and village, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and the interdependence of historical sites and oasis ancient roads, this is Shapotou. The wonderful pen outlines the majesty, magnificence and elegance of this place.
Walking into the desert forte, you will be immersed in a kind of grandeur and desolation, and the golden sand will flow across the sky, undulating and orderly, advancing layer by layer. Although it is not the first time, you still have different harvests surprise.
Although it is cloudy and the wind is a bit strong, it does not affect the experience. There are many exciting experience items in the scenic area. You can choose different cars to play in the desert.
The four-wheel drive off-road vehicle can take us into the uninhabited desert hinterland and feel the majesty and magnificence between the world and the earth. When the car is driving in the vast desert, when it climbs to the top of the slope, and then slides down, you will hear the buzzing roar, which is as exciting as riding a roller coaster.
To the north of Shapotou is the vast Tengger Desert, and to the south is a lush desert oasis. Come here to enjoy the desert style, which has a special taste.
Two: Fulfilling the Dream of Martial Arts 1. Zhenbeibao Western Film City
Zhenbeibao Western Film City is one of the top ten film and television bases in China. The film city is characterized by simplicity, primitiveness, roughness, desolation, and folkization. The main attractions include Mingcheng, Qingcheng, and the old Yinchuan street.
Coming here is like walking into a scene in a movie, which is super suitable for shooting martial arts. There is a place to rent clothes in the studio. Of course, if you feel that the rented clothes are not suitable, you can also bring your own clothes and props to shoot like me, and just buy a ticket.
The interior of the cinema is very large, and it will take half a day to complete the whole tour. Qingcheng is the filming location of "A Chinese Journey to the West". Coming here is like going through a "time tunnel", returning to the past that has disappeared, which is the youth of our generation.
The entire Qingcheng is bustling and lively, and the interior is dominated by various folk craft performances. The main attractions include Wengcheng, the Gate of Fortune, the Mysterious Cave, Baihuatang, a film and television street, the ancient castle of Guigua, Dudu's Mansion, the Bull Demon Palace, and Guanyin Pavilion , exhibition hall, star kennel, Gaozi Pavilion, etc.
Because film and television dramas are filmed here, the filming scenes and props used in some films have been preserved and restored, and Zixia's clothes, bracelets, etc. can also be rented.
In fact, not only "A Chinese Journey to the West" has been filmed here, but more than 50 famous film and television dramas have been filmed here. Simply put, more than half of domestic western-themed movies will be filmed or shot here.
Because this is my second visit, the first time I went to Qingcheng and fulfilled my Zixia dream, this time I mainly came to Mingcheng to realize my heroine dream. It's quite big to walk around inside, and you can see a lot of good scenes, such as the Moon Gate, Dragon Gate Inn, etc. are very popular spots to take, don't miss it!
2. Ming Great Wall
As the saying goes: if you don’t go to the Great Wall, you are not a hero. I went to Beijing to climb the Great Wall before. I didn’t expect that there is a short section in Zhongwei, Ningxia. Tickets are not charged. This place is next to the Yellow River Suji in Zhongwei.
The Ming Great Wall is not very high, and you can walk up it quickly. Although this section of the Great Wall is not long, it was rebuilt on the basis of the ruins, but there are few people. It is very suitable for martial arts shooting, and the key is that there is no charge.
Naturally, there is no rental of ancient costumes here, all the costumes and props are brought by themselves. If you want to take good-looking photos, you must work harder on yourself, and of course it will be harder. If you are driving by yourself, it is relatively more convenient.
Three: Walking through the winery 1. Changyu Moser XV Winery
Helan Mountain has always been one of the best places for wine production in China, and Changyu Moser XV Winery is here. The European-style castle-style architecture makes you think you are in a century-old winery in France.
The winery was shortlisted in the "100 Magical Northwest Scenes". It is a high-end comprehensive manor integrating grape planting, wine production, wine culture display, wine tasting and tourism, covering a rather large area.
There are many wineries in Ningxia, but there are not many of them that are so grand and spectacular, so this place has also become a wedding shooting location for local photography agencies. Over time, many foreign tourists will also come to see its style.
If you just want to take pictures of the architectural style on the outside and don't go in, you don't need to buy a ticket, just visit it directly. There will be a ticket office when you enter the winery room. The package also includes wine tasting. Those who like wine can go in and have a drink.
When we came to the winery, it was just in time for the meal. If there are many people, the winery can also receive meals. The average per capita is about 100. The meals are not bad. If you are full, you can visit the vineyards and feel the idyllic style.
2. Xige Winery
Xige Winery is located near the Pigeon Mountain site in Qingtongxia, Ningxia. It is a winery integrating grape planting, wine production, tourism and sales.
Although the winery has only been open for a few years, it has a good reputation in Ningxia. Zhang Yanzhi, the founder of the winery, is a professional winemaker who graduated from the Bordeaux Wine Academy in France and the first Chinese member of the Bordeaux Wine Academy.
The entire winery is designed with a super artistic sense. The architectural appearance is made of nearly 200,000 Helan Mountain stones. It not only has the characteristics of an ancient Chinese city, but also has a sense of modern fashion.
When you come to Xige, you can not only stay in the hotel here, but also visit the wine-making area, oak barrel cellar, bottling area, bottle aging cellar, professional tasting area, etc., and learn a lot about wine-making.
The wine produced by the winery needs to follow the "3126" rule, which is the original winemaking rule of Xige Winery, namely: 3 months of fermentation, 12 months of aging, and 6 months of bottle storage, thus ensuring the quality of each bottle of wine .
The winery also has Yuge Organic Restaurant and Yuge Grape Manor Hotel. After eating at the restaurant in the evening, you can stay in a high-end hotel with a theme of vineyards. Each room is named after a unique grape variety, and the internal facilities are also configured Very high-end, the experience is quite good.
Four: Internet celebrity hotel 1. Desert Star Hotel
In the depths of the Tengger Desert, 8 kilometers away in the Shapotou Desert District of Ningxia, there is a Desert Star Hotel, almost everyone knows it. It is a veritable Internet celebrity hotel. When you come to Zhongwei, you must stay here for one night. This line.
It is located at an altitude of 1,430 meters and deep in the desert at 37° north latitude. It is very suitable for stargazing and is known as a holy place for stargazing. Looking down from the air, the entire hotel is presented in the shape of a five-pointed star in the desert, which is the brightest star in the desert.
The Desert Star Hotel has a panoramic restaurant, a starry sky restaurant, an open-air bar, an outdoor luxury afternoon tea, a starlight swimming pool, a starry sky theater, and a star coffee. For the desert, it is not easy to have such a configuration.
The hotel is currently divided into two major areas, AB, with a total of six room types. I stayed in the wooden house in District B, which is closer to the sand sea, and the price is relatively cheaper than District A. It is very suitable for families with children. Children like to play with sand and sandboard.
It was raining in the desert when we arrived, and I was still annoyed that I couldn’t take pictures. I didn’t expect the weather in the desert to be like a child, cloudy or sunny, and it cleared up after 4 pm, so I hurried out to take pictures.
When the sky is not completely dark, you can take out the ambient light to shoot, the scene is quite dreamy. It's a pity that the day I checked in was full moon, the clouds were thick, and I didn't see the stars, but this didn't affect my check-in experience at all.
2. Yellow River Suji
If you have watched the third season of "Dear Inn", you must be familiar with Huanghe Suji. This is the filming location at that time, Zhongwei's Internet celebrity homestay group. The location of the Yellow River Suji is located on the Yellow River, and on the other side is the vast Tengger Desert.
In 2018, five homestay brands including Xipo, Dalezhiye, Xuli, Nan'an, and Feitiaoji began their trial operation in "Yellow River Suji", restoring the original appearance of the village and making it the trendiest and hottest website in Zhongwei. Red punch.
A village with warmth and no sense of strangeness, each homestay uses the least structure and the most transparency, so that the building and self-heating coexist harmoniously. This is the place that every traveler is willing to return to after traveling through thousands of mountains and rivers. mystery.
Different from the homestays in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Huanghe Suji has a unique style in the Northwest. When you come here, you can not only stay here for a while, but you can also walk slowly, stroll slowly, drink afternoon tea with friends, and enjoy the passage of time quietly.
The entire Yellow River Suji is very suitable for taking photos of INS style, simple outfits, or walking around in a windbreaker. Remember to book in advance if you want to stay here.
3. Jinshahai Tourist Resort
On the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, there is a Jinshahai tourist resort, which is a check-in point for the new online celebrity in Zhongwei tourism. There is not only the starry sky campsite, but also the world's first steam train-themed hotel, which is quite worth looking forward to.
If you think the Desert Star Hotel is too luxurious, then Jinshahai is really worth the money. There are a lot of check-in points here, and even if you don't live, you can come in and take pictures. The free attractions are quite awesome.
I have to say that Jinshahai is really easy to shoot, and there are not many people. When I came to Zhongwei for the first time, I hadn't found this treasure yet. This time, my friend gave me Amway, and I was not disappointed.
There are train homestays, tent camps, and desert huts to choose from. You can also experience desert football, shuttlecock, beach volleyball and other projects. You can also lie in bed and watch the starry sky at night, which is very spectacular.
