Western Xia Imperial Tombs
Western Xia Imperial Tombs
4
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
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4.0
125 reviews
Excellent
45
Very good
56
Average
21
Poor
3
Terrible
0
RLO721
Singapore, Singapore83 contributions
Oct 2021
The site itself is very impressive -- the tombs cover an area which is vast and geographically striking. The "skyline" of tombs in a sparse, desert landscape might remind you of a mini version of Bagan in Myanmar, although you should not go there expecting anything nearly as impressive as Bagan.
This is China of course and, unlike in Myanmar, you aren't allowed to walk and meander around by yourself (ostensibly this is to help preserve the tombs). It seems there is only one small portion of the complex which visitors are allowed to visit, and you cannot go inside any of the tombs at all.
The adjacent museum is vast and actually very good, with informative explanations in English. You'll probably end up spending more time in the museum than at the tombs themselves. The super modern museum and visitor center gives one the impression that this place is preparing for mass level tourism which hasn't yet arrived (I went during China's National Day holiday; while not empty, the crowds were certainly not overwhelming).
It is worth noting that it seems that motst people visit the Tombs in the morning as a part of a full-day trip in the Helan Mountain region, and avoid visiting in the evening for superstitious reasons. However, if your itinerary allows it, you should plan to visit during sunset, as it makes for great picture taking!
Yinchuan city itself is a rather underwhelming, so the Western Xia Tombs are easily the highlight, and can be combined conveniently with a trip to wineries and/or hiking trails in the mountain, although you would realistically probably need your own transport.
This is China of course and, unlike in Myanmar, you aren't allowed to walk and meander around by yourself (ostensibly this is to help preserve the tombs). It seems there is only one small portion of the complex which visitors are allowed to visit, and you cannot go inside any of the tombs at all.
The adjacent museum is vast and actually very good, with informative explanations in English. You'll probably end up spending more time in the museum than at the tombs themselves. The super modern museum and visitor center gives one the impression that this place is preparing for mass level tourism which hasn't yet arrived (I went during China's National Day holiday; while not empty, the crowds were certainly not overwhelming).
It is worth noting that it seems that motst people visit the Tombs in the morning as a part of a full-day trip in the Helan Mountain region, and avoid visiting in the evening for superstitious reasons. However, if your itinerary allows it, you should plan to visit during sunset, as it makes for great picture taking!
Yinchuan city itself is a rather underwhelming, so the Western Xia Tombs are easily the highlight, and can be combined conveniently with a trip to wineries and/or hiking trails in the mountain, although you would realistically probably need your own transport.
Written 8 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jing M
16 contributions
June 2022
When traveling to Yinchuan, there are many worthy places for you to visit.
I first recommend you to visit the tomb of the King of the Western Xia Dynasty. It is influenced by various styles, such as the Han Dynasty and Buddhist culture.
There you can see the vast desert, the broken bricks, you can feel the ancient history and culture in the imperial mausoleum of the Western Xia Dynasty.
There are still some mysterious legends about the royal tombs of the Western Xia Dynasty, and people are still exploring this place.
Come to Yinchuan, please come to the Western Xia royal mausoleum, feel the ancient culture.
I first recommend you to visit the tomb of the King of the Western Xia Dynasty. It is influenced by various styles, such as the Han Dynasty and Buddhist culture.
There you can see the vast desert, the broken bricks, you can feel the ancient history and culture in the imperial mausoleum of the Western Xia Dynasty.
There are still some mysterious legends about the royal tombs of the Western Xia Dynasty, and people are still exploring this place.
Come to Yinchuan, please come to the Western Xia royal mausoleum, feel the ancient culture.
Written 17 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
马亚楠
10 contributions
Aug 2022
The tomb of the King of Xixia, located at the foot of Helan Mountain, is the only remaining historical site in China. There are hundreds of mounds scattered throughout the area. According to historical records, there are nine emperors left by the King of Xixia, and hundreds of empresses, princes and ministers buried in it
The tomb of the King of Xixia, located at the foot of Helan Mountain, is the only remaining historical site in China. There are hundreds of mounds scattered throughout the area. According to historical records, there are nine emperors left by the King of Xixia, and hundreds of empresses, princes and ministers buried in it
The tomb of the King of Xixia, located at the foot of Helan Mountain, is the only remaining historical site in China. There are hundreds of mounds scattered throughout the area. According to historical records, there are nine emperors left by the King of Xixia, and hundreds of empresses, princes and ministers buried in it
Written 17 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna V
Melbourne, Australia126 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
I have visited most provinces in China and in Ningxia I chose the Xia Tombs as my main destination. I can definitely say that it is worth the visit due to the expanse of mountains, the rugged landscape and dryness, the tombs are of course outstanding and it is so unique. Also, not like the rest of China's main tourist areas, there are no people! amazing!! but really worth the visit. I combined this with a trip to the rock carvings and it makes a great down out. You need a good safe driver to take you from Yinchuan to the tombs and then onto the Helan mountain rock carvings, it is voer 200km round trip. I booked Mr Liu phone +86 189 0951 0856 he was excellent,safe, helpful and also took me too and from the airport. He doesn't have any english so you need some chinese speaking person to help you with the details. but would highly recommend him as driver. Also note that when you arrive and do the museum then a bus takes you around the park and drops you at tomb 3, the biggest. But then we rode bicycles to tomb 1 and 2, it is a 5km ride, no one else did it and we were on our own. Totally worth to go and explore and find the other two tombs but keep an eye on the weather we got caught in a storm and it was a bit scary for a while!! you can rent bikes at the little shop near tomb 3
Written 26 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marco F
22 contributions
Sept 2018 • Business
The site is extremely picturesque and you can immediately see why those emperors wanted to be buried here. Not as old as the pyramids in Egypt and not as tall but the magnificence ist still present. Signs are along the way to explain various tombs in Chinese and English. Only 3 out of many more tombs are accessible. Tomb number 3 is the biggest and you can walk from the museum. It's a 500m stroll. Bikes are available for rent with a deposit fee of 200Y and 15Y per hour. The other site is 4.5km away and a bus or cart shuttle departs every 20min. There are fake camel displayed around 200m from the road which might look like real ones but they are not ;) despite other reviews we were able to leave the shuttle and were free to walk around the site. There is no fence around the tombs which makes the photos look better. Toilets are at the main entrance, the museum and the twin tombs. The 20Y for the shuttle is a very good investment if you don't want to walk 10km.
Written 20 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
needasinecure
117 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
First, remember to bring your passport or you may not be able to buy a ticket.
This was my first visit to the Xixia museum, which has recently opened replacing the old Xixia Tombs museum. This modern museum presents the origins, history, artifacts and main achievements of this unique kingdom.
The museum was surprisingly well curated and organized. The management seems quite committed to introducing and explaining the Xixia.
The tour of the tombs was both quite satisfying and informative.
There are different tickets but we bought the combo ticket which includes a film presentation, entry to the museum, and a bus tour and transportation to the Xixia mausoleum #3.
This was my first visit to the Xixia museum, which has recently opened replacing the old Xixia Tombs museum. This modern museum presents the origins, history, artifacts and main achievements of this unique kingdom.
The museum was surprisingly well curated and organized. The management seems quite committed to introducing and explaining the Xixia.
The tour of the tombs was both quite satisfying and informative.
There are different tickets but we bought the combo ticket which includes a film presentation, entry to the museum, and a bus tour and transportation to the Xixia mausoleum #3.
Written 17 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacqueline S
Dubai, United Arab Emirates114 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
If you are in Yinchuan I think it is defintely worth the visit, although I do think you need a bit of imagination, since you get just a very small impression of this field that is so big. You will start of with a small museum and a forest of steles and then walk on towards the mausoleum nr 3 which you can only visit from the outside. The different structures are marginally explained in english. You will find a small shop with drinks-icecream etc there as well. Then another busride will take you to two more tombs. The view from the bus is nice.. towards the mountains and I saw some camels as well. The bus only stopped for pictures at the other two tombs and then drove back to the entrance. I think the place got potentional and a more elaborate approach would be nice, with some more explanation about the original look of the place. A lot is still to be excavated. The place is not too far from downtown and there are some wineries around as well. I tried to visit some remnants of the Great Wall from the Ming Dynasty as well (about 30 km from xia tombs) but I would not recommend going there as there is not much to see.
Written 23 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FeltonS
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia220 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
The locals are completely bewildered by tourists taking such an interest in these things, and you can't really blame them. When they were built, they were glorious pagodas festooned with decorations, flowing eaves, etc. The problem is, the Xia built them out of mud and wood. So, sure enough, the decorations eventually fell off and what we're left with are giant piles of mud and brick with some tiles mixed in.
Still, it's interesting to see the layout out of these once great buildings, especially in the context of the landscape. Clearly, the designers were masters of feng shui. The museum displays some of the artifacts recovered from within them (you can't go into the tombs), and that's a semi-interesting experience. Semi-interesting because - and they won't say this at the museum - the Xia were hardly great artists, esp as compared to the Ming and other Chinese tomb builders.
Probably best to visit here as part of a tour to the Helan Mountain petroglyphs.
Still, it's interesting to see the layout out of these once great buildings, especially in the context of the landscape. Clearly, the designers were masters of feng shui. The museum displays some of the artifacts recovered from within them (you can't go into the tombs), and that's a semi-interesting experience. Semi-interesting because - and they won't say this at the museum - the Xia were hardly great artists, esp as compared to the Ming and other Chinese tomb builders.
Probably best to visit here as part of a tour to the Helan Mountain petroglyphs.
Written 24 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sienna P
Bath, UK20 contributions
Sept 2013 • Solo
I first became interested in Ningxia after seeing a photo of the tombs, and I was not disappointed by my experience, though it would be cool if you could see even more than just the mausoleum no. 3. I visited at the end of September on a cool and misty day and was able to get the place to myself for a good 10-15 minutes between tour groups. I really loved it, but I am very into history and especially Chinese history, so that helps. Amazing to think these tombs are over 1,000 years old!
Written 30 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mightymark9
London, United Kingdom150 contributions
July 2013 • Solo
about 45mins outside town in a quiet and green area - I enjoyed the chance to walk around and visit the museum - OK you have to ignore the terrible commercial development all around and the guys with speaker phones - but yea the tombs are kind of unique and interesting
Written 24 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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