Yinchuan Report - Transportation in Yinchuan

YINCHUAN RAILROAD STATION:

The Main Railway Station of the City (Yinchuan Zhan) is located in the New City (Xin Cheng) which is situated some 8 kilometers due West of the Old City. The Old City is where most Landmarks, Monuments and places of interest are located. The New City on the contrary is home to the cities many educational institutes, several hospitals and few places of interest and no historical monuments.

The Main Train Station of Yinchuan is situated between the Old City and New City, on the Eastern side of the new City District. It is the only Train Station in Yinchuan.

As the arrival point for many, the Main Station is home to a number of essential Services and is surrounded by several Hotels and good restaurants. Otherwise it is however far away from the lively athmosphere of the Old City with its ancient City Monuments and abundant evening stores and nightlife. To get an overview and an idea of the lay-out of the New City (Xin Cheng) District as well as the Train Station, please refer to adjacent Schematic Map. >>>

Yinchuan is a Provincial Capital of quite some size and importance. Currently it is growing fast and expanding in several directions. As a city of importance and a gateway into the desert of Inner-Mongolia it has a Railroad Station as well as a National Airport. The City is connected to other provinces by modern highways and bus-lines travel from Yinchuan in all directions, long distance and short distance. The easiest route into the City of Yinchuan from other parts of China, far away, is by aircraft due to the enormous distances involved. By Taxi it takes about 30 minutes to reach the Old City.

Travel Time by Taxi between the Old and New City is about 20 minutes.

HIRING A TAXI IN YINCHUAN:

All in all the above mentioned summarized travel options available from Yinchuan seem to be rather spectacular. And indeed they are. However, for anyone unfamiliar with the city or regions getting around can appear to be quite a problem.

Afterall, who would just blindly get on a bus heading out of Town? In order to find the correct bus station, get on the correct bus and have the appropriate ticket requires some form a spoken Chinese. Anyone who has not mastered the basics of that, might feel more comfortable trying out other

south-east corner of the old City. It is therefor also known as the South Gate Bus Station. The adjacent map however gives only a very schematic idea of the correct location of the bus station. To add to the problems, with virtually no one on the streets or in shops being able to speak English it can be problematic to find the Bus Station at all.

Your best bet to find Nanxun East Road is to locate the NanMen or South Gate, which is a miniature version of the famous TianAnMen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) in Beijing. Nanxun East Road (Dong Lu) is the street leading West (left) and away from the South Gate. From the South Gate the Bus Station is still some distance away across the block and just across the next inter-section on the south side. This is actually just one block up from the Nanguan Mosque.

Currently some 30 long-distance bus routes connect from Yinchuan's South Gate to every city or county of Ningxia as well as some areas of Inner Mongolia AR and Shaanxi Province.

Take the Long Distance Bus from Yinchuan through the Helan Pass to Bayan Hot, and from there connect through to Heicheng

YINCHUAN & AREA

To Sand Lake, leaves at 7:30 AM. Travel Time: half an hour

Suyukou, leaves at 8:00 AM, Travel Time: about one hour

Western Xia Imperial Tombs, leaves at 8:00 AM, Travel Time: two hours

Shapotou, leaves 9:30 -- several hours

TV and Film City, leaves at 8:00, Travel Time: two hours

REGIONAL LONG DISTANCE BUS:

Baotou (Inner-Mongolia) - about 14 hours

Guyuan (South Ningxia) - about 5-7 hours

Lanzhou (Gansu) - about 7 hours

Taiyuan (Shanxi) - about 15 hours

Xian (Shaanxi) - about 11-14 hours

Yanan (Shaanxi) - about 8-12 hours

Zhongwei (West Ningxia) - about 2-4 hours

A Third airfield lies due West of Yinchuan nearby Zhenbeipu Village and the Western Film Studios. This military airbase is not marked on any Maps except for Google Maps Online. The Military airfield of Xincheng at Yinchuan, located at 25° 32′ 54 North 114° 37′ 7 East , is fairly important for this is the location from which The Peoples Republic defends it aerial border with the Republic of Mongolia as well as the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan beyond. The Fulcrums also fly in protection of Dongfeng Base, China-s No.1 Space launch base and other Top Secret facilities further to the West in Gansu Province.

The Base is home to at least one squadron of (Russian supplied) Mig 29 Fulcrums, which are currently considered to be the most advanced fighter jets in the Chinese Airforce.Some of them may be spotted when flying over on sporadic occassions. However, at most days the aircraft keep away from the Ningxia population centers and fly over the deserts

When one reads the common travel guides it appears as if getting around within Ningxia is not that difficult. Nor does finding your way within the City of Yinchuan and its wider regions appear to be overly problematic. In reality however, it takes some navigational skill to get it all right. Not to mention some language skills as not too many people in Yinchuan and Ningxia Region speak the english language.

First of all, Navigating the Old City, when lodged in a hotel in that area of the city, should be easy. Most distances between Monuments and sights can be covered on foot. Only a few old sites are situated in other suburban area′ s in which case one can always hire a Taxi to get to the correct destination without too much effort and loss of time.

A good idea when navigating the city entirely on foot is is to bring a map of the City along. Within the old city center multiple story buildings often obscure the horizon and any other point of reference, thus leaving first timers dwelling about needlessly. One can buy these maps at both the Xinhua Bookstore located between the Bell & Drumtower and the Yuhuang Pavilion, or at the Foreign Language Bookstore.

When traveling further out, especially beyond the city limits, first time travelers will have a hard time keeping track of the exact direction of travel and which locations were passed. Distances and sizes of city blocks increase when leaving the old town making hiking around impractical to say the least. Taxi′s or buses are the only way to get around.

Locations in the wider regions can only be reached by car, taxi, bus or tourbus.

In all cases: take along a clear and accurate map so as to not lose your way and also in order to communicate your question in case you need ask passersby. A compass is helpful in the mountains.

YINCHUAN AND AREA BY BUS:

The Address for Yinchuan Long-distance Bus Station: No.22, Nanxun Donglu.

The official word on the Yinchuan Long-Distance Bus Station lies near South Gate Square in the extreme

Yinchuan Hedong National Airport lies due East of Yinchuan Old and New City, in Linhe County, on the opposite side of the Yellow River at an altitude of 1112 Meters. This may sound as if it is elevated but in fact, the terminal building stands only half a kilometer from the River Banks at but a few meters above the river plain when the river is swollen.

The airport is fully Modern and at medium size, it consist of a single block building in front of which is a wide traffic ramp and a sizeable square used as a visitor parking and taxi facility. Upon arrival the Taxi waiting area can be easily reached via a wide stairs as well as a ramp usuable for carts and wheel-chairs. Inside the building one finds a large check in Hall with several shops, the security checking area and 12

such as Yulin (Shaanxi), Zhongwei (SW Ningxia), Guyuan, Hohhot and Baotou in Inner-Mongolia AR.

Currently Hedong Airport is a short 30 minute Taxi Drive away from the City, a comfortable ride at a cost of 80 Rmb. The considerably cheaper but slower Bus to the city is the only alternative. However, an additional transportation option may become available soon. 24 December of 2009 Yinchuan announced its plans to build first inner-city rail line crossing the Yellow River. The new railway

of Inner-Mongolia AR, Gansu Province and Xinjiang AR.

If you are planning to travel to Yinchuan and perhaps the Airbase area please note that this particular Base is especially secretive and visitors to the area are hereby warned it is best not to approach or photograph.

Nevertheless, it is known that the airbase is the location of several superhardened underground hangars built into the mountainside of the Helan Shan and has one runway that runs roughly north-south almost paralel to the (New) City / Xixia District.

Some of the Bunkers lie only one eroded hill North of the Xixia Wanling Mausoleum Site, so do not wander outside the perimeter and/or climb the Hill.

Stay away from the Base. It is OFF LIMITS to the Public.

line will connect the Old and New Cities of Yinchuan together and link through to Hedong Airport.

Whichever mode of transport one chooses, the route to town always leads across the 1.6 kilometer Yinchuan Huang He Bridge, which allows for a perfect view of the mighty and famous River.

A secondary and smaller airport near Yinchuan named Helan Shan airfield is not in use for public purposes.

NORTH GATE BUS STATION:

Address: Bei Men LuYou Qiche Zhan, at: 580 Qinghe Bei Lu.

The Northern Bus station is a good jump off point to head Northwards out of Yinchuan. Main Bus destinations include Sha Hu - Sand Lake, and then on to the Dawukou District of Shizuishan City Prefecture to see the 'Northern Great Wall' and the Dawukou/ Jiucaigou Great Wall of China.

Buses to the Western Xia Tombs, Bayun in Inner-Mongolia passing through Sanguankou (Helan pass) and Buses heading to the Western Film Studios depart from the Train Station of Yinchuan. In general: al Buses heading towards the West depart from the Main Train Station.

Apart from the Baotou to Lanzhou Railroad (or Baolan Railway for Baotou in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to Lanzhou in Gansu Province) and the Zhongbao Railway (Zhongwei in Yinchuan Prefecture to Baoji in Shaanxi Province) several new railway lines connect with all Cities and Towns in Ningxia as well as main Cities in the neighboring Provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.

One can easily reach Yinchuan by road. Currently there is the fully modern Yingzang Expressway leading from Baotou all the Way to South-Western Ningxia Province and several national highways leading to all parts of the Autonomous Region and Beyond.

More than 125 kilometers (about 78 miles) of expressways within the boundaries of the city including its ring road known as the Yinchuan Raocheng expressway.

(Khara-Koto) far away in Western Inner-Mongolia ! It is the only Bus route to head to this remote ancient ruined city !

No.1 and No.2 bus Line go from the City to the Long Distance Bus Station.

A Good Hotel near the South Gate (Long Distance) Bus Station is the Xixia Hotel.

Timetable of some city tourist routes from the station below.

There is another, second Bus Station in Yinchuan which can be confusing. The second Bus Station is located near the former North Gate and only serves regional villages. Find information on the Northern Bus Station and Lines below.

modes of transport. First of all there is always the guided bus tour, which no doubt can be arranged for by your Hotel or the local tourism agency. The second option which provides much more freedom is to hire a Taxi for a Day and travel to the destinations of your choice.

This is not an unusual practice and as you will find many taxi drivers loitering outside hotels will know of several interesting day programs to choose from. One can head North and see the ′Northern Great Wall′ and the Sha Hu Sand Lake. There are combined trips to the Helan Mountains, which can include the former Qing Dynasty Fortifications at the Pass now turned into western film studios (Zhenbeibu), the Helankou Rock Paintings and the Rock Art Museum, a trip through the pass to the Great Wall of China in the Desert or a visit to Baishikou and its majestic two remaining Pagoda's. Excursions to the south include the 108 Dagoba′s and Zhongwei town and yellow river scenic zone. And there is more!

The basic fare for taxies in Yinchuan is CNY5 (within three kilometers) you pay an additional CNY1 or 1.2 per kilometer for further than three kilometers. Generally the taxi fee is within CNY 10 in the city zone, and the fare from the city center to the Railway Station is about CNY15.

Note: The taxi fee between 23:00-05:00 is a littler higher than during the daytime.

Hiring a full day 10:00 AM to 18:00 PM is 300 to 320 RMB depending on distance.

Yinchuan Railway Station stands along the Bao-Lan Railway (Baotou to Lanzhou) which in turn is connected to every main railroad line in China. In addition there is the Zhongbao Railway, which leads from the picturesque town of Zhongwei in Ningxia AR to Baoji in Shaanxi Province. Recently Yinchuan was also connected to Wuwei in Gansu Province and through Wuwei to the New Eurasia Land Bridge that forms a railway directly to Central Asia and Europe via Xinjiang Autonomous Region. From Yinchuan it is possible to travel nonstop by train to Beijing, Lanzhou, Hohhot, Baotou, Datong, Taiyuan, Zhangjiakou (Hebei), and many more destinations.