Shizuishan Travel Guide: Sand Lake, the Helan Foothills and Xinghai Lake
Shizuishan, the northernmost city in Ningxia, is where Sand Lake (Shahu) actually is: the reed-fringed lake with dunes on its shore, Ningxia's best-known 5A scenic area, sits in its Pingluo County about an hour north of Yinchuan. Since October 2024 high-speed trains have made the city an easy add-on to a Yinchuan trip, about 27 minutes to Shizuishan station, and the line has its own Shahu (Sand Lake) station. Give the lake a full day, and if you have a second, spend it in the Helan foothills at Beiwudang above Dawukou.
What kind of place this is
Shizuishan grew from a caravan and trading stop on the Yellow River into a coal city; the state chose it as one of ten new key mining areas in the 1950s, and the city was founded in 1960. It is still known for "Taixi" anthracite, and it had a bad name for pollution in the 2000s. You come for what is outside the industrial districts: the Helan Mountains, which reach 3,475.9 m inside the city boundary, and the lakes and reed beds on the Yellow River plain below them. The city government sits in Dawukou District.
Places worth visiting
Sand Lake (Shahu)
The scenic area covers about 50 km², roughly 10 km² of water and 20 km² of sand, so you get reed channels and a proper dune field in one ticket. The park's own pitch is the contrast between "south of the Yangtze" water scenery and the desert, and it is also a bird-watching site in spring and autumn migration. The reed-boat shot of Zixia in A Chinese Odyssey was filmed here, which still brings Chinese visitors.
Basic entry is listed on booking sites at around ¥60 in the April–October high season, but most people end up with a package that adds the shuttle, boats and desert activities such as sand sledding and camel rides, which costs far more. Decide before you go whether you want the boats and the dunes, or just a walk and the view. The lake is at its best from late August into October, when the reeds turn; midsummer days are hot on the sand.
Beiwudang and the Helan foothills
The Beiwudang Ecological Tourism Area is on the east foot of the Helan range, at the north end of the Tiedan road northwest of Dawukou. Its core is the Shoufo Temple, a hillside monastery the Ningxia tourism department describes as "a palace hanging on the mountain", said to have received a plaque from the Empress Dowager Cixi. Around it are a forest park, the Guidegou geological park, the Jiucaigou valley with sections of Ming border wall and beacon towers, Heishimao rock carvings and a small Helan Mountain eco-museum. The tourism department lists it as open 08:00–17:00.
This is dry, exposed country. Bring water, a hat and a windproof layer even in summer; the valleys lose sun early.
Xinghai Lake
Xinghai Lake on the east side of Dawukou is a national wetland park, about 48 km² of wetland with 23 km² of open water. It was a stinking low-lying dump until the city began cleaning it up in 2003; historically it was part of the same chain of lakes as Sand Lake. Now it has lakeside paths, cycling and boats. It costs little time and suits an evening after Beiwudang.
Vineyards
Grapes grow all along the Helan foothills, and Ningxia's wine region is a big part of the regional pitch. The main wineries are further south around Yinchuan, so plan wine visits from there.
Getting in and where to stay
- High-speed rail: the Huinong–Yinchuan section of the Baotou–Yinchuan line opened on 1 October 2024 with four stations: Huinong South, Shizuishan, Shahu (Sand Lake) and Yinchuan. The fastest trains reach Shizuishan from Yinchuan in about 27 minutes. Dawukou station only has slow conventional trains.
- Bus to Sand Lake: from 20 April to 20 October, Sand Lake buses leave Yinchuan's Beimen tourist bus station every half hour from 08:00 to 10:30 (¥15, about an hour), returning 13:00–18:00. From Dawukou, buses toward Yinchuan pass the lake in about 20 minutes, and a taxi is about ¥30.
- Where to stay: Yinchuan works as a base for Sand Lake. Stay in Dawukou if you want Beiwudang early in the day.
When to come
May to October. Late summer and autumn bring the reed colour and migrating birds; July can be very hot on the sand. Winters are freezing and dry, and the lake's boat services stop.
Eating in Shizuishan
This is Hui and northern Chinese food country: hand-pulled lamb noodles, mutton stews, and Ningxia's hand-held lamb (shouzhua yangrou). Restaurants inside Sand Lake are pricier than in town; the lake's own site lists fish-head and beef dishes at its restaurants. In Dawukou, eat where the locals queue.
How to arrange the route
From Yinchuan, one day: morning bus or train to Sand Lake, reeds and boats before lunch, desert in the afternoon, back by evening.
Two days: day one Sand Lake; day two train to Shizuishan, Beiwudang in the morning, Xinghai Lake late afternoon, train back or on toward Baotou.
What to cut if short on time
Keep Sand Lake. Cut the activity package down to the boat and a dune walk if you are short on time or money. Xinghai Lake is the first thing to drop; Beiwudang comes next unless you specifically want the mountains.
Things to confirm before you go
- Sand Lake ticket and package prices on the official site or booking platform; prices change seasonally.
- Bus schedule from Yinchuan Beimen station (seasonal).
- Beiwudang hours and wind or fire closures in the Helan range.
- Which station your train stops at: Shahu, Shizuishan or Huinong South.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sand Lake in Yinchuan or Shizuishan?
It is in Pingluo County, Shizuishan, about an hour's drive north of Yinchuan. Most visitors still do it as a day trip from Yinchuan.
How long do I need at Sand Lake?
Most of a day if you take the boats and go into the desert; three to four hours for a walk and one boat ride.
Shizuishan or Zhongwei for desert scenery?
Sand Lake mixes water, reeds and dunes; Zhongwei has Shapotou, where the Yellow River meets the Tengger Desert. With time for one, choose by whether you want lake or river.
Sources
The facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved September 22, 2026, and rechecked on October 21, 2026.
- Shizuishan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuishan
- 石嘴山市 (Chinese Wikipedia) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/石嘴山市
- Baotou–Yinchuan high-speed railway, Huinong–Yinchuan section opens (Ningxia government, 1 October 2024) https://www.nx.gov.cn/zwxx_11337/nxyw/202410/t20241001_4683240.html
- Sand Lake official site, transport and visitor information https://www.nxshahu.com/Play
- Beiwudang Ecological Tourism Area (Ningxia Department of Culture and Tourism) https://whhlyt.nx.gov.cn/jqjd/szss_66574/bwdstlyq/
- Xinghai Lake scenic area (Shizuishan government, December 2024) https://www.shizuishan.gov.cn/szsgk/szsly/yzszs/202412/t20241216_4759833.html
Sand Lake prices are from booking sites and change by season; confirm on the official channels.
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses or public domain; re-use requires attribution.