Chengtian Temple
Have you seen the pagoda held by the Heavenly King in cartoons? It is sturdy, massive and simple. From the top of the Chengtian Temple pagoda you can look down over old Yinchuan,…
Chengtian Temple, Yinchuan
Key facts
- Admission
- ¥10; ¥20 to climb the pagoda
- Opening hours
- 9:00–17:30 (summer); 9:00–17:00 (winter); closed on Mondays
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Getting there
- Near Xita North (西塔北) bus stop and Limin Street bus stop.
- Guidebook rating
- 4 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 788. Open in Google Maps
About Chengtian Temple
Have you seen the pagoda held by the Heavenly King in cartoons? It is sturdy, massive and simple. From the top of the Chengtian Temple pagoda you can look down over old Yinchuan, where the bustling commercial street lies just below and pedestrians scurry by like ants. There is a sense of the Heavenly King calmly surveying the human world.
Chengtian Temple was founded in 1050. Its 13-storey brick pagoda, a pavilion-style structure 64.5 metres tall, is the only Xixia-era pagoda in China with a recorded construction date. It collapsed in the 1739 Ningxia earthquake, and the surviving tower was rebuilt in 1820, largely preserving the style of the original Xixia pagoda.
Today Chengtian Temple houses the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Museum. Four great halls are open to visitors, displaying Ningxia historical relics, Xixia artefacts, Helan Mountain rock art, and exhibits on Hui folk customs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Chengtian Temple cost?
Admission to Chengtian Temple is ¥10; ¥20 to climb the pagoda, as listed in the 2025 guidebook. Prices can change; check the official channel before you go.
What are the opening hours of Chengtian Temple?
Chengtian Temple is open 9:00–17:30 (summer); 9:00–17:00 (winter); closed on Mondays.
How do I get to Chengtian Temple?
Near Xita North (西塔北) bus stop and Limin Street bus stop.
How long should I spend at Chengtian Temple?
Plan on 1–2 hours for Chengtian Temple.
Where is Chengtian Temple?
Chengtian Temple is in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the Northwest of China.
More places in Yinchuan
Helan Mountain National Forest Park
About 50 km west of Yinchuan lie the Helan Mountains, which run northeast to southwest. The range forms a boundary: Inner Mongolia lies to the west and Ningxia to the east. It stretches more than 200 km, 15–60 km wide, with its main peak, Aobao Gedaa, rising to 3,556 m, over 2,000 m above the Yinchuan Plain. The standard route includes the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, Helankou Rock Art, Suyukou Scenic Area and Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio. Because these sights all lie along the Helan Mountain corridor west of Yinchuan, they are usually combined into a basic full-day chartered-car itinerary and are a highlight of Yinchuan tourism. Helankou is one of the routes into the mountains for climbing the main peak. Locals say that deep in the mountains beyond this pass, rock carvings lie scattered. Within an area of 0.38 square kilometers there are hundreds of primitive petroglyphs; some look fierce, others strange and amusing, and their dates of carving still cannot be determined. The most representative is the Sun God figure on the mid-slope to the north.
¥80 (admission plus round-trip shuttle bus) · 2–3 hours
Huangsha Ancient Ferry National Wetland Park
Ningxia's newest flagship attraction. Here you can see the ancient ferry crossing where the Kangxi Emperor crossed the Yellow River, and the crescent-shaped Moon Lake left in the desert by Princess Wang Zhaojun's journey north to marry a Xiongnu chieftain. The Desert Fun Valley is thrilling, while the Ancient Ferry Village is wonderfully relaxing. The China Native Tibetan Mastiff Breeding Base, the Ningxia Desert Wildlife Rescue Centre and the Ningxia Folk Culture Museum are all based here, making this arguably the most fun place in Ningxia.
Combo ticket ¥218 (includes more than 20 activities, such as desert surfing buggy, wetland dragon boat, sheepskin raft, camel riding, sand sledding and Yellow River surfing) · 5 hours
Nanguan Grand Mosque
First built in the late Ming dynasty, the present Nanguan Grand Mosque was rebuilt in 1981. It features Arabic-style architecture and is one of the larger mosques in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The main prayer hall can accommodate 1,300 worshippers at once. To promote Islamic culture, the mosque is open to the public.
Free
Mingcui Lake National Wetland Park
Mingcui Lake is one of the best-preserved natural wetland reserves in Ningxia and is celebrated as one of China's Six Most Beautiful Wetland Parks. It is a scenic area that combines science education, leisure and holidays, water and land adventure activities, health and wellness, wild angling, winter skiing and wedding photography.
¥40 in peak season, ¥20 in off-season · 2–3 hours
Shahu Lake, Ningxia
Shahu Lake lies 56 km north of Yinchuan. Covering 7.32 square kilometers, it is Ningxia's largest freshwater lake, roughly one and a half times the size of West Lake. Shahu is one of China's 35 flagship attractions, with well-equipped facilities for sand sliding, water slides, all kinds of pleasure boats and speedboats, and bathing. You can first take a boat out to the sandbar to play, then catch any boat heading back to the main gate. If you're in the mood, you can also camp and barbecue here; on a moonlit night, the blue-green waters around the sandbar are something special. Shahu is also rich in fish, and the aquarium on the south shore displays dozens of rare species. Around the western side of the lake you'll find sand sliding, camel and horse riding, swimming, fishing, paragliding, beach volleyball and football, as well as scenic sightseeing flights.
¥150 for admission plus speedboat ride · 1 day
Shuidonggou Archaeological Site
One of the richest Late Paleolithic sites discovered in China to date. Excavations show that humans were living here as early as over 30,000 years ago. Within the scenic area are two lakes, Hongshan Lake and Yuanyang Lake, both of which let visitors boat past the Great Wall. According to Ningxia cultural relics and archaeology experts, the site is a garrison fortress of the Ming Great Wall, and it is the most intact three-dimensional military defense complex of the ancient Great Wall discovered in Ningxia.
¥60 · 3–4 days