Park of China
Overview
| Designation | AAAAA tourist attraction (2007, “Shapotou Tourist Area”) National nature reserve (1994, “Shapotou National Nature Reserve”) |
| Province | Ningxia |
| Location | Shapotou District, Zhongwei, Ningxia; about 16 km west of the city, on the south-eastern edge of the Tengger Desert |
| Latitude, longitude | 37.46, 104.99 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Desert, sand dunes, the Yellow River, sand-fixing works |
| Top sights | The singing sand slope, sheepskin rafts on the Yellow River, the sand-fixing belt along the Baotou–Lanzhou Railway |
| Nearby cities | Lanzhou, Yinchuan |
| Nearby sites | Western Xia Imperial Tombs 139km, Xumishan Grottoes 165km, Mount Kongtong 253km, Maijishan Grottoes 352km, Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes 358km Search nearby |
| Themes | Desert, Sand Dune, Long River, Rafting & boat trips, Cable Car |
About
Shapotou lies on the south-eastern edge of the Tengger Desert in Ningxia, where the Yellow River bends to the east and a high sand slope drops straight to its north bank. Sliding down the slope makes the sand boom, a sound once listed among the local sights as the “Bell of the Sand Slope”.
When the Baotou–Lanzhou Railway was built in the 1950s it had to cross the shifting dunes here. The sand was fixed with checkerboards of straw pressed into the surface and then planted with drought-tolerant shrubs, and the method was later used across China. The Shapotou National Nature Reserve protects this desert and its planted vegetation.
Shapotou is counted with Mingsha Shan at Dunhuang, Xiangshawan in Dalad Banner and the singing dunes of Barkol as China’s four great singing sands.
Travel tips
Getting there: Zhongwei has a railway station and an airport; the scenic area is about half an hour by road from the city.
What to do: the area is divided into a desert zone and a river zone, linked by a cable car. Slide down the sand or ride a camel in the desert, and float down the Yellow River on a sheepskin raft.
Season: spring and autumn are best; the sand is very hot at midday in summer, and winter winds are cold.
Time: one day.
Where to stay: in Zhongwei, or at desert camps and hotels near the scenic area.
Map
Photo credits: The Yellow River and the desert near Shapotou: mayanming (CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Western Xia Imperial Tombs 139km, Bingling Temple 253km |
| National parks | Xumishan Grottoes 165km |
| AAAAA attractions | Yellow River Grand Canyon Tourist Area 98km, Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio 159km, Lingwu Shuidonggou Tourist Area 162km, Sand Lake (Shahu) 191km |
| AAAA attractions | Tengger Desert Wetland and Jinsha Island Tourism Area 12km, Tonghu Grassland 26km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Alxa Desert UNESCO Global Geopark 173km |
| Historical sites | Zhongwei Gao Temple 18km |
| National geoparks | Lingwu National Geopark 148km |
| Nature reserves | Luoshan National Nature Reserve 115km, Nanhuashan National Nature Reserve 127km |