During at recent business trip to Ningxia and Gansu I had the chance to visit some Great Wall in the area, especially around Yinchuan (capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region) where several locations offer Great Wall sightseeing.
One of the visited places was Shuidonggou (水洞购 – shuǐ dòng gōu), which mean Water Cave Gully. Here the Ming Great Wall pass a small tributary, that connects to the Yellow River 9 kilometres north-west of there.
The wall here is without any repair although some sources claim that this section will be renovated, however I didn’t see any sign of repair. Some places the wall is not much more than a pile of sand, but still it’s very interesting to see how this mud wall have survived so many years, and it’s difficult not to be impressed by the workmanship that have allowed the wall to survive so many years.
From Shuidonggou the Great Wall continues east into the Shanxi province. The wall can easily be found by following the express way from Yinchuan to the airport. From the airport exit go north and follow the road parallel to the express way.
Entrance price: free
Date of visit: October 8, 2008
2 Responses to “Shuidonggou”
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Dear Kim:
Thank you for the the valuable service of web site. I have also reviewed your short blog on Shuidonggou. Are there any signs or displays of prehistoricla man, for which this place is famous.
Do you have any recommended local English-speaking, enthusiastic, history-loving guide to show us:
1) several authentic Great Wall sections
2) ancient cliff or rock paintings (Helan Mountain)
3) Mount Sumeru Grottoes (Xumishan)
4) western Xia Tombs
in the Yinchin area?
Jorg Ostrowski
Thanks for your comment Jorg.
I have not seen any display (or signs of it) regarding the prehistoric man. I mainly went there to visit the Great Wall so I didn’t pay much attention.
During my visits in Ningxia I have had some local friends as my guide but they only speak Chinese. The Xia Tombs are not so far from Yinchuan so it should be possible to go there by taxi.
It might also be possible to get the hotel to arrange the trips and hire a driver.
I recommend that you have a look at the Great Wall Forum for more information about the Great Wall in this area:
http://www.greatwallforum.com/index.php