Mount Xumi Grottoes are located on the eastern slope of the mountain about 60 kilometres northwest of Guyuan County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The ideal geographical position of the mountain has a close bearing on the building of the grottoes.  The area used to be a key passage on the ancient Silk Road between the East and the West and also a thoroughfare for exchanges between the Han and other ethnic groups of China. Therefore, it was the scene of many battles. In the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, people built temples on the mountain in token of their appeal for peace and  stability and against war and murder as well as their faith in Buddhism. The most celebrated place of interest in the mountain is the Giant Sitting- Buddha Maitreya in Grotto No 2. The Maitreya measures 26 metres in height, with its ears the length of two adults put together. The Maitreya has a benign look. It is considered a representative masterpiece of the grotto in the mountain. Grotto No 5 is the biggest of its kind in the mountain.  Made of a mound hollowed out, it is called the "Haloes of Xumi. " The grotto consists of seven well-preserved Buddhist statues, each six metres tall, and seven Bodhisattva statues.These sculptures look mysterious and fascinating under a few rays of light that enter the grotto through a hole in the mound. Subjected  to devastation by earthquakes and windstorms in its 1,400-year history, half of the grotto was caved-in,  but it has recently been restored.
    The grotto group began its construction around the time of the Northern WeiDynasty (386-534) and was completed in the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618- 907) dynasties. The Buddhist statues, which were made with an artisticapproach of realism,  reflect the true features of people in the Northern and  Southern Dynasties (420-581),  the Sui and Tang dynasties.
    Shahu Lake Tourist Area
    This is a popular recreational area 56 kilometres north of the City of Yinchuan.It consists of a lake and golden desert.  The lake' takes up 660 hectares(1,630.86 acres) and the remaining 300 hectares (741.30 acres) for the golderi desert. The visitor can take a boat trip among the reeds on the lake,  In the middle of the lake is a small island,  about one hectare (2.471 acres) in area. Every year hundreds of thousands of migratory birds come to rest and brood on the island. This is a unique scenic spot that combines picturesque scenery south of the Yangtze River and landscape of the desert north of the Great Wall.
   

Juyong Pass, built in 1368, and together with Zijing Pass and Daoma Passwere called the "Inner Three Passes" along the Great Wall. The Great Wall at Juyong Pass near Beijing is 8.5 metres high, 6.5 metres wide at the bottom and 5.7 metres wide at the top and its parapet  is some 1 metre high.    Juyong (Dwelling-in-Harmony) Pass, also known as Jundu Pass or Jimen Pass, is an important strategic gateway leading to Inner Mongolia. The slopes on both sides of this narrow pass are carpeted by a dense growth of foliage. It used to be one of the eight famous scenic spots in Beijing. After five years of renovation, the famous Juyongguan section of the Great Wall opened to tourists in late March 1998.  The 20-kilometre-long ravine, named Guangou (Pass Ravine) , flanked by mountains, was the northern entrance to Beijing inancient times. The cavalry men of Genghis Khan swept through it in the 13th century. The Yuan emperors had to travel through the ravine every year to their summer resort in Inner Mongolia, staying overnight at Juyong Pass.Entering the Pass, visitors will see an ancient platform known as Cloud Terrace , built in 1345, and made of marble. It was called the Crossing Street Dagoba,  since its arch spanned the main street of the pass.  There were formerly three dagobas on the top of the terrace. Unfortunately they collapsed along with the nearby imperial residence and other religious buildings during an early 15th century earthquake. Later on, a new temple was built on the site, but it was also destroyed in the early years of the Qing Dynasty.  Now only the terrace remains. The tenace is9.5 metres high, its width is 26.84 metres and the length of the cave is 17.57metres. If one man guards the pass, ten thousand are unable to get through.

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