Site touristique de Shuidonggou au Ningxia

The Shuidonggou Tourism Zone, located in Lingwu on the eastern outskirts of Yinchuan, is one of the most layered heritage sites in northwest China, combining a Paleolithic archaeological site, Ming-era Great Wall fortifications, and a striking desert-landform landscape within a single 5A-rated scenic area. For international visitors who want to experience the deep time of the Yellow River region — and see millennia of human history layered in one place — Shuidonggou is a rewarding full-day excursion from Yinchuan.

The site's scientific significance begins in 1923, when French paleontologists Teilhard de Chardin and Emile Licent discovered the first Paleolithic remains here, establishing Shuidonggou as the "cradle of Chinese prehistoric archaeology." Multiple excavation campaigns have since uncovered tens of thousands of stone tools and animal fossils, confirming that early modern humans lived in this area roughly 40,000 years ago — the earliest formally excavated Paleolithic site in the Yellow River basin. The on-site museum presents these findings with dioramas, artifact displays, and explanatory text.

What makes Shuidonggou unusual is that prehistory is only one layer. Visitors can walk along a preserved section of the Ming-dynasty Great Wall, including beacon towers and the extraordinary Hidden Soldier Caves — a subterranean military complex of tunnels, chambers, and trap-pits used to ambush invaders. These underground defenses are among the best-preserved examples of Ming military engineering in northern China, and exploring them feels like walking through a 600-year-old warren.

The natural setting is equally striking. The site sits at the southern edge of the Ordos Plateau, where wind erosion over millions of years has sculpted a yardang landscape of clay towers and ridges. Local names such as "Devil City," "Camel Ridge," and "Cloud-Cliff Valley" describe more than 20 named landforms along the trail. Several types of transport connect the different zones — including boat, camel cart, and tractor-drawn carriage — which makes Shuidonggou particularly popular with families. For travelers from Yinchuan, the site offers a rare combination of archaeology, military history, and desert scenery that is difficult to find anywhere else in China.