Situated to the south of Ningxia, the sleepy town of Guyuan is a stop on the railway route through the province, with few people disembarking here for anything other than refreshment.
There is little of interest here and most people simply keep moving as there are far more interesting places nearby to make a pit stop. Nevertheless, the cave grottoes of Xumi are located to the west of Guyuan, and it is possible to take a bus from the town to explore the Buddhist caves, which are cut into sandstone hills.
It takes just over an hour to reach the caves from Guyuan. However, there is only one bus a day, making it necessary to either spend the night in a nearby guest house or hire a minivan back to Guyuan. Although quiet, Guyuan isn’t a bad place to spend time and it is certainly more peaceful than many parts of China.
Getting There & Away
Guyuan is best reached from Yinchuan, where there is an international airport. It takes 6 hours to reach Guyuan by train from Yinchuan. Guyuan is also connected by rail to nearby towns and cities such as Xian (8 hours), Lanzhou (10 hours) and Zhongwei (5 hours).
Things to Do
Guyuan Attractions
- Guyuan Museum
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Contains a collection of artifacts spanning the centuries from the stone age to the qing dynasty.
Side trips from Guyuan
- Xumi Shan Grottose
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Take a bus from guyuan to these interesting grottoes, which are filled with ancient buddhist sculptures.