Rock Paintings of Helan Mountain
Rock Paintings of Helan Mountain
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4.0
54 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
21
Average
13
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2
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0
FeltonS
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia220 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
I've lived and traveled in China for 11 years, and I'd place this site in my top 3 attractions. I'm grateful we went.
Upon arrival you'll be ushered into a middling to poor museum of rock art throughout China and the world - I'd advise skipping it (note: it appears that a new museum is under construction as of May 2014) and going straight to the third floor where you'll catch an electric bus to a canyon where the petroglyphs are located. From there, you can walk a sidewalk deep into the canyon, which is dotted with petroglyphs. If you're spry, you can climb up the canyon walls (and some hazardous stairways) to see less viewed petroglyphs.
It's the kind of experience that's quite rare in Chinese tourism - walking through well-preserved, scenic areas - and the experience of doing so with ancient art around you is really wonderful. Along the way, if you're lucky, you might also catch sight of some blue sheep in the crags high above the canyon.
Highly recommended.
Upon arrival you'll be ushered into a middling to poor museum of rock art throughout China and the world - I'd advise skipping it (note: it appears that a new museum is under construction as of May 2014) and going straight to the third floor where you'll catch an electric bus to a canyon where the petroglyphs are located. From there, you can walk a sidewalk deep into the canyon, which is dotted with petroglyphs. If you're spry, you can climb up the canyon walls (and some hazardous stairways) to see less viewed petroglyphs.
It's the kind of experience that's quite rare in Chinese tourism - walking through well-preserved, scenic areas - and the experience of doing so with ancient art around you is really wonderful. Along the way, if you're lucky, you might also catch sight of some blue sheep in the crags high above the canyon.
Highly recommended.
Written May 24, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna V
Melbourne, Australia126 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
I didn't have any expectations for the Rock Paintings as it was just an idea to visit her after the XiXia Tombs to fill in a day. It is amazing, the musuem is first class, very new setup, you can see the details of the carvings and then take little electric bus to other areas of the site. Then you work around the mountain path and see the rock paintings in real life, it is amazing and you need 2.5 hours here minimum to see everything. Don't forget to visit the beautiful unique art exhibition building as well. We used Mr Liu as a driver, extremely safe, lovely man, he drove us for 2 days and also to the airport. I would totally recommend him. +8618909510856 but you need to get someone to speak chinese to him.
Written May 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SebBud
Stuttgart, Germany104 contributions
Sept 2015 • Friends
Make sure to go further into the canyon as most of the tourist groups do. The place is crowed and touristy at the beginning, but is getting really nice. There are some options to hike up the mountains and look down the canyon.
Written October 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SingaporeGirl
Singapore, Singapore517 contributions
Jan 2013 • Friends
Visited in 2009 and found it interesting but you have to close your eyes to the usual China tourism squalor (gift shops, concrete paths, etc.). In 2009 we could climb the hills and stray off the sidewalks where we found additional carvings un-enhanced that were much more interesting. Why oh why can't the Chinese tourism industry learn to leave things alone and stop pouring concrete everywhere. Do what must be done to protect sites but covering them in concrete is not the way to go.
Written December 6, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RLO721
Singapore, Singapore83 contributions
Oct 2021
The other three star reviews have it right -- it's a mediocre site that is worth skipping if you have a tight schedule. If you've already exhausted the other sites in Helan Mountains, have a half day to burn and/or if are REALLY into ancient rock carvings ("rock paintings" is not really a good way to describe them...), then it could be worth the trip. But you should note that this is some distance from downtown Yinchuan with no convenient/affordable way to get there, and itself has a rather overpriced (for what it is) admission ticket of 70 RMB per person.
As with many sites in China, it is excessively built-up for what it is, with the ticketing area feeling a bit like a circus. The complex contains two museums which are actually surprisingly well-presented, but focus on rock art in a general sense, rather than anything particular to the region (Ningxia Museum in downtown Yinchuan covers that well). One highlight of the museum is where they give demonstrations of how ancient rock pictures eventually evolved into Chinese characters, and some people might find this interesting. But all of this could just as easily be found in books (or Wikipedia articles) to save yourself the trouble of getting here.
There is a path of about 2km which allows you to walk through some rock art supposedly in their original location (I'm suspicious...). It's nothing particularly incredible or jaw-dropping, but a true connoisseur might enjoy it. The experience would be enhanced with audio guides and/or a little portable map with context and information about the particular rock carvings you find along the path. If you just want to appreciate a bit the mountain scenery, the "Forest Park" 10km away is much better.
As with many sites in China, it is excessively built-up for what it is, with the ticketing area feeling a bit like a circus. The complex contains two museums which are actually surprisingly well-presented, but focus on rock art in a general sense, rather than anything particular to the region (Ningxia Museum in downtown Yinchuan covers that well). One highlight of the museum is where they give demonstrations of how ancient rock pictures eventually evolved into Chinese characters, and some people might find this interesting. But all of this could just as easily be found in books (or Wikipedia articles) to save yourself the trouble of getting here.
There is a path of about 2km which allows you to walk through some rock art supposedly in their original location (I'm suspicious...). It's nothing particularly incredible or jaw-dropping, but a true connoisseur might enjoy it. The experience would be enhanced with audio guides and/or a little portable map with context and information about the particular rock carvings you find along the path. If you just want to appreciate a bit the mountain scenery, the "Forest Park" 10km away is much better.
Written October 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda
Port of Spain, Trinidad32 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
Beautiful place. Breathtaking views. Worth a visit. Ningxia is not as populated as other areas, less pollution and really great food.
Written December 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann_anncy
Bangkok, Thailand457 contributions
Sept 2019 • Business
Very interesting place to explore a civilizations before prehistoric China. Mountain Helen was also a key stronghold.
There’re blue sheep, the symbol of Mountain Helen walk along. Recommended place!!
There’re blue sheep, the symbol of Mountain Helen walk along. Recommended place!!
Written September 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria V
4 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
We had an AMAZING experience with this tour in Yinchuan! It was kind of hard for us to get around Yinchuan ourselves because almost no one spoke English so we decided to go to this guy who spoke English and it was more than what we expected!
So they took us to sites such as Shuidonggou, Helan Mountain, Zhenbeibao TV & Movie city, Shapotou desert etc., I highly recommend you guys go to at least two of these sites. They might be far from each other but there is a lot of nature and culture to see in these places.
Other than that, we did cool local things such as: Hike Helan Mountain and camp there; BBQ and dumpling-making in a traditional Chinese yard; Exploring local night markets where all the local people go. I think they organize other things such as biking the city and villages, and learn how to draw Chinese calligraphy etc. but we didn’t have time to do those.
Seriously go to these guys, They offer a low price too!
Eric whatsapp +86 182 2237 6633
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1854982-d1855898-r586674621-The_China_Western_Film_Studios-Helan_County_Ningxia.html#
So they took us to sites such as Shuidonggou, Helan Mountain, Zhenbeibao TV & Movie city, Shapotou desert etc., I highly recommend you guys go to at least two of these sites. They might be far from each other but there is a lot of nature and culture to see in these places.
Other than that, we did cool local things such as: Hike Helan Mountain and camp there; BBQ and dumpling-making in a traditional Chinese yard; Exploring local night markets where all the local people go. I think they organize other things such as biking the city and villages, and learn how to draw Chinese calligraphy etc. but we didn’t have time to do those.
Seriously go to these guys, They offer a low price too!
Eric whatsapp +86 182 2237 6633
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1854982-d1855898-r586674621-The_China_Western_Film_Studios-Helan_County_Ningxia.html#
Written June 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt R
Olinda, Australia3 contributions
Jan 2018 • Business
The ice river, Rock art and art gallery was a great time out from a busy business trip. I’ve been interested in Bradshaw paintings in Australia so was keen to see this rather than the movie studio! The art gallery was inspiring with so many different mediums on display by the famous Chinese artist who’s name now escapes me!
Written April 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alison S
Ho Chi Minh3 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
As a result of flooding in 2016, there are extensive repair works going on at the moment - only a 10-15 walk is possible as the walkway through the valley is closed.
Written April 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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