Haiyuan

Haiyuan County lies in the mountainous Xihaigu region of southern Ningxia, under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhongwei, in one of the historically poorest and most arid parts of China. The county is known worldwide, if grimly so, as the epicenter of the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake, one of the deadliest in recorded history, and its economy today rests on dryland farming of potatoes and drought-resistant grains, sheep and cattle herding, and a slow but determined push toward eco-migration and poverty-alleviation industries. There is no university in Haiyuan itself, and students continue their education in Zhongwei, Guyuan or Yinchuan, though the county maintains vocational schools that train workers for local agriculture and construction. Its landmarks include the sobering Haiyuan Earthquake Museum, the historic Haiyuan Grand Mosque that anchors the county's predominantly Hui Muslim community, and the ruined Tang- and Song-dynasty Xiaoguan Pass fortifications that once guarded this stretch of the ancient Silk Road. Haiyuan's stark loess-canyon scenery and deep Hui heritage make it a place of resilience and quiet cultural depth rather than conventional tourism.