Ningxia

Abstract

Archeology of the Hetao Culture shows early inhabitants of Ningxia having lived there at least 25,000 years ago. The Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is named for its well-known Hui (Moslem) minority in this western province, going back to the Tang dynasty. While not the only province to have significant numbers of the Hui minority, as of 2015 Ningxia had the largest number (2,400,000), forming about a third of Ningxia’s total population. Historically, the region of modern Ningxia included the kingdom of the Tanguts, who, among other things, had an even more complex written language than Chinese. Ningxia is also near the bottom of mainland China’s 31 provinces and cities in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), and ranks 21st in the same field for per capita income (USD $4000). One area in which Ningxia is looking to boost its economy is wine making, with a goal of producing some USD $3 billion in wine for export by 2035.