Helan Mountain is located in the west of Ningxia Plain. Magnificent and steep, it is the natural barrier of "Jiangnan". For thousands of years, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Qiang, Turkic, Uighur, Tubo, Tangut, Mongolia and other ethnic groups have lived and grazed here. Because of its unique geographical location, it has been a battleground for military strategists for thousands of years. From the map, Helan Mountain is a north-south mountain range, with the ridge as the center, Ningxia in the east and Inner Mongolia in the west. The scenery at the east foot and the west foot has its own merits. There is the Yellow River in the east foot, and a mother river passes through the territory, which has the reputation of Jiangnan. But the west foot is plateau, Gobi and desert, and it has the reputation of camel city on the plateau. As the first of the eight scenic spots in Ningxia, "Snow Clearing in Helan" in Ming Dynasty left many poems. For example, Chen said, "Flying in six ways is enough to clean up the dust, and it is rich and expensive. I know the silver world with my eyes full, and I am full of jade mountains and rivers. Yan Ning dazzled the world with the help of the destroyer Xue Feng, and the poet alone pitied the short scenery, and Helan was calm and lush. " China poet Hu also wrote a poem: "Who will make up the northwest sky? This mountain is a pillar, and its roots are far away, which threatens the Great Wall. Overlooking the Yellow River, it is covered with snow. Once I saw it from above, I was suffocating. "
The mysterious Xixia Dynasty, with its capital at the foot of Helan Mountain. More than 900 years ago, the Tangut people of Xixia fought against the Song and Jin Dynasties and established the Daxia Dynasty, commonly known as Xixia, covering the entire Hetao Plain and Hexi Corridor, which lasted 190 years. They imitated the Han people to establish official system and etiquette, and created Xixia characters with splendid culture. On the highway, you can see the ruins of Xixia tomb in the distance. Xixia died in the invasion of Mongolia, winding along the Great Wall of Helan Mountain, and did not really resist the fighters coming from outside the wall. The mausoleum of Xixia was deliberately destroyed by Mongols in many wars, leaving only a raised dome standing alone at the foot of Helan Mountain. Broken walls, a desert mound, is just like the elegy of Xixia Dynasty. The Xixia civilization left to future generations is unpredictable, remote, mysterious and illusory. Being in it is like a dream, and the mountains are ringing and the valleys are moving. Nowadays, the smoke of war has gone away, leaving behind the dream of the Millennium dynasty. The once paranoid kingdom of Xixia has long been submerged in the vast historical river and the vast Gobi. Only this tomb site tells people the glorious past in loneliness.
Passing through the three passes near the site of Xixia Mausoleum to the west, you can reach the main tourist attraction in Alashan, namely Henan Temple, the North Temple. Historically, the temple buildings here are large in scale, with a large number of monks, a perfect classical system and a high religious level comparable to that of Ta 'er Temple in Qinghai. It not only has a long history and profound cultural heritage, but also has unique and beautiful scenery. Here, look at the beautiful forest, climb dangerous peaks, visit ancient temples, watch the sunrise of the beautiful forest and watch the lonely smoke in the desert at dusk.
To the north of the site of Xixia Mausoleum is "Jason Chung Pass", commonly known as "Small Mouth". The terrain is like a huge clock, with its back facing the east and its mouth surrounded by mountains on three sides, which looks like a big clock. There is an isolated small peak named Zhongling Mountain, just like the hammer of a giant clock, hence the name bell mouth. It was once the palace of Li Yuanhao and the summer resort of Ma Hongkui, a warlord in Ningxia during the Republic of China. After spring, the flowers on the hillside are blooming, and the springs in the ditch are tinkling. Looking around, the hillside is lush, the sun is shaded by trees, and the top of the mountain is covered with snow. This is the scenery of "Helan Clear Snow". There are many temples in the mouth, including the ancient Yuwangtai, Xinglong Temple and Late Cuige, all of which were built in the Qing Dynasty. These temples and pavilions are surrounded by mountains and rivers, naturally drifting with the tide, with ingenious layout and patchwork, and are integrated with mountains, rocks, forests and springs. There is a flying pavilion on the terrace, and the fragrant forest is unforgettable.
"Xiaokouzi" goes further north and enters the quiet Helankou. You can see that rock paintings are carved everywhere on the upper and lower boulders, and some are ground against the rocks, as shallow as thin paper; Some of them are carved by percussion with bone implements, which are lifelike, just like sculptures ... These rock paintings are all-encompassing, from astronomy to humanities, with figures, animals, the sun, hunting, animal husbandry, dancing, reproduction and fighting ... It is no exaggeration to say that Helankou rock paintings are epic poems portrayed by nomadic people with artistic images.
There are still some controversies about Helan Mountain in academic circles. It is understood that several mountains in China are named after Helan Mountain. In addition to Ningxia, there are also Helan Mountain in Shanxi and Hebei. It has been suggested that Helan Mountain in Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" is Helan Mountain in Hebei Province. The reason is that Yue Fei has never been to Helan Mountain in Ningxia. This paper discusses the relationship between Helan Mountain and Yue Fei in Cixian County, Hebei Province from the scope of the Song-Jin War and the victory of the North-South Passage at that time, and puts forward the conclusion that Yue Fei decided that Helan Mountain should be in Cixian County. In fact, Helan Mountain in Ningxia has always been a sword and shadow because of its special geographical location. Located in the transitional zone between farming and nomadic peoples in China, ethnic migration is frequent. Historically, it is an important barrier for nomadic people to reach the Central Plains, and it is known as "the guarantee of the north and the throat of the desert". Numerous taniguchi, in peacetime, is the main road of trade and transportation, and in wartime, it is a battleground for military strategists. There are many poems describing Helan Mountain in ancient frontier poems. In the Tang Dynasty, Lu Youshi said: "The north wind blows snow over the scar, and it is colder to drink horses in the cave outside the Great Wall. When the fire comes in the middle of the night, you will know the enemy's situation and protect Helan Mountain for a while. " With vivid images, the vivid pen and ink are condensed, and the hardships of border guards and the vivid scenes of fierce fighting in the middle of the night are written. Even Wang Wei, an idyllic poet, wrote the poem "The clouds are gathering, under the Helan Mountains, going back and forth, day and night, taking a breath". Wang Wei has been to Ningxia. Jia Dao, another famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, although he has never been to Ningxia, also wrote the poem "The grass in Helan Mountain is flourishing and the flag wind moves from time to time". It can be seen how famous Helan Mountain is as an ancient battlefield. As a famous strategist and strategist, Yue Fei is no stranger to Helan Mountain. Moreover, Yue Fei is ambitious. He wants to recover not only the lost land in the Northern Song Dynasty, but also the rivers and mountains in China in his mind, including the northeast, the Great Wall and the northwest, which were extremely powerful in the heyday of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and completely eliminate the threat from the northern nationalities. This desire can be seen from the poem "Hungry for Land Rover's flesh and thirsty for Xiongnu's blood". These two poems have a wide and clear geographical reference, that is.
"Helan Mountain is 500 miles long and looks at the sky." It is said that Aobaogeda, the main peak of Helan Mountain, is 3556 meters above sea level, much higher than the famous Five Mountains in China. Aobaogeda is an "Aobao" made of stones at the highest point of Helan Mountain by Mongols, and it is a place where they pray for peace, happiness and beauty.