Western Xia Imperial Tombs, a World Cultural Heritage Site

Bus route 708 goes directly to the scenic area, and you get off right at the entrance. First, go to the service hall where staff guide you to buy the scenic area shuttle bus tickets from a self-service machine. I bought tickets for Route 3 and the Twin Tombs (Tombs 1 and 2) for 40 yuan. The scenic area offers free admission starting December 1st during the off-season. At the window, I exchanged for a paper ticket; even with free admission, you can still get a physical ticket at the window. First, visit the museum, which is quite spacious with four exhibition halls on the first floor and two on the second floor. The exhibitions mainly explain the history, economy, culture of Western Xia, as well as archaeological discoveries and layout of the Western Xia tombs. The exhibition is very well arranged, with great attention to detail, clear and detailed content, which is very helpful for understanding Western Xia culture and history. Historically, Western Xia was not weak; it fought many battles with the Song and Jin dynasties, winning more than it lost. However, internal power struggles involving matriarchal relatives caused political turmoil and severe internal conflict. When it came to fighting the Mongols, Western Xia lost all six major battles, with the last one ending the 180-year Western Xia dynasty. The museum has two replicas of Yulin Caves from the Western Xia period, showcasing the artistic charm of Buddhist culture during that era. If you visit Dunhuang, you can also see caves built during the Western Xia period. You should allocate plenty of time for the Western Xia Tombs Museum as the content is quite rich. After leaving the museum, follow the signs through an underground passage (with a road above) to the bus stop to take a shuttle to Tomb 3. In early December, there were very few people; the small bus left without being full. First stop was Tomb 3, believed to be the tomb of Li Yuanhao. What you see now are the remains of the above-ground tomb and the surrounding architectural walls. Like the Dunhuang caves, it is far from the Central Plains and rarely visited by people, fortunately preserving this thousand-year-old relic. Although not as grand as the pyramids or as mysterious as Stonehenge, it still evokes a sense of history that feels both distant and close at hand. After viewing Tomb 3, I took the bus to the Twin Tombs, passing many other tomb clusters along the way. The Twin Tombs are closer to the Helan Mountains, with ruins scattered over a large area, radiating a warm aura under the winter sun. Leaving the scenic area, the 708 bus would take 40 minutes to arrive, so I decided not to wait and took a taxi back. With few tourists, the driver quickly accepted the order.