I walked beyond into the emptiness of the desert, with its feeling of silence, of lifelessness - the terrain stretching before me, one of the emptiest places on earth, the desolate, waterless Tengger. To the north, only 20 kilometers away was Inner Mongolia but there were no roads leading across this dry, hostile terrain.

Beyond Shapatou, Zhongwei is the first major town on the western route into Ningxia. Focused around a highly ornate drum tower is was a pleasant, friendly place to be based with its fascinating mix of street life centered around small outdoor markets. People went around by bicycle. Incredibly I came upon locals playing a game of 19th century French-inspired croquet! Alongside the Yellow River, Zhongwei was in many ways an oasis town, it acted as a gateway to or from the Northern Silk Road crossing the previously mentioned barren deserts stretching to Gansu. Its main delight for me was the incredibly intricate Gao Miao Temple, a functional complex serving Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt several times due to earthquake or fire damage. Today’s temple was reconstructed in 1947. Appearing at first one building there are actually 250 temple rooms, towers and pavilions feeling somewhat like a dreamland castle!