A tour site featuring mountain landscape and imperial tombs dating back to the Western Xia Dynasty (1032-1227) in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has been inscribed on the State Natural and Cultural Heritage list.

Together with the Reserve of Helan Mountain-Western Xia Imperial Tombs, a total of 13 sites of natural attractions and cultural relics are among the first group of the country's top-level natural and cultural heritage, according to the Ministry of Construction.

He Jide, administration director of the ancient sites, said that the government will give priority to these sites when applying for the World Natural and Cultural Heritage.

Helan Mountain Nature Reserve, listed as a natural site under state-level protective in 1988, lies between the Yinchuan Plain in Ningxia and the vast grassland in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

With rich ecological and mineral resources, Helan Mountain is home to some 685 kinds of plants and it is also a habitat of 179 species of wild animals, in which 16 kinds of vertebrates are under state-level protection.

Meanwhile, the area is famous for its cultural and art relics, such as cliff paintings, ruins of ancient temples and unique custom of ethnic villages.

Known as "pyramids of China", the most prestigious cultural site is the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, which include nine mausoleums of emperors and 207 tombs of noblemen over the 200-yearreign of the nomadic kingdom.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2006)