Wuzhong

During the early and mid-19th century, the territory of today's Wuzhong—as well as much of the northern Ningxia—became a stronghold of the Jahriyya Sufi order (menhuan), which was headquartered in the town of Jinjipu (a few km south of today's Wuzhong's main urban area). Under the leadership of the order's fourth and fifth shaykhs, Ma Yide (the 1770s-1849) and Ma Hualong (d. 1871), it grew wealthy from the profits of caravan trade across Inner Mongolia, between Baotou, Huhhot and Beijing. Jinjipu became an important commercial and religious center.

Wuzhong city is located in the middle of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, south of Zhongwei, north of Yinchuan, east of the Dingbian County in the Shaanxi province, on the northeast and northwest Inner Mongolia's Otog Front Banner and Alxa League, on the southeast is Gansu's Qingyang. Wuzhong city is long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The topography is high in the south and low in the north, with Yinchuan plain in the north and Qingtongxia plain and hilly land in the south. The river plains have an average elevation of 1100 meters, the southern area an elevation of 1300–1900 meters. The city's area consists of parts of the Loess Plateau, Ordos Plateau, Yellow River alluvial plains and mountains. The northern two counties are mostly alluvial plains, the east is located on the Ordos Plateau and includes part of the Maowusu Desert. …

The region features many mosques with unique architecture and different styles everywhere. Wuzhong is one of the main settlements of Hui people in Ningxia. In 2019, there were 778,700 Hui people in the city, accounting for 54% of the total population of the city. Mosques are the main places for Hui people to worship and public activities, and play an important role for the Muslim population. Weizhou Grand Mosque was constructed during the Ming dynasty in a traditional Chinese palatial style. It was named by the American Episcopal missionary Charles L. Pickens, Jr., who traveled western China in the 1920-1930s and documented many places and people, as "one of the most beautiful in all China." It was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. During the Muslim Rebellion of 1862–1877, Jinjipu became the headquarters of the rebels in the Ningxia region. …

As of 2025, Wuzhong had a GDP of CN¥96.167 billion (US$13.463 billion) and a GDP per capita of CN¥67,900 (US$9,506). At present, Wuzhong has eight industries: Energy and Power Industry, New Material industry, Milk industry, Wine industry, Construction Materials industry, Paper industry, Fur and Plush industry, Grass and Livestock industry. Energy and power industry: At present, the total installed capacity of the city's energy and power industry reaches 1.55 million KW, reaching 3.5 million KW in 2008. New material industry (aluminum, magnesium, PVC, etc.): It has the production capacity of 280,000 tons of electrolytic aluminum, 25,000 tons of magnesium metal and 100,000 tons of PVC resin, which will increase threefold in 2008. Dairy industry: There are 15 dairy products processing enterprises, accounting for more than half of Ningxia's production capacity. …

China National Highway 211 Taiyuan-Zhongwei Railway (Limited service in Hongsibu District and Yanchi county) Baotou-Lanzhou Railway (Over 20 daily trains bounding for nationwide destinations, station in Qingtongxia City) Dingbian-Yinchuan Railway (7 daily trains, station in Yanchi County)