Linxia Chengguanzhen (China)

Capital of the autonomous prefecture of the same name, the town used to be called Hezhou before it took the name of Linxia, which means "on the banks of the river Xia".

Linxia's population - mostly Hui, Dongxiang and Baoan minorities - is in the majority Muslim. The town has several pretty mosques where you meet men in white hats and women in black shawls.

Among the interesting places to see during a stay in Linxia there are the stalls on Bei Dajie street, Hong Yuan park, the Taoist temple of Wanshou in the hills to the north of the town, and, a few kilometers away, Lianhua Mountain, which has a big festival every year.