{"id":16228,"date":"2014-08-05T05:33:04","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T21:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/?p=16228"},"modified":"2016-10-16T04:09:18","modified_gmt":"2016-10-15T20:09:18","slug":"top-10-places-in-gansu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/gansu-travel\/top-10-places-in-gansu","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Places in Gansu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plan your Gansu tour<\/a><\/strong>? Gansu Province is located in the northwest of China, lying in the transitional area between\u00a0 the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus with the Yellow River passing through the southern part of the province.<\/p>\n

Synonymous with the Silk Road, Gansu’s narrow strip of the land bounded between Qilian Mountains and Longshou Mountains known as Hexi Corridor was once the essential passage for the caravans hiking along the old silk road. The flowing trade and commerce left behind Buddhist temples, stone carved hills, ruined ancient cities and wild sections of the Great Wall.<\/p>\n

Gansu has a rich minority and geographical diversity. \u00a0Linxia is a Muslim dominated area also joined in by Bao’an and Dongxiang ethnic groups. The southern part of Gansu gives itself to the Tibetan area featured by the monastic towns of Xiahe and Langmusi.<\/p>\n

Looking for the top things to do in Gansu. Here is our list of the Top 10 Places in Gansu.<\/p>\n

1.Lanzhou <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u5170\u5dde<\/strong>
\nThe capital city of Gansu Province is a springboard,\u00a0extending your visit either to\u00a0\u00a0the Hexi Corridor to explore Jiayuguan and Dunhuang or\u00a0the south in the Muslim and Tibetan favored grasslands, mosques and monasteries in Linxia Muslim Prefecture and Gannan Tibeten Prefecture ( Xiahe and Langmusi ) of Gansu Province. \u00a0Lanzhou itself boast some interesting places to visit.<\/p>\n

Major attractions
\n1)\u00a0Gansu Provincial Museum<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>Gansu Provincial Museum was originlly\u00a0built in 1956.\u00a0Gansu Provincial Museum now covers an area of 180,000 square meters. There are nearly 100,000 relics in the museum, ranging from historical, modern, national relics, in which more than 3,000 pieces are of the first class and second class.
\nEntrance Fee: free
\nOpening Hours: 09:00-17:00 (closed on Monday)
\nHow to get there: take Buses No. 1, 106 or 58 to You Yi Fan Dian Station<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Waterwheel Garden<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>Lanzhou is regarded as \u201cthe city of waterwheel\u201d. Waterwheel Garden, which is located in the Binhe East Road, was built by Duan Xu in the Ming Dynasty.It was used for irrigation of the farming fields along the Yellow River in ancient Lanzhou\u00a0City.
\nEntrance Fee: CNY 10
\nOpening Hours: 08:00-18:00
\nHow to get there: take Bus No. 15 to the Waterwheel Garden<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Zhongshan Iron Bridge<\/span>
\n<\/a>Zhongshan Iron Bridge, located at the middle part of Riverside Road, is at the foot of White Pagoda Park in Lanzhou. It is the earliest bridge on the Yellow River which first built in 1372 and rebuilt in 1909.
\nEntrance Fee: free
\nOpening Hours: the whole day
\nHow to get there: take Buses No. 2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 15, 101 or 102 to Xi Guan Shi Zi Station<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0Xiguan Mosque<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>Lanzhou Xiguan Mosque also named Jiefang Road Mosque and Guest Mosque due to the fact that the mosque was built using donations from Silk Road traders. The current Lanzhou Xiguan Mosque was constructed on its original site in 1983, similar to the style of Al-Aqas Mosque of Jerusalem.
\nEntrance Fee: CNY 10
\nOpening Hours: 08:00-19:00
\nHow to get there: There is no direct bus to Xiguan Mosque. You can call a taxi or rent a car to get there<\/p>\n

\"Yellow<\/a>
Yellow River Passing through Lanzhou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2.Tianshui <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u5929\u6c34
\n<\/strong>In the middle way between Lanzhou and Xian, Tianshui is composed of two parts – the booming town (Beidao) and the old town (Qincheng)15km apart connected by a highway. Famous for the Buddhist roack carvings, Maji Shan is located 35km south of Beidao.<\/p>\n

Major attractions
\n1)Maiji Shan Grottoes
\nAs one of the four famous Grottoes in China with other three being Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, the Maijing Shan Grottoes are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill Maijishan. This rock cut architecture contains over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals, all of which built from 384AD to the Qin Dynasty (1644-1911).<\/p>\n

2)Fuxi Temple
\nFuxi Temple was built to commemorate Fuxi, who was the earliest ancestors of ancient China. The temple is a Ming Dynasty construction that, despite renovations in the Qing Dynasty, still retains its Ming format. Every year on January 15th (alleged birthday of the emperor) and May 13th (apparent birthday of China\u2019s first dragon) by the Chinese traditional calendar, grand sacrificial ceremonies are held, which draw throngs of Chinese and foreigners to its door.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Maiji<\/a>
Maiji Shan Grottoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3.Wuwei <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u6b66\u5a01
\n<\/strong>Wuwei is the eastern end of the Hexi Corridoe. Han Tomb of Leitai is located in the old Leitai Park of Wuwei. Among the numerous unearthed artifacts the Bronze Flying Horse is the most valuable.<\/p>\n

Major Attractions:<\/span>
1) Han Tomb of Leitai – Han Tomb Of Leitai is located in the old Leitai Park of Wuwei. The tomb consists of 19.34 m long passage, 3 coffin chambers and 3 side chambers. There were 231 gold, silver, bronze, iron, jade, bone and pottery articles, and 99 bronze warriors and horses excavated from here, among which the Bronze Flying Horse is the most valuable.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Confucius Templ<\/span>e
\nKnown as \u201cWenmiao\u201d in Chinese, Confucius Temple was established in 1439 in honor of Confucius. It is the largest and best-preserved temple dedicated to Confucius in Gansu. The symmetrically aligned historic buildings together with the collections of stone steles and scriptures means that Confucian Temple possesses a very important position in the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation as a whole.<\/p>\n

3) Haizang Temple
\nHaizang Temple, located 2km northwest of Wuwie city, is the largest complex of ancient buildings in Wuwei. The temple was opened as a park. The well preserved gateways, archways, pavilions and temples of Ming and Qing Dynasties are surrounded by river, lake and age-old trees, which make the park a quiet spot with its spectacular scenery.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Bronze Flying Horse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4.Zhangye <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u5f20\u6396
\n<\/strong>Zhangye is located in the middle section of the Hexi Corridor. Zhangye was an essential ancient town along the old silk road. The bell and drum tower in Zhangye, the biggest drum tower in the Hexi Corridor of the silk road district, was built in 1507.<\/p>\n

Major Attractions:<\/span>
1) The Giant Buddha Temple
\nThe Giant Buddha Temple, with the original name Jiayerulaipian Temple is in the southeast part of Zhangye, which is the largest temple in Gansu. The great Buddhist Temple is 33 meters high. A Buddhist made up of wood, soil and plastic lies in the temple. It is said to be the largest lying Buddha in China.\u00a0<\/span>

2) The Bell Tower and Drum Tower
\nThe bell and drum tower in Zhangye, the biggest drum tower in the Hexi Corridor of the silk road district, was built in 1507 during the Ming Dynasty. In 1648 during the Qing Dynasty, it was destroyed by war. In 1668, Zhang Yong, the superintendent of Gansu, rebuilt the bell and drum tower.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0Zhangye Danxia Geopark
\nDanxia landform is formed from red-coloured sandstones and conglomerates of largely Cretaceous age.\u00a0Danxia is the name of a particular place, but the name of a type of landform found in China, featured by prominent boulders and steep cliffs. It resembles karst rocks, but formed by layers of conglomerate instead of compact blocks of rock. \u00a0The site Zhangye Danxia Gepark is about 33 km west of Zhangye’s city center.<\/p>\n

4) Mati Temple ( Hoof \u00a0Temple)
\nMati Temple is situated in the foothills of Qilian Mountain range, about 65 km south of Zhanye. \u00a0The temple is a combination of Buddhist grottoes, the picturesque Qilian Mountains and the local folklore. \u00a0Totally there are over 70 caves.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

5.Jiayuguan<\/span><\/a><\/span> \u5609\u5cea\u5173
\n<\/strong>It is the symbolic end of the Great Wall and the western fringe of ancient China. Muse-visit attractions are Jiayuguan Fort, Overhanging Great Wall, Weijin Tombs…<\/p>\n

Major Attractions<\/span>
\n1)\u00a0Jiayuguan Fort
\nJiayu Pass ( Jiayuguan Fort ) was the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China. Built 1372, Jiayuguan Fortwas was christened as the first and greatest Pass under the Heaven. The pass consisted of three defense lines \u2013 an inner city, an outer city and a moat.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Suspension Great Wall
\n11kms to the downtown Jiayuguan City, the Suspension Great Wall was built on the ridge with the gradient of 45 degrees hence the name. From a distance, it is saide to resemble a dragon to extend its body towards the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0Wei-Jin Mural Tombs
\nAlso named \u201cUnderground Art Gallery\u201d, Wei-Jin Mural Tomb is a big tomb group with over 1, 400 tombs built between the 3rd century and 5th century during the Wei and Dynasties. It houses a great deal of colorful murals, the gallery. Most tombs are of families, housing bodies of three or four generations, and now only Grave 6 and Grave 7 are open for tourism.<\/p>\n

4) July First Glacier \u4e03\u4e00\u51b0\u5ddd
\nThe famous July 1st Glacier sits on the high range of Qilian Mountains at 4300 meters, about 116 km southwest of Jiayuguan. \u00a0The July First Galacier is the nearest visitable glacier to a city in Asia. \u00a0The glacier was discovered in July 01, 1958, hence the name of July 1st Glacier.<\/p>\n

\"Jiayuguan<\/a>
Jiayuguan Fort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6.Dunhuang <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u6566\u714c
\n<\/strong>Once the mecca for the merchant Caravan, exiled poets and officials, now it is still an oasis for the silk raod travelers.\u00a0Dunhuang once commanded a very important strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road along the narrow Gansu Corridor which was extended to the north Chinese plains and the ancient capitals of Chang\u2019ans and Luoyang.<\/p>\n

Major Attractions<\/span>
\n1)\u00a0Mogao Caves
\nThe site of the Mogao Caves is loated 25 km southeast of the city of Dunhuang. The Mogao Cave temples rise three levels along a 1.6 kilometer escarpment near the Daquan River. Every visitor to Dunhuang will be overpowered by their rich complexity and astonishing details. There are totally 492 caves, hand hewn from the cliff face over a millennium, are numbered for reference and protection.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Singing Sand Dunes
\n\u00a0Echoing-Sand Dune is located on the southern outskirts, six kilometers from Dunhuang City. When people slide down on the sand of the mountain, it produces a ringing sound, hence its name \u201cEchoing-Sand Dune” or\u00a0Singing Sand Dunes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3)\u00a0Crescent Lake
\nAlso called Yueyaquan in Chinese, the Crescent Lake is named so due to its surface in a crescent shape. To people\u2019s surprise, the lucid and clear water in the lake had never dried up for thousands of years. The lake and the surrounding deserts are very popular with tourists, who are offered camel and 4×4 rides.<\/span><\/p>\n

4)\u00a0Dunhuang Museum
\nIt is a local museum for keeping the cultural relics that were found in Dunhuang. The Dunhuang Museum reflects the flourishing social development and cultural exchange between China and the West during the time when Dunhuang was a major center along the Silk Road.<\/span><\/p>\n

5)\u00a0Yangguan Pass \u00a0( South Pass )
\nYang Pass (Yangguan), also known as the Southern Pass, sits 75 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang, and was originally built by Emperor Wu in Hang Dynasty as one of the two most important passes protecting Dunhuang from invasion from the west (the other pass is Yumen Pass (Yumen Guan). Today, there are hardly any walls in sight, the only visible sections being the foundations of some of the walls.<\/p>\n

6)\u00a0Yumen Pass ( Jade Gate Pass )
\nYumen Pass was a strategic pass on the ancient Silk Road and was built in order to ensure the safe and smooth of Silk Road in the Han Dynasty. It is said that the jade of Hetian in what is now Xinjiang region was transported to central China through this pass, hence the name “Yumen” \u00a0which just means the gate of jade in Chinese.<\/span><\/p>\n

7) Yadan National Park
\n180 km northwest of Dunhuang, the eroded and weird landform of Yadan lies in the Gobi desert. \u00a0It is a UNESCO World Heritage crowned site with the strange rock formations formed by the former lake bed of over 12,000 years.<\/p>\n

\"Mogao<\/a>
Mogao Caves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7.Linxia <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u4e34\u590f
\n<\/strong>Linxia is located 140km southeast of\u00a0Lanzhou,<\/a>\u00a0117km northeast of\u00a0Xiahe<\/a>, and 198km north of\u00a0Hezuo<\/a>, on the transit zone between the loess plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.<\/p>\n

There are in total twenty-two ethnic groups living in Linxia, including Hui, Han, Dongxiang, Bonan, Salar, Tibetan and Tu. The Bonan and Dongxiang are unique to the prefecture and have thire own autonomous counties.\u00a0Linxia has a population of 1.9 million with ethic groups taking 57%.<\/p>\n

The Major Attraction in Linxia<\/p>\n

Binglingsi Grottoes
\nThe site of\u00a0<\/span>Binglingsi Grottoes<\/span>\u00a0is about 70km to the southwest of Lanzhou. “Bingling” means “ten of thousand Buddhus” in Tibetan language since there are many stone carved buddha sculptures here. Today the cliffs are isolated by the waters of Liujiaxia Reservoir on the Yellow River.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\u00a0The site is well preserved, including 183 caves, 694 Buddha stone statues, 82 earth buddha statues, more than 900 square meters’mural painting which are scattered around the cliff of 200 meter long and 60 meter high on the west bank.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Binglingsi<\/a>
Binglingsi Grottoes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8.Xiahe<\/span><\/a><\/span> \u590f\u6cb3<\/strong>
\nA monastic town nestled in a mountain valley, Xiahe attracts a great number of visitors each day. Its Labrang Monasery is one of the six major Tibetan monasteries of the Gelugpa.<\/p>\n

Major Attractions
\n<\/span>1\u00a0<\/span>Labrang Monastery<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/span>Labrang Monastery is located on the north of Daxia River in the west of Xiahe County. This most important Tibetan monastery outside\u00a0Tibet<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was first founded by Ngagong Tsunde, the first generation of Jamyang from nearby Ganjia in 1709.\u00a0it is\u00a0an important monastery of the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat Sect.\u00a0At its peak there were over 4000 monks. Currently there are over 3000 monks from\u00a0Qinghai<\/span><\/a>, Gansu,\u00a0Inner Mongolia<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and Tibet as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0Sangke Grasslands
\nSangke Grasslands are a great expanse of pastures where Tibetans graze their yak herds. it was a pity that we didn\u2019t have time coming here in the daytime to enjoy the lush green grassland and ride on horses. it was said that in summer Sangke Grasslands are at their best, green and abound with wildflowers.<\/p>\n

\"Labrang<\/a>
Labrang Monastery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9.Hezuo <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u5408\u4f5c
\n<\/strong>Hezuo is the capital city of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. It is located at the southeast\u00a0fringe of Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau in the cross-border areas ofQinghai<\/span><\/a>, Sichuan and Gansu provinces. The national highway No.223 runs through the city of\u00a0Hezuo, which is 62km west of\u00a0Xiahe<\/span><\/a>, 260 km south of\u00a0Lanzhou<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and 860km north of\u00a0Chengdu<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with a average altitude of over 3000 meters.<\/span><\/p>\n

About 2km outside the city center of Hezuo is the famous Hezuo Milariba Buddha Pavilion, which was built in 1777. It has an interior nine storeys painted with colorful murals and Tantric deities.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Milariba<\/a>
Milariba Buddha Pavilion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\n<\/span><\/span>10.Langmusi <\/span><\/a><\/span>\u90ce\u6728\u5bfa
\n<\/strong>On the border between Gansu and Sichuan, Langmusi is an alpine Amdo Tibetan Village nestled in in a valley of steep grassy meadows and the evergreen trees of pine trees. Kerti Gompa on Sichuan side and Serti Gompa on the Gansu side are the highlights of the village.<\/p>\n

It is easy to spend a few days here exploring the numerous red and white monastery buildings and hiking around the green mountains.\u00a0The surounding mountains\u00a0reminds people of the rural Austria or Bavaria and ideal\u00a0for hiking and horsetrek.<\/p>\n

\"Langmusi<\/a>
Langmusi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Further Readings<\/h2>\n
\n

Lanzhou Tour <\/a>
\nGansu Tour<\/a>
\nTop 10 Attractions in Lanzhou<\/a>
\nTop 10 Places in Gansu<\/a>
\nHow to Enjoy Nightlife in Lanzhou<\/a>
\nLanzhou Zhangye Road Pedestrian Street<\/a>
\nZhengning Road Night Snack Market in Lanzhou<\/a>
\nLanzhou Bar Street<\/a>
\nLanzhou Antique Market <\/a>
\nLanzhou Waterwheel Park<\/a>
\nLanzhou Zhongshan Bridge<\/a>
\nLanzhou City Layout<\/a>
\nHow to visit Gansu Museum<\/a>
\nLanzhou Yintan Wetland Park<\/a>
\nLanzhou Zhongchuan Airport<\/a>
\nLanzhou Railway Station<\/a>
\nLanzhou Xiguan Mosque<\/a>
\nWhere to stay in Lanzhou<\/a>
\nYellow River, the Mother River of China<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Any questions, \u00a0just drop a line.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plan your Gansu tour? Gansu Province is located in the northwest of China, lying in the transitional area between\u00a0 the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus with the Yellow River passing through the southern part of the province. Synonymous with the Silk Road, Gansu’s narrow strip of the land bounded between Qilian Mountains and Longshou Mountains known…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1906],"tags":[2655,2656,2657],"class_list":["post-16228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gansu-travel","tag-top-10-attractions-in-gansu","tag-top-things-to-do-in-gansu","tag-what-to-see-in-gansu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16228"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16228"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21336,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16228\/revisions\/21336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tour-beijing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}