Travel in Gansu Gansu Travel Guide
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Gansu is called “Gan” or “Long” in abbreviation, and is also known as Long West or Long Right, in reference to the Long Mountain east of Gansu. The ancient Silk Road and the new Eurasian Continental Bridge run across the whole Province. Administrative Divisions There are fourteen administrative areas in Gansu immediately below the province level: History and Culture In prehistoric times, Gansu was host to a number of Neolithic cultures. The Dadiwan culture (lǎo guān tái wén huà 老官台文化), from where numerousarchaeologically significant artifacts have been excavated, flourished in the eastern end of Gansu from about 6000 BC to about 3000 BC. The Majiayao culture (mǎ jiā yáo wén huà 马家窑文化) and part of the Qijia culture (qí jiā wén huà 齐家文化) also took root in Gansu from 3100 BC to 2700 BC and 2400 BC to 1900 BC respectively.
With the development of history, Gansu entered her heyday on politic, military and culture in Sui Dynasty (518–618) and Tang Dynasty (618–907), emerging a politician named Liyuan (the Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty), a famous poet called Li Yi, and a romancist with the name of Li Gongzuo. During this period, the Silk Road also got to its most prosperous peak. The Mogao Grottoes with exquisite murals and statues was first built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420), developed in the Northern Wei Dynasty (368–534), the Western Wei Dynasty (535–556) and the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557–581), reached its scale as today in Sui and Tang Dynasties. After the Han (hàn cháo 汉朝) and Tang dynasties (táng cháo 唐朝), Gansuwas served as a channel for cultural exchanges and trade between the East and West. When Zhang Qian (张骞 zhāng qiān) of the Han Dynasty wenton missions to the Western Regions and Monk Xuan Zang (xuán zàng 玄奘) of the Tang Dynasty went to India to learn Buddhism, both took way of Gansu. The administrative division of Gansu underwent several changes in the Yuan (yuán cháo 元朝) and Ming dynasties (míng cháo 明朝) until the Qing (míng cháo 清朝) when it was finally defined. Since then it has remained unchanged. Till now, Gansu has been a province for more than 700 years. This time-honored land is a major habitation for ancient Chinese people, as well as one of the important birthplaces of ancient agriculture. The Silk Road served as an international link for the political, economic and cultural communication between ancient China and the West. Opening up before 200BC, the Silk Road boasted nearly ten centuries prosperity. Due to its position, Gansu at the forefront of China was one of the first Chinese regions to accept material and spiritual influence from the West. The integration of Chinese and Western culture in Gansu has lasted from the past into the present. Geographic Features
The Yellow River gets most of its water from Gansu and also flows straightthrough Lanzhou. Area around Wuwei is part of Shiyang River Basin (shí yáng hé liú yù 石羊河流域). The landscape in Gansu is very mountainous in the south and flat in the north. The mountains in the south are part of the Qilian Mountains (qí lián shān 祁连山), which contains the province's highest point, at 5,547 metres (18,199 ft). A natural land passage known as Hexi Corridor (hé xī zǒu láng 河西走廊), stretching some 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from Lanzhou to the Jade Gate (yù mén guān 玉门关), is situated within the province. It is bound from north by the Gobi Desert (gē bì shā mò 戈壁沙漠) and Qilian Mountains from the south. Long and narrow in shape, Gansu is the seventh largest province in China,so the landforms in Gansu are complex and various including mountainousregion, plateau, plain, river valley, desert and stone desert. Climatic Features Gansu enjoys a temperate monsoon climate featured by an apparent transition towards continental climate. It is dry and short of rainfall with considerable temperature difference. Winter is long and cold and summer short and warm, while spring and autumn come and go instantly even without one’s knowledge. The coldest month is January with the temperature ranging from -14°C to 4°C (6.8°F to 39.2°F) from northwest to southeast; and hottest month is July, ranging from 16°C to 26°C (60.8°F to 78.8°F) f16C to 26C from Qilian Mountains northward and to Bailong River basin (bái lóng jiāng liú yù 白龙江流域). The average annual rainfall is between 30 and 600 mm with gradually reduces from southeast to northwest. In the north-western part of the province, sunshine is adequate but it is quite windy and dusty in spring. In the southeast, there is much rainstorm in summer coupled with hailstones. Economy Agricultural production includes cotton, linseed oil, maize, melons, millet, and wheat. Gansu is known as a source for wild medicinal herbs which are used in Chinese medicine.
Gansu has China's largest nickel deposits accounting for over 90% of China's total nickel reserves. Industries other than mining include electricity generation, petrochemicals, oil exploration machinery, and building materials.According to some sources, the province is also a center of China's nuclearindustry. Despite recent growth in Gansu and the booming economy in the rest of China, Gansu is still considered to be one of the poorest provinces in China. Its nominal GDP for 2011 was about 502.0 billion yuan (79.69 billion USD) and per capita of 12,836 RMB (1,879 USD). Tourism has been a bright spot in contributing to Gansu's overall economy. As mentioned below, Gansu offers a wide variety of choices for national and international tourists. As stipulated in the country's 12th Five Year Plan, the local government ofGansu hopes to grow the provinces GDP by 10% annually by focusing investments on five pillar industries: renewable energy, coal, chemicals, nonferrous metals, pharmaceuticals and services.
Mogao Caves-A Shrine of Buddhist Art Treasures
The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of 194 caves cut in the side of the hill of Majishan in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwest China. This example of rock cut architecture contains over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals. Because of its exquisite clay statues and superb sculptural skills, Maiji Caves acquired special recognition. They have been classified as an 'Oriental Statues Exhibition Hall'. Maiji Caves are one of the four most important caves in China. The other threes are Mogao Caves (mò gāo kū 莫高窟) in Dunhuang, Gansu Province,Yungang Caves (yún gāng shí kū 云冈石窟) in Datong, Shanxi Province, and Longmen Grottoes (lóng mén shí kū 龙门石窟) in Luoyang, Henan Province. Their emphasis is on exquisite statues and beautiful natural scenes, while the others' are on florid murals or magnificent stonecutting. Lying 7.5 miles to the west of Pingliang, Kongtong Mountain is noted for its marvelous natural scenery and exquisite manmade landscapes. It enjoys the reputation as "The Holy Land of Taoism", "The Remarkable Spectacle of Western China" and "The First Mountain in Western China". With the magnificence peculiar to the northern mountain and elegance of the southern mountains, the Kongtong Mountains is a famous place of tourism in eastern Gansu. Waterwheel Garden in Lanzhou Location: No. 524, Binhe East Road in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Five Springs Mountain Park Location: in the northwest part of Gaolan Mountain Grotto (shí kū 石窟) Not only that these grottoes recorded the history of Buddhism in China, but the frescoes in the grottos are also a reflection of ancient China’s development in art and culture. Gansu’s most popular grottoes are Mogao Grotto in Dunhuang of Gansu, Tianshui maijishan Grotto and Yongjing Bingling Temple Grotto (永靖县黄河炳灵寺石窟). Out of all these grottos, Maogao Grotto is the largest in size. The process of development is also the longest and is broadest in content, and the most well preserved. luminous jade cup (yè guāng bēi 夜光杯) Produced in Jiuquan, made of jade picked in Qiliang Mountains, They are unique and well-known both at home and around. The history of production of jade cups dates from ancient times. Wanghan (wáng hàn 王翰), a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, once wrote in his poem that grapes and wine were tasty, cups were luminous; when I was about to drink, the instrument of Pipa was played to hurry me up on horse; no laughing at me when I was drunk, because nobody knew who could come back from war. Jiuquan is a bright pearl laid on the Silk Road. The luminous jade cups, being one of the most characteristic local products, have great potentialities in market. Along-side tourism development in an all-round way, the luminous jade cups produced in Jiuquan would be treasured by more and more people. Other Local Products The production of flax ranks the first in China. Fruits and melons are grow mainly in Lanzhou, Tianshui, Zhangye and other places, of which Bailan melon (bái lán guā 白兰瓜) and Zui (Drunk) melon (zuì guā 醉瓜) are well-known throughout the country. Also famous are its Hequ horse (hé qǔ mǎ 河曲马) and Oula goat bred in southern Gansu. Some rare animal like giant panda, golden-haired monkey are found in the province. The province’s southern mountainous areas, known as the “time-honoured home of herbal medicine”, abound in medicinal herbs, and Rhubarb (good for headache and dizziness.) produced in Mindang and Quanshui enjoys fame both at home and abroad. Among its traditional handicrafts, the best known are luminous cups made in Jiuquan, Tea inkslab in Lanzhou and carved lacquer in Tianshui, etc. Speciality Foods
Zhangye Bacon Mutton (zhāng yè là yáng ròu 张掖腊羊肉) Niang pi zi (zhāng yè là yáng ròu 酿皮子)
Transportation By Air: The most convenient way to access Gansu Province is by plane, travelers may land in three cities here, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, and Lanzhou. There are daily flights to Lanzhou from most major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi'an. By train: Gansu is an important railway section connecting east China and west China. So the railway is very advanced in most parts of Gansu. Travelers can directly arrive at Tianshui, Dunhuang and Hexi Corridor without changing trains at Lanzhou. Read more detail transportation information in Jiayuguang, Zhangye, Tianshui and Jiuquan. Check the train schedule in cites of Gansu.the east, will also pass through Tianshui on their way towards Lanzhou. By bus: Because there is no railway in Gannan, so it is more convenient to get to Gansu from Qinghai Province and Sichuan Province by highway. The 215 national road connecting Golmud in Qinghai and Dunhuang is good in road condition and beautiful in the scenery along, so it is an good choice to get to Dunhuang from Urumqi (passing Turpan and Kumul) by highway. Most coach bused to Gansu will firstly arrive at Lanzhou, so travelers need to changes buses depending on their destinations. Read more detail transportation information in Jiayuguang, Zhangye, Tianshui and Jiuquan.
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Historically, Gansu is the combination of the two regions, gan (gān 甘) and su (sù 肃), and marked the end or beginning of China proper. The name of Gansu is first used in the Song Dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝) (960–1276) compounded by two prefectures, Gan Zhou (Zhangye City now) and Su Zhou (Jiuquan City now).
The Yuezhi (月氏 yuè zhì) originally lived in this area until they were forced to emigrate by the Xiongnu (xiōng nú 匈奴) around 177 BCE. The Qin state (qín cháo 秦朝), later to become the founding state of the Chinese empire, grew out from the southeastern part of Gansu, specifically the Tianshui (tiān shuǐ 天水) area. The Qin name itself is believed to have originated,in part, from the area. Qin tombs and artifacts have been excavated from Fangmatan (fàng mǎ tān 放马滩) near Tianshui, including one 2200-year-old map of Guixian County.
Gansu has an area of 454,000 square km, and the vast majority ofits land is more than 1,000 metres above sea level. 
However, most of Gansu's economy is based on mining and the extraction of minerals, especially rare earth elements. The province has significant deposits of antimony, chromium, coal, cobalt, copper, fluorite, gypsum, iridium, iron, lead, limestone, mercury, mirabilite, nickel, crude oil, platinum, troilite, tungsten, and zinc among others. The oil fields at Yumen and Changqing are considered significant.
The Mogao Caves are a system of Buddhist cave temples near the city of Dunhuang in Gansu province. They were a center of culture on the Silk Road from the 4th to the 14th centuries and contain a religious artworks spanning that entire period. The Mogao cave complex is comprised of 492 caves, containing 450,000 square feet of murals dating and there are about 600 surviving cave temples, of which 30 are open to the public.
Located 45 kilometers southeast of Tianshui City (tiān shuǐ shì 天水市) in Gansu Province (gān sù shěng 甘肃省), Maiji Mountain (mài jī shān 麦积山) rises up abruptly 142 meters from the landscape. The people named the mountain 'Maiji' because it resembles a stack of wheat straw (mai meaning wheat, and ji meaning stack). Maiji Mountain is 150 meters tall, and it was named for its shape. According to historical records, the Maiji Grottoes (mài jī shān shí kū 麦积山石窟) were excavated during the Hou Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdom Period. The Maiji Mountain Grottoes have a long history.
The Waterwheel Garden (shuǐ chē yuán 水车园) built in 1994, is located in the Binhe Middle Road (bīn hé zhōng lù 滨河中路) in Lanzhou (lán zhōu 兰州) , Gansu Province (gān sù shěng 
Five Springs Park lies in the northwest part of Gaolan Mountain (gāo lán shān 皋兰山), which stands in the south part of the downtown area in Lanzhou City (lán zhōu shì 兰州市), Gansu Province. The park, the largest in Lanzhou, occupies 266,400 square meters (2,867,599.56 square feet) on Five Springs Mountain (wǔ quán shān 五泉山). The park is well-known for its tranquil and beautiful scenery with lush forest, gurgling springs, a lot of ancient temples. Wuquan means five springs in English and it got the name from the five springs in the here namely, Ganlu, Juyue, Mozi, Hui, Meng. This area has became a resort for the rich over 2,000 years ago.
Gansu’s grottoes had their originations in India’s grotto temples, and this model was spread into China sometime during the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It blended in rapidly with Chinese traditional elements and left behind a huge number of grottoes. The development of grottoes reached its peak during the periods of Wei (魏), Jin (金)and Tang dynasties (唐朝). The earliest grottoes were predominantly spread along the route that connects China and India-The Silk Road.
Legend has it that the spring water under the ancient Jiuquan City is endowed with intense fragrance of alcohol. One day, such fragrance was smelled by two gods (God of South Star and God of North Star) who were on an inspection tour. God of North Star squatted beside the spring, acclaiming, “What an alcohol spring!” God of South Star picked up a stone and turned it into two cups. When darkness fell down, there was no moonlight, but the cups were sparkling. It is from then on that this place is named “Jiuquan” (means “Alcohol Spring”) while the cups left by two gods are known as “Luminous Cups”.
Tianshui Liangfen (tiān shuǐ liáng fěn 天水凉粉)
Niang pi zi cannot be missed among the local delicacies. Flour paste is steamed for 3 - 4 minutes, then cut into strips and served with mustard, garlic, sesame butter, chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. This is a favorite among the locals and many of the tourists.
As for Chinese noodles, Lanzhou Beef hand-pulled Noodle is the most famous and welcomed one as well as the unique local snack of Lanzhou. The special hand-pulled noodles originated from the reign of Emperor Guangxu (guāng xù huáng dì 光绪皇帝) of Qing Dynasty. It was firstly created by Mabaozi, a senior of Hui Minority Nationality. Today, well-renowned for its taste and low cost, there are plenty of Beef Noodle Restaurants all around China.
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