Lanzhou

A gateway to the Northwest with the Yellow River running through the city: beef noodles, Zhengning Road night market, Zhongshan Bridge, the Gansu Provincial Museum's Bronze Galloping Horse, and the starting point of the Northwest Grand Loop.

Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu Province, in a valley basin on the upper Yellow River at about 1,520 m. It is the only provincial capital the Yellow River runs through, and a transport hub for the Northwest Grand Loop, southern Gansu, the Hexi Corridor and Qinghai. The city is a long, narrow east–west band along both banks of the Yellow River. Chengguan District is the old city center, with Zhongshan Bridge, White Pagoda Mountain, the Zhengning Road night market and Dazhong Lane, and is where visitors spend most of their time. In Qilihe District, the Mother Yellow River sculpture, the Gansu Provincial Museum and Waterwheel Park line the “Yellow River Scenic Belt” on the south bank, which you can link by bike or on foot. The Yellow River Tower in Anning District is to the west, and Wuquan Mountain and Lanshan in the southern suburbs offer views over the whole city. The core experience in Lanzhou is eating: a morning bowl of beef noodles (locals call it “niu da”), milk-and-egg fermented rice wine, grilled lamb and huidouzi (sweet gray bean soup) at the Zhengning Road or Dazhong Lane night markets, plus hand-pulled lamb, niangpi and Sanpaotai gaiwan tea. The best season is May–October: summers are cooler than in the interior, about 30°C by day with pleasant mornings and evenings, making it a summer retreat; autumn is crisp and clear; winters are dry, cold and often hazy. Getting there: Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport is about 70 km from downtown, about 1 hour by airport intercity rail or bus; Lanzhou Station (city center) and Lanzhou West Station (high-speed) connect to Xi'an (3 hours), Xining (just over 1 hour), Zhangye, Dunhuang and Chengdu; the city has Metro Lines 1 and 2, with stations at Zhongshan Bridge, the Provincial Museum and the West Station. Suggested time: 1–2 days is enough for the main city sights, and most visitors stay one night as the start or end of a Northwest loop or southern Gansu route. Notes: there are many halal restaurants, so do not bring non-halal food; Yellow River sheepskin raft rides are privately run, so mind safety and bargain; watch for pickpockets in crowded night markets; UV is strong and the air dry in summer, so drink plenty of water; the Gansu Provincial Museum requires advance reservations.

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