Lanzhou

炳灵寺石窟

The Bingling Temple Grottoes are located on the bank of the Liujiaxia Reservoir in Yongjing County, Linxia Prefecture. In 2014, they were listed as a World Heritage Site as part of the "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network". Highlights include the 27-meter-tall Maitreya Buddha from the Tang Dynasty and Cave 169 with the earliest chronological inscription in China (420 AD, the first year of Jianhong in the Western Qin Dynasty). It is far away from Lanzhou city. It takes about 2-2.5 hours to drive by car and has many winding mountain roads. You can also take a bus from Lanzhou West Bus Station to Yongjing County and transfer there; most tourists take a boat from Liujiaxia Dam Pier or Xiangyang Pier.

正宁路夜市

Zhengning Road Night Market is a popular snack night market in the city center. It has been featured on "A Bite of China". Milk and egg fermented glutinous rice is its signature. It takes about 12-15 minutes to walk from Zhongshan Bridge and is near the Xiguan Metro Station. No. 44 Lao Ma’s milk and egg fermented glutinous rice is the king of queues. You can ask him to buy it on your behalf when ordering at No. 40 Lao Zi Barbeque Restaurant to avoid queuing.

白塔山

Baitashan Park is located on the north bank of the Yellow River, across the river from Zhongshan Bridge. It is named after the White Pagoda on the top of the mountain. The White Pagoda is a Yuan Dynasty monument and a national 3A scenic spot. The park is free and it takes about 20-30 minutes to climb to the top. The stairs are steep and it is recommended to wear sports shoes. It is windy at the top and bring a jacket. The light and shadow are best one hour before sunset.

羊皮筏子

Sheepskin rafting experience on the Yellow River. Sheepskin rafting is an ancient river crossing tool made of inflated sheepskin. It has a history of thousands of years and is a unique intangible cultural heritage experience on the Yellow River in Lanzhou. The wharves are concentrated along the Yellow River style line, such as the Yellow River Mother Wharf, Zhongshan Bridge Wharf, and Waterwheel Expo Park Wharf. It is not recommended to experience it on rainy days or strong winds. Your mobile phone must be hung with a lanyard to prevent it from falling into the water.

中山桥

Zhongshan Bridge, "the No. 1 bridge on the Yellow River in the world", was built in 1907 by the German Tellai Company and designed by an American company. It was completed in 1909. In 1928, it was renamed Zhongshan Bridge in commemoration of Sun Yat-sen. In 2004, it was changed to a pedestrian bridge. Take Exit D of Xiguan Station of Metro Line 1 and walk about 600 meters to get there.

甘肃省博物馆

The Gansu Provincial Museum displays a region connecting the Central Plains, the Tibetan Plateau, the northern grasslands and Central Asia. Prehistoric painted pottery, Silk Road cultural relics, Buddhist art, paleontological fossils and the famous bronze galloping horse have put Lanzhou into a long communication network. The scope of the collection is so vast that it’s difficult to understand if you check in hastily. Prioritizing the archeology and Silk Road exhibition halls can create a clearer narrative than chasing all the star cultural relics.

甘肃简牍博物馆

The Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum specializes in protecting and interpreting wooden slips and bamboo slips unearthed from Gansu frontier fortress sites. Postal records, legal cases, inventory lists, and personal letters illustrate how administration and ordinary life functioned along the Silk Roads during the Han Dynasty, while conservation exhibits also illustrate why writing is fragile in humid or extremely dry environments. It shifts attention from grand artifacts to individual texts and everyday institutions and is an important addition to the provincial museum.

白塔山公园

Baita Mountain is adjacent to the north bank of the Yellow River, with temples, courtyards, mountain roads and urban viewing spots superimposed above the Zhongshan Bridge. Climbing up can intuitively understand Lanzhou's restricted geography: the city stretches along the river, and dry mountains approach from both sides. Historic buildings are important, but observing bridges, mesas, and urban expansion as the altitude changes is the core experience.

兰州水车博览园

The Waterwheel Expo Park displays the large wooden waterwheel that was used to lift water from the Yellow River to the shore for irrigation canals. Restoration Machinery illustrates how water flow, blades, flumes, and gravity work together to support farmland and urban settlements in arid environments. See it as a practical water conservancy technology rather than a decorative riverfront landscape to understand its true value.