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A city of central
China on the Huang He (Yellow River) north of Chengdu. A major oil-refining center, it is
the capital of Gansu province. Population, 1,060,000.  White Pagoda Park
Located on the north banks of the Yellow River, White Pagoda Park is a lively open space
close to the center of Lanzhou. The park’s attractive 7 story pagoda was originally
built during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and was restored during the Ming dynasty
(1368-1644).
Gansu Provincial Museum
The Museum is a well regarded museum which has an excellent selection of exhibits relating
to Gansu and the Silk Road. The museum collections include an extensive range of Neolithic
pottery, dating back between 7,000-500BC. The most famous piece in the collection of Han
dynasty (206BC-220AD) bronzes is the ‘Flying Horse of Wuwei’, which is
accompanied by an impressive array of chariots and carriages. Other significant exhibits
include early examples of calligraphy in ink and carved into wood. There are also natural
history exhibits including a skeleton of a mammoth.
Bingling Si caves
Bingling Si caves are located outside Lanzhou and are well preserved examples of Buddhist
cave art. The caves are situated beside the Liujiaxia Reservoir on the Yellow River and
the journey from Lanzhou requires approximately a 2 hour road journey and a 2 hour ferry
journey each way. The inaccessibility of the caves has protected them somewhat from the
pillaging that similar caves have suffered.
The caves and grottoes are carved into the side of Xiaojishi Mountain and were built
between the 5th and 19th centuries. Most of the caves were built during the Tang dynasty
(618-907AD). There are almost 200 caves and niches featuring murals, 694 stone statues and
82 clay figures
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Lanzhou