Lanzhou: Yellow River Blues

At the geographic center of China, Lanzhou offers a close look at the Yellow River, the cradle of the Chinese culture.

I arrived at Lanzhou shortly after the Chinese New Year, after spending that holiday in Xian. All the trains from Xian to Urumqi were full and instead of waiting in Xian, I decided to travel in a third class train to Lanzhou, hoping that from there it would be easier to continue westwards.

Surprisingly, I was right. Once in Lanzhou there was no problem to find beds in the second or first class trains to Urumqi; since many of the passengers arriving from Xian left the train here.

However, one look at the almost completely frozen Yellow River convinced me to delay my departure for a few days. Lanzhou became the perfect prelude to Western China and Central Asia. Trapped between the river and naked, arid hills, the city was forced to be on familiar terms with the surrounding nature, unlike most of Chinese cities.

Once out of the railway station, the first glimpse of the city was misleading. It looked as any other Chinese city: wide avenues, huge buildings and graceful, incomprehensible characters. I left my backpack at the big hotel in front of the station and left immediately; I wanted to take a close look at the river. Since the city is narrow and long, the walk was short, but after a block or two a major feature of the place became obvious: Lanzhou was much emptier than any other Chinese city I had visited until then. The few people in the streets were not in a hurry, nobody was running in or out of a non-existent subway station. It was a more relaxed side of China, a semi-rural metropolis in which a mighty river and bare hills defined much of the denizens' style of life. The sight of the river was awesome; it was the first time I saw such a big river in the process of freezing up and it was the perfect prelude to the even strangest sights that awaited me in the way to Urumqi and Kashgar.

History

The area has been continuously settled for over two thousand years; when it was a main stop on the Silk Road, the city was called the Golden City. The Great Wall of China was extended as far as Yumen, so that it would provide protection to the city. Lanzhou was the capital of several tribal states and actually is the capital of the Gansu Province.

Location

The city is 1600m above sea level, at the geographic center of China, just west of Xian. It spans an east-to-west, twenty kilometers long corridor between the Yellow River and the Lanshan Range.

Population

Lanzhou is home to a population of over three million people, including Han, Hui, Bao'an, Dongxiang, Tibetan, Yugu and Sala people.

Main Attractions within the City

Bai Ta Shan (White Pagoda Hill)

The White Pagoda Hill Park (commonly known as Bai Ta Shan) is the main attraction in Lanzhou; it is located at the top of a 1700m mountain at the northern bank of the Yellow River. The temple was constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368AC), apparently by an order from Genghis Khan to honor a Tibetan Lama; it was expanded in the Ming (1368-1644AC) and Qing (1644-1911AC) Dynasties. The 17m height pagoda has seven terraces within an octagonal body. Three treasures were stored within the pagoda in the past: a drum made of elephant skin, a bronze bell, and a shiny-leafed yellow horn; the first two are still within the pagoda. Below the hill is the Zhongshan Bridge, the first ever built bridge over the Yellow River.

Gansu Provincial Museum

The museum is northwest from the center, next to the western railway station. It is the main modern cultural attraction in town and is dedicated to relics of the Silk Road, beginning with the Dadiwan Neolithic Culture, which is one of the oldest ever found in China and apparently predated the better-known Yangshuo from Xian. Beyond the historical artifacts, the museum displays samples of the local geology, flora and fauna.

Lanshan

The city is delimited to its south by the Lanshan Mountain Range. There is a chairlift to its top from the Five Springs Park; it is possible to walk down back to the park.

Yellow River

Locally known as Huang He, the river was the cradle of the Chinese culture. Melted snow from Western China freezes back here in the winter months and offers unforgettable views. Several bridges cross it, including one in front of downtown, just east of the White Pagoda Hill and Park.

I was impressed not only by its mighty dimensions or the huge bridge from where I studied its reflections, but mainly by the fact that it was almost completely frozen, except for a narrow canal at its center; having lived in Mediterranean zones for most of my life that was an awesome sight. The indifference of the denizens to the irresistible beauty of the scene was obvious; routine had blinded them. Sometimes, only travelers seem to have the ability to open the eyes and enjoy the world’s beauty.

The world is big and we are traveling it.

Traveling in Asia would probably change all our early perceptions of the continent. While sitting in a comfortable room in the west, we may think we really understand the meaning of "Chinese Food;" we may have a very clear idea of how Chinese dumplings should taste and we may even have a pair of chopsticks in the kitchen. A thick book of Chinese recipes in a friend’s house is our definitive guide to that country.

It takes very little time in China to understand that’s dangerous nonsense. There are hundreds of dumplings variations and at least as many sauces.

I found a similar problem with hotels. In Thailand, "Chinese hotels" are as common as Tom Yum Kung. Operated by families of Chinese origin, they occupy premium spots near main bus and railway stations almost in every city. They all look alike: low structures with a surprisingly spacious lobby and rooms with a pleasantly high ceiling and little else. They are my best kept secret for emergency stops while in Thailand.

I reached China with the confidence I’ll have where to sleep, yet they were gone.

It took me some time to understand that the shapeless, ill-advertised towers located next to Chinese railways stations are their parallel. Typical Communist structures, these hotels cater for the huge amounts of travelers passing through the station and thus are usually out of limits for the foreign traveler. Simply, having a steady stream of local clients, the staff cares very little about foreign travelers unable to speak Chinese and would make efforts to discourage him from checking into the establishment.

Lanzhou is different. A relatively small town at the very edge of Classical China, it features relatively low amounts of travelers. I arrived there during the Chinese New Year – the busiest season – and yet could find train tickets with no problem. Moreover, the hotel in front of the railway station - Hua Lian Lanzhou Mansion – was almost empty and created a golden opportunity for visiting such an establishment; I could choose from a large variety of rooms.

Missing the hotel is not an option; with more than twenty floors, it is among the tallest structures in town and just across a large plaza from the railway station.

The reception desk is right next to the entrance and the staff speaks basic English, at least enough for letting me explain I wanted to see several rooms. I wanted one near the top for the views, but I had learned to check out the room’s facilities before checking in because not always all of them are in working conditions. The fee was around ten dollars, which was the typical price I found in remote Chinese provinces.

After seeing three or four rooms, I settled for one in the eighteenth floor with a splendid view of the railway station plaza and the mountains behind it. This is the moment to comment on certain peculiarity of Lanzhou. Some may look at the picture of the mountains I took from the room and think that I had used color filters or that the windows distorted the colors. It is not so. Lanzhou is famous for being one of the most polluted cities in China – I prefer not to mention the rumors regarding the causes for that – and the strange colors of the atmosphere in the area are for real. The hills and the sky got an unusual pinkish hue at dusk.

The location of the hotel is excellent. Not only because it allows frequent visits to the railway station (if waiting for tickets such visits are unavoidable) but also because it is only a few minutes away from the main bridge over the Yellow River and downtown Lanzhou.

The room was comfortable. Quite large with a double bed a spacious bathroom with plenty of hot water (a must in the cold Chinese winter), green tea and a thermos of hot water which was filled up regularly by the floor’s concierge.

Finally, the ubiquitous television set was connected to the Chinese cables network. That meant no international news networks were available and that most of the channels were in Chinese. It may sound strange but I learned there to appreciate CCTV9, the English Channel of the Chinese Television. The first half of every given hour is dedicated to news – no less manipulated than those broadcasted in the country of the Dodgy Dossier – and the second half to interesting documentary films about China. It was an awesome window into the local culture that wonderfully enriched the visit to China.

Few sights in China impressed me more than the first glimpse of the Yellow River. It wasn’t just its mighty dimensions or the huge bridge from where I studied its reflections, but mainly the fact that it was almost completely frozen, except for a narrow canal at its center; having lived in Mediterranean zones for most of my life that was an awesome sight. I couldn’t help but wonder at the obvious indifference of the denizens to the irresistible beauty of the scene; routine had blinded them. Only travelers seem to have that ability – so common in children – of opening the eyes and enjoying the beauty of our world. There is nothing like experiencing that difference of attitude to reinforce the knowledge of – and the thanks for – being alive. The world is big and we are living it.

At that moment the bridge became more than the means to stay above the semi-frozen water; it became a symbol. A device aimed for travelers moving from one shore to the other, a bridge between the cradle of the local culture and modern time, a bridge welcoming travelers arriving from distant shores. Oblivious to these thoughts, a man pushed a stall loaded with blocks of nuts and raisins through the bridge.

The River

At 5,464km long, the Yellow River or Huang He is the second longest river in China, after the Yangtze and the sixth longest in the world. Thirteen tributaries create this river. From its sources, Gyaring Lake and Ngoring Lake, in the Bayankala Mountains in Qinghai Province, the river loops north and then bends south, creating the "Great Bend," and then flows eastwards across northern China to the Gulf of Bohai; its mouth is at Dongying, Shandong.

The Name

Its basin is the birth-place of the Chinese civilization; thus it is also called "The Mother River of China" and "The Cradle of Chinese Civilization." In ancient times it was known as "He," or "River;" the first reference to it as "Yellow River" is in the Book of Han written in the Western Han dynasty (206BC – 9AC) and is the result of the ochre color given by the loess deposits it carries. The provinces of Hebei (North of River) and Henan (South of River) derive their names from it.

A Moody River

The Yellow River is moody. Since 1972 it had dried during the dry season in most years, mainly due to irrigation needs. In a different mood, the river has flooded 1593 times in recorded history and changed its course eighteen times, the last such an event was in 1897. Several times it changed its flow into the Huai River; the silt it added caused a permanent change in the Huai River, which nowadays flows into the Hongze Lake, and then runs southwards towards the Yangtze River. The flatness of Northern China contributes to the deadliness of the floods since a slight rise in water level would mean a large area of land would be flooded.

Natural Disasters

Up to two million deaths were caused in 1887 by the river when it flooded the North China Plain. In 1931 a similar disaster caused up to four million deaths.

Wars

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1938, Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist troops broke a dike holding back the Yellow River in order to stop the Japanese troops and caused the death of approximately a million people.

Cities and Provinces

Lanzhou is the first major city appearing along the river; other important cities are Wuhai, Baotou, Kaifeng, and Jinan. The river crosses nine provinces: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Shandong.

Dams

There are twelve hydroelectric power dams on the Yellow River, a silent testimony of the significant amount of energy-thirsty industries along its shores. Due to the high silt load the life span of most of them is expected to be limited. A planned South-North Water Transfer Project involves several schemes to divert water from the Yangtze River, one in the western headwaters of the rivers where they are closest to one another, a second from the upper reaches of the Han River, and the last using the historic Grand Canal’s route.

Lanzhou was an important Buddhist center in the past. Three areas in its surroundings feature Buddhist relics and offer interesting options for short trips from the capital city:

Tianshui and Maiji Caves

With 300000 inhabitants, Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu and hosts several attractions. Moreover, Tianshui was the birthplace of the Qin Dynasty; Qin Tombs have been excavated at Fangmatan near Tianshui.

The Maiji Caves are located 45km southeast of Tianshui on a hill rising 142m above the surrounding plains; its name means "stack of wheat straw." Within the 194 caves are over 7200 clay Buddha statues, whose heights vary from 20cm to 15m; the caves contain several big murals.

The Jade Spring Temple stands at the foot of Mt. Tianjing, just north of Tianshui. It is a Daoism holy site named after the spring running down from the mountain; it is placed amidst dense forests. The central hall is called the Venerable Sovereign Hall and was constructed to commemorate the Five Patriarchs and Seven Perfect Ones of the Complete Perfection Sect in the 13th Zhiyuan year of the Yuan Dynasty by Liang Zhitong, a disciple of Patriarch Qiu Chuji. Nowadays it includes over ninety structures, most of them were constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The structures include some with especially picturesque names like: the Jade Emperor Pavilion (the biggest structure in the complex), the Honorific Arch of the First Mountain, the Hall of the Three Pristine Ones, the Hall of the Perfect Warrior, the Hall of the Big Dipper and the mystifying Thunder Patriarch Temple.

Yongjing and Bingling Caves

Yongjing is a county in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, about 80km from the Lanzhou; nearby is the Liujiaxia Dam – or Bingling Lake - on the Yellow River. The city depends almost completely on hydropower generated by the Yellow River for its economy but its beautiful scenery includes attractions like the Bingling Caves and the temples within them, which are three hours away from the town by boat.

Bingling Caves

These caves are located on the Small Jishi Hill, 35km west of Yongjing County in Lanzhou and their name means "Ten Thousand Buddhas" in Tibetan. The 183 niches host 694 stone statues, 82 clay sculptures and several murals; the figures of the Buddhas are painted with strikingly vivid colors.

Dunhuang and Mogao Caves

Dunhuang is a city in Jiuquan, near the historic junction of the northern and southern Silk Roads in Gansu. Located within an oasis, it has 100000 inhabitants. It was a customs gate connecting China with Central Asia during the Han and Tang dynasties. For a while it was ruled by the Tibetans. The town is of little interest, though it features several souvenir shops selling material related to the caves. The night market at the town’s center caters for tourists and besides knickknacks it offers typical Central Asian food (see the dedicated entry in my Urumqi journal).

Mogao Caves (The High Up in the Desert Caves) are 25km from Dunhuang on the eastern slope of Mingsha Shan (Mount of Echoing Sand). The 750 caves contain clay statues, the largest one is 34.5m high and the smallest is just 2cm high. Apart from statues, the local monastery keeps fifty thousand manuscripts written in several languages; the last give testimony to the former importance of the place. The area’s key position, allowed Buddhist monks to collect scriptures from the west; as well, many pilgrims painted murals inside the Mogao Caves. The Jesus Sutras were also found in the caves. The overall impression of the place is of a vast cultural and historical richness, silent testimony to the people that crossed the area.

Another popular attraction in the area is the Mingsha Shan – or the Echoing-Sand Mountain and the surrounding Crescent Lake. The lake is an oasis surrounded by high dunes; a Han pagoda adorns its edge. It was named so due to the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes. The area is reached with camels guided by a local guide from the town; the dunes can be sled down.

Few foods are so ubiquitous in Asia as the noodles soup. Its wide geographical spread assures a wide diversity which is one of the constant surprises while traveling in the area. I took some notes while traveling around and here they are, ordered from south to north.

Singapore:

The dish most typical of Singapore is the Laksa soup. The tasty dish is available in every food plaza of the ubiquitous Singaporean shopping malls. It is made of a heavy, hot soup with coconut milk, chili, small omelets and sometimes even clams and shrimps.

Vietnam:

Vietnam offers the most social version of the dish. Sitting on low street benches or packed as a sardine in a hole-in-the-wall shop, it is impossible to have a soup there without creating immediate and close contacts with the locals. These are about the only places where relaxed Vietnamese can be spotted and thus they offer a good opportunity for socializing with them. Moreover, it is the perfect situation for learning how do they spice up the dish and their eating techniques.

The Vietnamese variant of the dish is called Pho, and the customer can choose only to the kind of meat to be used, the other ingredients are determined by the region the shop is in or has originated from.

The main ingredient, creating a background to the whole creation, is the broth, which is prepared by simmering oxtails and marrow bones for 24 hours in a big bowl boiling over a charcoal stove, along with onions, star anise, ginger and cinnamon bark which create the wonderful mixture of flavors in the broth. Another bowl, or another partition in the former one, is filled just with water and is used to heat the precooked translucent rice noodles. Those, after being drained, are put into the eating bowl. Depending on the place, thinly sliced onions and chopped coriander leaves go in next, along with ginger shavings. Next comes the meat, which defines the name of the dish; the main variations are chicken, and then the dish is called pho ga, and beef, which results in pho bo. There is a spicier version called Bun Bo Hue which is made of noodles, beef, pork, lemon grass and whole chilies. Crunchy bean sprouts go atop everything.

The thin slices of meat are added raw and cook in the hot broth in front of the customer’s eyes. However, it is possible to specify the degree of cooking of your beef: ask for rare (tai), well-done (chin) or fatty (gau).

For spicing, on the table are spring onions, red chili sauce, vinegar with garlic slices and small lemons’ wedges. Sometimes there is an additional plate heaped with different herbs that can be added to the bowl: ngo gai (sawleaf herb), rau que (Asian basil) and rau ram (coriander). A smelly sauce called nuoc nam, made from fermented fishes may appear on the table but it is not recommended, since like its counterpart in Thailand and Laos can contain harmful parasites.

The combinations are endless and provide a good opportunity to vary the taste of the pho with each meal, which is transformed in such a way into a culinary adventure. The soup is eaten with the help of chopsticks, used to pick the solid parts, and a deep, short Asian spoon is used for drinking the soup.

Thailand:

While exploring Thai towns for the first time, inviting locals to a soup turned out to be a proven way to make friends and get updated information about the region. It was a security inspiring event and it showed respect for the local culture. Moreover, spicing the dish as a local resulted in approving looks from the invitee.

Thailand offers Watdiao Nam (noodles water) in an almost do-it-yourself fashion which lets the customer choose most of the ingredients; it can be safely claimed that within Thailand everybody is at walking distance from a noodles soup stall. Noodle Soup is the most basic dish in the Thai cuisine, and can be consumed as a breakfast, a lunch or a dinner.

The first choice to be done regards the type of noodles to be used. Rice noodles in several shapes are the commonest; however yellow wheat noodles are widely available. The wide, flat rice noodles are very slippery and thus the hardest to manage with chopsticks.

Following that, fish, meat or insects balls can be selected from a wide range; mixing up several types within one bowl is possible and recommended. Some places add also tiny omelets. Chopped green onions and dried out chilies are sprinkled atop everything. Liver chops can be added in most places.

The spicing in Thailand includes two main variations. The hot one is based on chilies; Thais add chilies until the white rice noodles get a deep pink hue. The second version of spicing relies on limes and mint leaves. Phla Nam – a sauce prepared of fermented fish - is widely available but it has a repugnant odor and sometimes it contains dangerous parasites.

Laos and Cambodia:

These countries offer versions similar to the Thai and Vietnamese ones. However, Northern Laos uses tomatoes as an additional and unusual ingredient.

Southern China:

Noodles soups in Southern China are based on rice noodles, which appear in an astounding variety. The spicing gradient is opposite in direction to the one used in northern China: Sichuan and the west offer the hottest versions, while Guangzhou and the eastern coast offer blander versions.

Northern China:

Wheat noodles that help to overcome the nostalgia for bread that inevitably appears during long trips in eastern Asia are the base ingredient to noodles soups in Northern China. The spicing gradient here is spicier in the east.

Central China:

People living in Central China use mild chilies in oil while the far west uses mainly a garlicky sweet spicing.

With a soup bowl in front of me I learned to use chopsticks; the several bits and pieces within it facilitated practicing the task and there always was a deep spoon to help me during embarrassing moments. Thus the dish became not only a constant and reliable companion during my trips, but a good teacher as well.

Bon Appetite!