Downtown Lanzhou

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.


From journal Lanzhou: Yellow River Blues