The Yellow River flows across Lanzhou, a city that has a 2,000-year history and is capital of Gansu Province. With a population of 2.83 million people, it is one of the largest cities in the northeast, and this concentration has done little to improve the pollution that thickens the air and that flows downriver. Lanzhou was also in the past called the "Gold City", due to the precious metal that was found here. It was this discovery, along with the fact that the city was a significant fortress (for around 1,400 years) of the Hexi Corridor, an eastern and crucial stretch of the Silk Road, that led to a long period of great prosperity in the city.Major. attractions: Green Corridor along Binhe Road, five Spring Mountain, White Pagoda Mountain, Sun Yat-sen Bridge, Waterwheel Garden, Sculptures of the Mother River, Lanshan Mountain, Qiaomen Mosque, Sand-gravel land form at Tianfusha Palace.

Shopping

Here you can buy carved ink slabs, luminous jade cups, and bottle gourds. There are also Middle Eastern styled carpets, lanterns and reproductions of ancient paintings based on the Silkroad murals. The most beautiful of them are the replicas of Buddha's heads using the original molds from Bingling Si. It is a local market selling curios, stamps, coins and some reproductions. Usually, it's much better on weekends.

Dining

Roast Whole Lamb

The roast entire lamb (Kao quanyang) was already generally acknowledged as one of the then eight most famous dishes in Gansu Province. Local chefs choose those only one year old,hanging the lamb in the oven and anointing it,When it turns golden, about one hour later, this succulent lamb is ready to sample.

Beef Noodle
Lanzhou's biggest specialty dish is the small Lanzhou Beef Noodle. If a little spicy, the noodle is another version of the soup noodles that are to be found around China.