Things to do in Lanzhou - Lanzhou Attractions

No.1: Gansu Provincial Museum

Type: History Museums 

Recommended Length of Visit: 1~2 hours 

Location: No.3 Xijin West Road, Qilihe district, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province 甘肃省兰州市七里河区西津西路3号

Gansu Provincial Museum is the best place to learn Gansu's history and culture in Lanzhou city. It has more than 350,000 collections - 1. Fossils and biological specimens from the Cretaceous Period. 2. Ancient painted potteries from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age. 3. Bronze ware, ceramics from Shang and Zhou Dynasties. 4. Silk Road culture of Han and Tang Dynasties. 5. Porcelain, wood carving, silks, and paintings of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.

Don't miss Gansu Provincial Museum’s 3 best features: 1. Buddhism Culture Hall highlights the best presentation of Gansu Buddhist grottoes. 2. Pottery Culture Hall collects fancy potteries of a different time. 3. The most famous bronze ware is the Ma Ta Fei Yan (马踏飞燕, Bronze Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow).

No.2: Iron Bridge of Yellow River

Type: Bridges

Recommended Length of Visit: less than 1 hour

Location: Under Baita Mountain, north of the middle section of Binhe Road, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province 甘肃省兰州市滨河路中段北侧白塔山下

The Iron Bridge of Yellow River, also named Zhong Shan Bridge, is the first iron bridge of Yellow River which was built in the 19th Century. Now it is a landmark and passable only for pedestrians and cyclists. In the day time, you can really get a “Yellow Water” view of Yellow River. And in the night, the colorful light on both sides of the river is florid. On the northern side of the bridge, there is a museum introducing the history of the Zhong Shan Bridge, also recording the development of other bridges across the Yellow River.

No.3: White Pagoda Mountain (Baita)

Type: Mountains & Temple

Recommended Length of Visit: 1~2 hours

Location:No.1, Baitashan, Chengguan District, Lanzhou City Gansu Province 甘肃省兰州市城关区白塔山1号

White Pagoda Mountain (1,720m) is located in the city, close to the Iron Bridge of Yellow River. The mountain is the highest spot of Lanzhou city, covered by luxuriant trees. You can hike up the staircases to the top of the mountain, which is an awesome experience. If you don't want to bear the walk, you can take the cable car (One-way uphill ticket: CNY 45; One-way downhill ticket: CNY 30; Round-trip ticket: CNY 55). On the top of the hill is the White Pagoda built in Yuan Dynasty with Lamasery style. There are three other old temples in traditional Chinese style which give you a feel of history and local culture.

No.4: Binhe Park of Lanzhou

Type: Mountains & Temple

Recommended Length of Visit: 1~2 hours

Location: Nanbinhe Middle Road, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province 甘肃省兰州市南滨河中路

Binhe Park is built along the Yellow River. The best features are the Yellow River Mother Statue and Ancient Waterwheels Park. Yellow River Mother Statue was sculptured by the famous artist Mrs. He'e. A child leans in the arms of the mother. The mother stands for the Yellow River, and the child stands for the growing Chinese people. From this statue, you can see how important the Yellow River is to China. The Ancient Waterwheels Park is themed by 12 large Yellow River waterwheels of different styles. The waterwheel is a special irrigation system in Gansu that originated in the Ming Dynasty.

No.5: Lanzhou Museum

Type: History Museums

Recommended Length of Visit: 1~2 hours

Location: Inside Baiyi temple, 240 Qingyang Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province 甘肃省兰州市城关区庆阳路240号白衣寺院内

Lanzhou Museum, built on the former site of Baiyi temple in Ming Dynasty, was founded in 1984, covering an area of 4700 square meters. Lanzhou Museum has 12,633 cultural relics, including 53 national first-class cultural relics, 82 second-class cultural relics and 698 third-class cultural relics. There are a wide range of cultural relics in the collection, including pottery, porcelain, metal, stone, jade, paper and so on. Among them, the painted pottery of Majiayao, the calligraphy and painting of Gansu local celebrities in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the cultural relics of Baiyi Temple Pagoda are very represntative and distinctive. Banshan colored pottery drum, ink paper of the Eastern Han Dynasty and jewelry crafts of the Ming Dynasty are all excellent among similar cultural relics.