About Lanzhou
Lanzhou is not only the geometrical center of China but also a center in the northwest in terms of transportation, telecommunication and the Silk Road Tourism Ring.
Area:Covering an area of 1631.6 square kilometers (629.96 square miles)
Population: population of 3.14 million, including Han, Hui, Bao’an, Dongxiang, Tibetan, Yugu and Sala and more
Climate: Located inland, Lanzhou enjoys a typical temperate, semi-arid continental monsoon climate. It is dry with sufficient sunshine. The best season may be from May to October when the temperature is most suitable.
Scenery Spots in Lanzhou
Zhongshan Bridge - the First Bridge over the Yellow River
Zhongshan Bridge, also called the first bridge over the Yellow River, lies at the foot of Bai Ta Mountain and in front of Jin Cheng Pass in Lanzhou city, the capital of Gansu Province. Before Zhongshan Bridge was built there were many floating bridges over the Yellow River, but only one existed for a relatively long period. This bridge was called Zhen Yuan Floating Bridge and was made up of more than 20 ships, tied up by ropes and chains. It floated on the river in order to help people pass over, but it was neither solid nor safe enough. Almost every year floods destroyed the bridge or even killed people. Problem also arose in the winter, when ice would build up on the river, so the bridge would have to undergo the costly process of being disassembled and then re-built in the spring. Used for over 500 years, the Zhen Yuan Floating Bridges was finally retired in 1909, when an iron bridge was built. This new bridge is what we call the First Bridge over the Yellow River.
Yellow River
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Known as the mother river by all the Chinese people, the 5,464-kilometer (about 3,395 miles) Yellow River is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River. The headwaters of this mighty river lie in Kunlun Mountains in northwestern Qinghai Province. It runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions on its way to the Bohai Sea. It is not exaggerating to say that Yellow River is a melting port, because there are more than 30 branches and countless streams feeding it through its course. The vigorous upper reaches of the Yellow River starts in Qinghai Province to Hekouzhen in Inner Mongolia. This magnificent river flows quietly, like a shy girl in this section, irrigating the farmlands and nurturing the people. Its middle reaches ends at Taohuayu in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. Here the Yellow River splits the Loess Plateau in half, forming the longest continuous gorge in the whole drainage area of the river. The Yellow River's lower reaches ends in a delta on the Bohai Sea.
Local Food
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Jinyu (golden fish) Facai
Jinyu (golden fish) Facai (a kind of fungus that grows in the desert near the Yellow River) is a classic dish in Gansu Province. There is no golden fish in the dish; the name comes from the shape. The Fa Cai is soaked in water until it is soft and then kneaded until it is round. Minced chicken flavored with salt, egg white, sesame oil, and cooking wine is used to stuff the Fa Cai so it looks like a golden fish. The "fish" is steamed until it is cooked and then served in a dish surrounded with bree, giving the look of a "golden fish swimming in water". This popular Lanzhou dish goes well with wine.
Baihe (Lily) Tao (Peach)
Baihe (Lily) Tao (Peach) is so named because the dish is shaped like peaches. The washed fresh lily - a specialty of Lanzhou - is steamed for about 15 minutes. The lily is then stuffed with sweetened bean paste so that it looks like a peach. The "peach" is braised in a bamboo steamer for about twenty minutes and then served with a white sugar sauce.