The Journey in Lanzhou

Here I am again, back in the Great Northwest.

Itinerary

Day 1 Exploring Lanzhou

The day before, I booked a ride-share for 4 a.m. to Pudong Airport T2 and chose the exclusive option. Turned out the driver also picked up 2 + 1 + 1 passengers from other platforms — three additional orders in total. It took over half an hour, and the buffer time I had set aside was completely used up. I had originally planned to choose my seat at the check-in counter, but there was no time left, so I ended up paying 50 RMB to select a seat and check in on my phone instead. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I rushed straight to the security line.

Lesson learned: next time, I should confirm with the driver in advance how many passengers they are picking up to avoid this kind of situation. Anyway, I arrived at the airport safely and boarded the plane smoothly. No need to complain about trivial things — the beautiful journey was only just beginning.

By the time boarding was completed, it was right at sunrise.

The sun felt close enough to touch just by climbing the stairs

After taking a short nap, I woke up to see the distant peaks outside the window — a soft bluish haze, with layers of mountains stacked one after another like an ink wash painting.

I finally saw the Yellow River.

Getting ready to land.

The in-flight announcement said: the weather today was excellent, and we would arrive 40 minutes ahead of schedule. The entire flight felt smooth, with no noticeable turbulence at all. When we landed and stepped outside, the ground temperature was -3°C. I was wearing warm clothes, and it felt perfectly fine — not cold at all.

The airport was very new and clean, with a strong sense of design and aesthetic appeal.

The next train to the city was at 11:39. Since there was still plenty of time and I was getting hungry, I went to find something to eat.

The hall above the railway station was also very modern, with artistic and flowing architectural lines.

There were students visiting on a tour.

There is a noodle shop on the second floor of the railway station. I ordered a bowl of beef noodles with double toppings (meat + egg) for 20 RMB — really delicious. After finishing the noodles, I went across the street to Kudi to grab a drink. There was no price markup, which was great. I paid 8.8 RMB for a cup of Zhici Qinglü — refreshing and tasty.

Boarding the train, even though I had a window seat, the “window” turned out to be a wall 😅. It was cold outside, but inside the carriage it felt stuffy and overheated 🥵.

Arriving at Lanzhou West Railway Station, I headed straight to the hotel to check in, dropped off my clothes, and lightened my backpack. After a 30-minute nap, I set off in the afternoon for the Gansu Provincial Museum.

Passed by a pedestrian overpass.

Gansu Provincial Museum

The Gansu Provincial Museum isn’t very large — I spent a little over an hour exploring it.

By the Yellow River

After leaving, I took a taxi to the riverside and walked along the river path from the Yellow River Mother Sculpture towards Zhongshan Bridge.

Yellow River Mother Sculpture

I spotted a stone in the river engraved with Tibetan script. I asked ChatGPT to take a look, and it said it was the Six-Syllable Mantra, a prayer for blessings.

good duck friend

It looked like an old grandpa’s cat.

Not a friendly dog… for now.

So chill。

The old man’s kite flew so high.

The strong feeling of autumn

good pigeon friend

In summer, the riverside of the Yellow River must be a great place to cool off.

Such a new-looking dog.

Along the riverside, there were many people taking walks. The simplicity of everyday life felt really nice. I had originally planned to take the cable car across the river, but it wasn’t operating today.

Many willow trees were planted along the river, and now their leaves were a brilliant yellow — absolutely beautiful. The sunlight filtering through made it feel so dreamy. I had never seen willow trees with yellow autumn leaves before.

Although the air looked hazy from high above, it felt okay at ground level. There was a large flock of pigeons — watch out for “falling objects from above.” Walking to Zhongshan Bridge, I saw it decorated with red lanterns. From the bridge, I could also spot tourists riding on sheepskin rafts in the Yellow River.

On Zhongshan Bridge

The Yellow River’s current is quite strong — I didn’t dare to ride it.

Tourists on sheepskin rafts

Baita Mountain Park

On the opposite side of the bridge is Baita Mountain Park. I planned to climb up and wait for the sunset, to see the city lights of Lanzhou turning on.

The climb wasn’t difficult, and from the top I could see tall buildings across the river. There was a thick layer of clouds on the horizon, so I didn’t get to see the sunset — the sun dipped behind the clouds.

As night fell, the White Pagoda began to light up.

By then, the temperature had dropped quite a bit.

It had been a long time since I had looked down at a city’s night view from a mountain. Coming down from Baita Mountain, there is a platform where you can enjoy an unobstructed view of Zhongshan Bridge at night.

A bit like Hongyadong

I walked to Zhangye Road Pedestrian Street to explore and find dinner. After walking a while, I reached Dazhong Alley. The alley was lively and full of bustling energy, with delicious aromas drifting along the way. At Fangha, I had a cup of sweet fermented milk tea — really tasty. Then I went to Chuntai next door and had a portion of hand-pulled lamb — delicious, though too much for one person. The fat between the ribs was rich and could get overwhelming if eaten too much, but the lean meat was tender and very flavorful.

After being full, I took the subway back to the hotel to rest. I opened Ctrip and booked a one-day tour for tomorrow. The itinerary is Ink Danxia -> Huangtao Confluence Viewing Platform -> Liujiaxia Bridge -> Bingling Temple. Except for Ink Danxia, the other sites are actually outside Lanzhou city, part of the surrounding area.

Day 2 Exploring Danxia

Liujiaxia

At 7:10 a.m., the driver picked us up. Our one-day tour group had six tourists today. After about an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the Liujiaxia Bridge Viewing Platform.

This morning the fog was thick, and visibility was low. From the platform, looking down at the Liujiaxia Reservoir, which was formed by damming the Yellow River, the water appeared turquoise green. You couldn’t see the edges, making it look like an endless sea. After 20 minutes of sightseeing, we got back on the bus and continued on to Bingling Temple.

Liujiaxia Bridge

Our route required taking a boat from Liujiaxia Reservoir to the Bingling Temple dock. The round-trip fare was 80 RMB, payable before boarding the return trip. The boat was quite stable. Along the river, we could admire the stratified rock walls — marks left by the passage of time. During the ride, we also saw many swans, both black and white.

There was frost on many of the reeds

The mist gave the mountains a soft, hazy appearance.

The village also looked mysterious.

This is the boat we would be taking today.

That overwhelming pressure from the mountains.

So beautiful!

Bingling Temple

After disembarking at the Bingling Temple dock, I bought a ticket at the entrance for 50 RMB. The scenic area is well maintained, with clean and flat walking paths and tidy restrooms. There were very few tourists today — I’d guess no more than 30. The valley felt peaceful and quiet, with only the occasional bird call breaking the silence.

It was shivering from the cold — such a poor little dog. Someone in our group mentioned seeing a doghouse nearby, so it was probably just tied there temporarily.

Laojun Cave

Inside, there is a large Buddha statue — very majestic. The walkway beside the Buddha was under maintenance, so we couldn’t view it up close. Walking along the path and returning to Laojun Cave, we could overlook the bend of the Yellow River below.

Huangtao Confluence Viewing Platform

After visiting the scenic area, we returned by boat along the same route and then continued to the Huangtao Confluence Viewing Platform. Upon arrival, we took the sightseeing bus up to the platform. The outer area of the viewing platform has a glass floor, so shoe covers are required. From here, you can see the yellow Tao River and the relatively clear Yellow River. A guide shared some historical stories about the two rivers. The climb and viewing took about half an hour.

Ink Danxia Scenic Area

After returning to the parking lot, we headed to today’s final stop: the Ink Danxia Scenic Area.

Feeling a bit sleepy, I took a short nap on the bus. Upon arriving at the scenic area, we started the loop trail (not a strict loop) and admired the Danxia landforms from various angles.

A view that feels eternal

The land had already turned alkaline and whitish, with patterns resembling reptile scales.

Back at the Nine-Color Danxia viewpoint, we were supposed to walk 1.3 kilometers back to the shuttle for the sightseeing bus, but we rented a small electric cart for 28 RMB, taking it from the Nine-Color Danxia to the shuttle station at the top of the mountain.

At the mountain top, I saw scenery that matched the name of the park — like an ink wash painting. The distant mountains rose in layers, shrouded in mist, as beautiful as a scroll painting.

On the mountain, I also saw a wild mountain goat grazing. The wind at the top was strong, so be sure to stay warm and protect against the wind. After admiring the view for a while, we took the sightseeing bus down the mountain.

Mountain goat

Bathed in sunlight, it looked very vivid.

The driver dropped us off at our respective destinations. Today’s trip was truly wonderful 😊 — the weather was great, the scenery was stunning, far beyond my expectations.

In the evening, traffic was heavy as we drove into the city.

For dinner, I went to Zhongtianjian Square and had hand-pulled lamb even better than what I had yesterday. The restaurant is called Wenji Chuntai Hand-Pulled BBQ Restaurant, and buying a single-person meal on Meituan is very cost-effective.

Day 3 Return

Last night at 23:46, I received an email from Spring Airlines saying that tonight’s 18:45 flight back to Shanghai had been rescheduled to 20:45. Seeing this, I realized I would get home very late, and I had work the next day, so I changed my ticket to this morning’s 8:00 flight back to Shanghai. (Luckily I did, otherwise the original flight would have actually arrived at Pudong Airport close to 1 a.m.) The intercity train was also switched to the first one at 5:30 a.m.

I got up early, washed up, and took a taxi to Lanzhou West Railway Station (within walking distance, but at this hour, better not to waste energy).

Arriving at the airport.

First, I went to have a bowl of noodles. From Exit 8 on the 2nd floor of the airport, you can reach the hall above the railway station through a connecting corridor and eat beef noodles.

The chef pulled a bowl of noodles from a single piece of dough, moving with fluid, effortless skill.

After finishing the noodles, I went through security. Over the past couple of days, I had been drinking sweet fermented milk tea from Fangha, but today I tried something different — apricot peel tea — before heading to the boarding area.

De-icing in progress — my first time seeing this.

Yangpu Bridge.

Spotted Lujiazui.

Changxing Island.

Yangtze River Bridge

I took a ride-share home, ordered lunch delivery, and after eating, I slept straight until 5 p.m.

Expenses

Impressions

A City Full of Aroma

The streets were filled with the smell of beef soup.

Affordable Prices

The people here seemed relaxed, enjoying tea and leisurely walks.

Close Encounter with the Yellow River

It really is yellow, with a lot of silt.

Beautiful Danxia

The Danxia landscape is stunning, but it also gives off a sense of desolation.

Modern Infrastructure

The airport, train station, and scenic area facilities are all very new, providing a great experience. Since it’s off-season, there were few people, making the visit even better! The only downside is that the airport is quite far from the city, and the intercity trains from the airport to downtown aren’t very frequent.

Fulfilling Experience

Although the planned three-day trip turned into two days, the first two days allowed me to enjoy beautiful scenery and delicious food. It was a very fulfilling and happy experience.