Gansu Travel Guide for Self-Driving Tours

Gansu is a typical northwestern stronghold. Everything here has a deep northern imprint. The vast desert with endless yellow sand gives people an unlimited and melancholy passion. You will experience a different kind of poetry. Here is a Gansu travel guide for self-driving tours.

Gansu is a desolate and barren place. It’s hard to decide if it’s worth going. After I went there, I felt that the trip was worthwhile. My harvest was: I paid homage to historical sites, I marveled at the natural scenery, and I learned about the local customs.

Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, is our first stop. The first banner we saw said: On the banks of the mother river, happiness and peace.

Lanzhou was built along the river and is of the scale of a typical provincial capital. Because it is in the desert, it appears even more grand and imposing.

The Yellow River flows through the city.

On Binhe Road, we first saw the huge Yellow River waterwheel. Its unique structure, exquisite craftsmanship, and bold and rough style caught our eyes.

It’s several times larger than the waterwheels we saw in Dali, Yunnan. It truly shows the wisdom and creativity of mankind in harmoniously coexisting with the Yellow River. It has become a representative of Chinese waterwheels and a national intangible cultural heritage.

Then, not far from the waterwheel, we saw a very conspicuous large patch of yellow gourds. Attracted by them, we went to have a look. It turned out to be round sheepskins filled with gas, made into sheepskin rafts. It is an important part of the Yellow River culture and a crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient working people.

On the banks of the Yellow River, we saw tourists riding sheepskin rafts. They were happily drifting on the river. This raft is like a small boat, the people and the raft are one, drifting with the current;

The passengers sitting on the raft were tossed about by the waves. It was thrilling, but safe.

Next, we saw the long-awaited large sculpture, the Yellow River Mother. The sculpture is located in the middle section of Binhe Road on the south bank of the Yellow River, north of the Xiaoxihu Park. The sculpture is of high artistic value. I had heard about it many years ago, because the publicity at that time was very strong. Seeing it with my own eyes was a yearning in my heart, and today I finally got to see it.

The sculpture was created by He’e, a famous sculptor from Gansu. It is composed of a “mother” and a “male infant.” The Yellow River Mother is serene and dignified, reflecting the author’s reverence and love for the Yellow River;

The baby is lively and strong, representing the profound meaning of the descendants of the Yellow River growing up happily and healthily in the embrace of their mother. The sculpture is simple in composition, infectious and friendly, reflecting the long history and culture of Gansu.

We couldn’t stay long, just a glimpse of Lanzhou, we rushed to our next stop, Dunhuang.

Dunhuang is very famous among tourist cities. This is entirely due to its three famous attractions: Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Spring, and the recently developed Yadan Geological Park.

The reason why Mogao Grottoes has been preserved from the Former Qin Dynasty to this day, for over 1,700 years, is mainly due to the particularly dry climate here. It is said that the average annual rainfall is 39.9 mm, while the evaporation rate is 2486 mm. How many times greater is the evaporation rate than the rainfall? You can calculate it.

But luckily for us, we were walking in a light drizzle when we went to visit, enjoying the rare humid climate of the northwest plateau. It was truly a different flavor.

Listening to the tour guide’s explanation, we learned that the Mogao Grottoes are like the ancestral temples we have everywhere. They were dug and built by the people, with little official involvement.

It is folk art, a crystallization of the people’s wisdom. Its main purpose is to make Buddha statues, but inadvertently, the unknown flying apsaras, as a supporting character, has become a symbol of Dunhuang art.

After visiting the Mogao Grottoes, we drove to the next attraction. Along the way, while admiring the desert and Gobi scenery, we saw the beacon towers of “Leaving the Yangguan Pass, no one is left behind,” the ancient castle of “The spring wind does not cross the Jade Gate Pass,” and the Han Dynasty Great Wall of “If only there were a flying general in Longcheng.”

The people in this area are familiar with the story of Zhang Qian’s opening up of the Western Regions. They have a special admiration for Zhang Qian. His statues can be seen everywhere.

Dunhuang is also an important trading center on the Silk Road. All the way down, we truly felt the “Long and winding Silk Road, the lingering love of the ancient road.”

On the ancient Yangguan Pass in the Gobi desert, the great poet Wang Wei (sculpture), who stands tall in the wind, raises his cup to drink, “I urge you to drink another cup of wine,” reflecting what a kind and caring person he is!

Through these ancient buildings, though they are now in ruins, their spirit still remains. I seem to hear the battle horns sound, I seem to hear the clash of swords and horses. The scenes of the ancients fighting seem to be right before my eyes.

Lowering my head and pondering, trade is certainly important, but the strength of the nation is still paramount. “Those who violate the celestial majesty of China, though far away, will be punished,” should be the common understanding of the Chinese nation.

The “Belt and Road” strategy implemented by our country is an extraordinary initiative. We, the Chinese nation, are peace-loving, but we are not lambs to be slaughtered. We unite all those who can be united, but we must also continuously strengthen our ability to defend our own rights and interests.

To seek peace by begging, peace is lost. To seek peace by force, peace is maintained. This is the experience and lesson learned by generations of people at the cost of countless blood and lives.

We are in the Lop Nur area where Peng Jiamu mysteriously disappeared. Here is an endless Gobi desert. Black pebbles cover the ground, forming a natural protective layer. Because the land is deeply saline and alkaline, no grass grows. It naturally makes people think of the vast changes of the sea turning into land. Although it is still a Gobi desert, it has not turned into farmland.

The tour guide introduced that this is the legendary Devil City. It has a windstorm every year, from spring to winter.

When the wind is strongest, it can reach more than 12 on the Beaufort scale. The sound of the wind, the sound of sand and gravel rubbing together, is like the howling of ghosts and wolves, making people shudder.

Times have changed since Peng Jiamu was here. There is now a road built here. But in order to welcome the World Cultural Expo to be held here in September, they are in the process of renovating the road. The car is moving along in a bumpy ride. We finally arrived at the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark. It was still good weather. We took a tour bus to visit the park. The sun was shining and the white clouds were floating in the sky.

In an instant, I was stunned and amazed by the unique landform.

We took the car back to Dunhuang. The next day, we took the bus to the Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring, not far from the city, to visit.

We first put on our anti-sand boots and got on the camels.

The long camel caravan, moving through the uneven desert, the sky is blue, the sand is milky white. Everywhere is so pure and spotless, so clean that you don’t want to leave a piece of paper behind.

Accompanied by the melodious sound of camel bells, people are already drunk.

In the vastness of heaven and earth, one’s self-perception is so insignificant, so small as if one has just come into the world. It seems as if one’s soul is instantly purified.

I carefully looked at the legend about the Mingsha Mountain engraved on the stone, and I felt that it was not necessary to repeat it here. I just want to talk about my own personal feelings.

I always thought that green mountains and clear waters were beautiful. It turns out that the barren desert also has a kind of beauty that is beyond compare.

We dismounted from our camel rides and walked to find the mythical Crescent Spring.

Sure enough, in the low-lying area where several sand hills meet, we really saw her.

By the side of this blue water, in this dreamlike fairyland, people are truly reluctant to leave. Here, you can’t help but marvel at the wonders of nature.

After visiting Dunhuang, we took the train to another city in Gansu, Zhangye.

Zhangye is no longer in the desert or Gobi. Here, there are flowers everywhere, green mountains and clear waters, and crops that grow well. It has long been known as the “Jiangnan of the frontier.” An ancient poet wrote: “If you don’t look at the snow on the top of the Qilian Mountains, you’ll mistake Zhangye for Jiangnan.”

The name Zhangye comes from the ancient saying, “The Zhang family extended its arms and extended its territory, to connect the Western Regions.” It seems that it is also a major town on the Silk Road, known as “Jin Zhangye.” Zhangye was formerly known as Ganzhou, which is also the origin of the character “Gan” in Gansu Province. I only remember a poem called “Baisenganzhou,” but I can’t remember the content.

This is a nationally renowned historical and cultural city and a famous tourist city in China. It is well-deserved.

The most famous thing here is the Danxia landform. After getting off the train, we transferred to a rented off-road vehicle and went directly to the geopark. We were already at the gate, just seeing a corner of the magical colors, when a big rainstorm blocked us outside.

All good things come to those who wait. We had our meals on the spot and waited to come back early the next day.

We were lucky. The next day was indeed a good day. We came here and toured and took pictures to our heart’s content.

The rocks here have no artificial carving marks. They are simply designed for people to enjoy the scenery.

Unlike the previous geoparks, which are characterized by their unique ruggedness, this landform is characterized by its color. We have seen the green of jade, the red of agate, and the white of mutton fat jade, but to put these colorful stones together to form a grand formation is simply breathtaking.

Here, you can see red, yellow, orange, green, white, bluish gray, dark gray, gray white, and many other vivid colors. They adorn the countless deep ravines and hillsides with beauty. Against the backdrop of the blue sky and white clouds, the colors are even more gorgeous and charming.

All this is just a glimpse of the vastness. What we saw and heard is just the tip of the iceberg. The mountains and rivers of our motherland are full of beautiful scenery.

Many good things are still being discovered. For example, the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark and the Zhangye Danxia National Geopark, which we saw this time, have only been developed for a few years.