Lanzhou

About Lanzhou

The Yellow River runs right through the middle of Lanzhou, and the city stretches for miles along its banks in a narrow valley between bare, dusty mountains. For two thousand years it guarded a key crossing on the Silk Road, where caravans turned west toward the Hexi Corridor and Central Asia.

Today it is the capital of Gansu province and the gateway to China's north-west. Its sights follow the river: the 1909 Zhongshan Bridge, the White Pagoda on the hill above it, the giant waterwheels and the Yellow River Mother sculpture. The Gansu Provincial Museum holds the celebrated bronze Flying Horse along with treasures from the Silk Road.

Most of all, Lanzhou is famous for one dish. Its hand-pulled beef noodles, served in clear broth with chilli oil, radish and coriander, are eaten for breakfast all over the city. In the evening, follow the crowds to the night market on Zhengning Road, then walk the lit riverside promenade.