A Quick Look at Lanzhou, China

As our stay in Lanzhou comes to an end, I’d like to share with you what Lanzhou looks like if you have never been here before.

Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu province, located in the northwest of China. The city is surrounded by several mountains such as Wuquan Mountain (where the above picture was taken), Baita Mountain, and Lan Mountain.

As the only major city in China with Yellow River running cross it, Lanzhou is taking advantage of it by setting up many parks and recration ares on the banks of the river. One of them is Waterwheel Park, which features giant waterwheels that can usually be seen along the Yellow River as part of the irrigation system.

One of Lanzhou’s famous foods is Lanzhou beef lamian noodle. The noodle got its name because it is made by pulling the dough by hands. How that can be done? I have no idea, but the noodle is delicious.

One of the unique artwares of Lanzhou is calabash with miniature carve. Beautiful, isn’t it? The listed price of those calabashes is RMB 600, or around $85, which is quite expensive for most Chinese. However, if you are a good bargainer, you can get it at a much lower price In China, you can tackle the price of almost everything.

Like many cities undergoing rapid modernization in China, Lanzhou is also facing the problem of pollution. Even in a good day, you can’t see too far in the city because of the smog. And the Yellow River that runs through the city is really a yellow river, not because of pollution but because of the mud that gets into the river

BTW, I noticed one thing that’s quite interesting when I was taking a cab. When the driver opened the trunk, I saw a big tank in there. Can you guess what it is? It’s a natural gas tank! It turns out that all taxies and buses in Lanzhou are running on natural gas instead of gasoline because the former is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than latter. But that’s not the case for private cars.

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