Things to Do in Lanzhou

Lanzhou is China's largest city along the Yellow River and sits at a strategic crossing point that made it a crucial stop on the ancient Silk Road.

The city is home to the Lanzhou Noodles (兰州拉面), a hand-pulled noodle dish now served in restaurants across China and internationally, originating from local Muslim culinary traditions.

Lanzhou was heavily bombed during World War II by Japanese forces due to its strategic importance as a supply line to Nationalist China, and has since been largely rebuilt.

The White Pagoda Temple (白塔寺) overlooks the city from the north bank of the Yellow River and dates back to the Yuan Dynasty, making it one of Lanzhou's most recognisable landmarks.

Lanzhou sits at 1,520 metres elevation on the Loess Plateau, giving it a temperate continental climate with cold, dry winters and mild summers.

The Gansu Provincial Museum holds one of China's finest collections of Silk Road artefacts, including the famous Bronze Horse of Gansu (马踏飞燕), a symbol of ancient Chinese art.