Linxia Prefecture Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)

The twin trading towns of the Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Horse Road

Linxia got its name because there is a big Daxia River nearby, as well as the Tao River. Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, with its Eight Squares and Thirteen Alleys, is truly a twin trading town of the Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Look, if there were no Central Asian traditions, how could there be so many carpet merchants? There are also sellers of Varanasi silk from India. The yellow Tao River flows into the green Yellow River, located a bit upstream of the Liujiaxia Dam in Yongjing County, Linxia City, Gansu Province, where the Yellow River starts to turn yellow. Returning to the Liujiaxia Dam, one can take a boat to the Bingling Temple Grottoes. 'Bingling' means the residence of a hundred thousand Maitreya Buddhas in Tibetan. Bingling Temple is listed in the Silk Road's World Cultural Heritage.

Linxia's Eight Blocks and Thirteen Alleys exude the lively atmosphere of an ancient Hui district

🍁 Returning from Gannan to Lanzhou, passing through Linxia City, one must stroll through the ancient streets with Hui ethnic charm—Eight Blocks and Thirteen Alleys. 🍁 The entire street architecture is like entering a 'Grand View Garden' of ethnic architectural art. The area is very clean and well-organized, with each street having its corresponding name. There are a total of eight mosques here. From the Tang Dynasty to the present, around the eight mosques, eight teaching blocks and thirteen streets and alleys have formed, historically known as Eight Blocks and Thirteen Alleys. 🍁 The whole alleyway is interconnected with many gates, integrating Hui brick carving, Han wood carving, and Tibetan painting, among other multi-ethnic cultures, all of which can be presented in this alley. It turns out that the Northwest also has gentle and delicate ancient streets and courtyards. 🍁 There are also many delicacies in the alley, the yak yogurt is very tasty, with a layer of milk fat that is golden and shiny on top. There is also traditional milk cake with a particularly strong milky flavor, which I personally think is a great value. 🍁 Linxia, known as the 'Little Mecca of China', is filled with mosques everywhere. The mosques here often use a perfect combination of ancient Chinese architecture and mosque design, which is unique and completely different from mosque architecture in other places. And the mosques in Linxia's Eight Blocks and Thirteen Alleys are the most concentrated!

Linxia

Although I didn't stay in Linxia for a long time during the summer vacation, and only made a brief stop at Ba Fang and Shi San Xiang, the journey along the way was really fascinating. Everyone must go and see this beautiful Gansu when you have the chance.

Nowadays, strolling in the eight squares of Bafang, one building after another, is like a picture that slowly unfolds, and you can enjoy it in a beautiful way. Some scenery, can not help but want to get close contact; some history, can not help but want to touch. The pace of life here is quiet and pleasant. Both men, women and children seem to have less stress in life, and the main task of their life seems to be to enjoy the good times of the moment. Linxia is called Hezhou, and the Hui people in Linxia City are also called Bafang People. Baifang and Hezhou have become another name for Linxia. The eight squares of Bafang are the national customs of Hezhou. Ancient street area. From the Yuan Dynasty to the present, eight churches and thirteen streets and lanes have been formed around eight mosques, so it is called "eight squares and thirteen lanes." Baifang 13th Lane combines Hui brick carving, Han wood carving, Tibetan painting, integrating national characteristics, leisure tourism, green ecology and humanities education. It is a business card of Hezhou national folk culture and also a national architectural art. Grand View Garden". Bafang Residences are characterized by small quadrangle courtyards surrounded by four sides and symmetrically enclosed. In general, the residents of the people live in small single-family homes. There are four-in-one, three-in-one, and two-in-one. Only a few wealthy people have built a courtyard, a car or a hospital.

A forest of stone

I drifted to sleep while the old boat was pushing lazily against the current; after more than an hour I was surrounded by a magical forest of stone, surreal spires piercing the clouds, as if trying to scratch the blue of the sky. Was this a dream? I got off the boat and started walking deeper into the canyon, huge yellow walls on both sides, and a drowning forest in the midst of the gorge. After a few hundred meters I saw him, a giant Buddha; it looked like it was tired and decided to sit, leaning against one of the walls of the canyons. He must have been very tired because he has been sitting like this for a few hundred years. Bingling Si is located where the silty waters of the Yellow River meet the clear mirror of the Lujiaxia reservoir. You can take a slow or a fast boat from the Lujiaxia dam to reach it. It’s an ancient place with numerous displays of Buddhist art, including a giant Buddha statue. #historicplaces

Two-Day Tour Around Lanzhou | Yongjing Liujiaxia Bingling Temple Grottoes

A severely underestimated small city on the Yellow River, recommended to everyone!!! Just a 1.5H drive from Lanzhou, there lies a small city with both beauty and brains—Gansu Yongjing. It boasts thousands of miles of lake scenery from the Yellow River and Liujiaxia Reservoir, as well as various cultural landscapes such as grottoes and ancient temples. Just one visit will leave you deeply shocked and regretting not coming sooner!!! Yongjing has a very comfortable climate, with temperatures only in the 20s during the early morning and late evening of the hot summer, and a cool breeze even in the shade during the day. 🗺Transportation ✈Plane: Fly to Lanzhou then take a bus or rent a car to Yongjing 🚗Self-driving: 1.5H from Lanzhou, all asphalt road surface🛣 🈶Tour Route 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝟏: Lanzhou➠Dinosaur National Geopark➠Liujiaxia Dam➠Liujiaxia Bridge➠Benzigou Viewing Platform➠Yellow River Flower Embankment (Tulip Park)➠Stay in Yongjing County 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝟐: Yongjing➠Qinghuang Confluence Viewing Platform (Jingwei Distinct Viewing Point)➠Bingling Temple Grottoes➠Luojia Cave Temple➠Return trip ✅✅✅✅Must-visit Checkpoints 1⃣ Bingling Temple Grottoes World Cultural Heritage, one of China's five major grottoes. The cliffs retain stone carvings and murals from the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, majestic and spectacular. The most shocking are the Maitreya Buddha statues over 20 meters high and the mysterious special caves, especially recommended are caves No. 169 and No. 172, which are grand in scale and rich in content, with a large number of exquisitely unique statues and murals, and are also the earliest dated grottoes in China (⚠No photography allowed in special caves‼) General ticket: 50 yuan (⚠Special cave prices vary) 2⃣ Liujiaxia Reservoir The Yellow River is cut off by a dam as tall as a 50-story building, forming a spectacular high gorge and flat lake. The lake water is blue and clear, calm and waveless, and can be called Gansu's Erhai Lake. You can take a boat to tour the beautiful scenery. Ticket: Free 3⃣ Dinosaur National Geopark A museum mainly featuring dinosaur elements, displaying many dinosaur skeletons and footprints. Ticket: Free 4⃣ Yellow River Demarcation Line The muddy grey-yellow Tao River and the clear blue Yellow River meet at the edge of Yongjing city, forming a clear and distinct Jingwei spectacle. The Yellow River also becomes the true "Yellow" River here!! 5⃣ Yellow River Flower Embankment Located in the county's sea of flowers park, in July/August, the verbena blooms, turning the sea of flowers into a summer 💐, just like the lavender fields of Provence. Super photogenic!! Ticket: Free 6⃣ Luojia Cave Temple An ancient Ming dynasty temple built on a cliff, with halls hanging in the air and beautifully carved beams and painted rafters, and many exquisite Buddha statues and murals inside the cave. Ticket: Free 7⃣ Yellow River Gorges The rushing Yellow River is flanked by the uniquely shaped loess stone forest peaks on both sides, like a spectacular scroll! 🏠Accommodation | Yongjing Yellow River Pearl Hotel ✔Business hotel prices, five-star hotel experience ✔Convenient parking 🍛【Food Recommendations】 🎈Halal Wen Sheng Hand-Grabbed King: A local restaurant often frequented by locals, with good hand-grabbed lamb and braised loofah!! 🎈Zuhaier Copper Pot Shabu: The lamb rolls and highland barley cakes are delicious.

Bingling Stone Forest, a Danxia landscape on the Yellow River

❤Recommended reason: The landscape of Bingling Danxia Stone Forest in Linxia Geological Park is unique. As early as the Tang Dynasty, it was praised by the famous general Li Jing as 'the first wonder of the world'.

Winter tour in Gansu: Bingling Temple Grottoes, Huangtao Confluence, Luojia Cave Temple

Winter tour in Gansu: Bingling Temple Grottoes, Huangtao Confluence, Luojia Cave Temple The destination planted by watching 'Clang Clang World', located in Yongjing County, Linxia Autonomous Prefecture, is not very convenient for transportation. I joined a small group of 5 people, a seven-seater Buick business, providing door-to-door pick-up service. The driver gave each person a Chinese knot auspicious gourd, an outdoor headscarf, a rock sugar heart apple, a persimmon, the fruit in Gansu is really delicious. On the way, I saw the sea of clouds and snow-capped mountains and took pictures. The first stop is the Tibetan temple Luojia Cave Temple. The temple is not big. What's special is that there is a Danxia landform behind the temple. There is a super big jujube tree nearby. The driver climbed the jujube tree skillfully, shook the jujube tree, and the jujube tree fell to the ground with a crackle, and the jujube was super sweet. The second stop is Bingling Temple Grottoes. Five people lined up for ticket inspection. The driver invited a general cave guide who explained very well. Listen to the explanation and visit at the same time, full of gains. The end is to eat a self-funded lunch at Liujiagou, the local specialty Hezhou old stir-fry, super delicious, and the jujube tea is also very good. The third stop is Huangtao Confluence, where the Yellow River and Tao River meet. End, return to Lanzhou, the driver sends us back to the hotel in order. There are a lot of food downstairs in the hotel, tried the Lanzhou local people's night snack: sheep's head, spicy sheep's hoof, lamb miscellaneous bread, sweet embryo milk tea, Gansu trip is destined to be fat. If you drive by yourself, you can also go to the Eight Squares and Thirteen Lanes in Linxia on the way

Yongjing in Gansu boasts the most beautiful riverbank of the Yellow River—The Three Bends of the Yellow River

When you think of the Northwest, do images of vast Gobi deserts and swirling sandstorms come to mind? Or perhaps the solitary smoke rising from the desert, accompanied by the sound of camel bells? How many people know that in Yongjing, a remote small town in the Northwest, there is an artificial lake covering an area of 130 square kilometers, which possesses the most beautiful riverbank in the Northwest, resembling a fairy-tale paradise. The Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, flows through Yongjing for 107 kilometers. In the 1960s, the state built three hydropower stations here: Liujiaxia, Yanguoxia, and Bapanxia, resulting in the formation of three high gorges and flat lakes. The Three Bends of the Yellow River are located on the shore of Bingling Lake among them. The ebb and flow of the tide have created the long and winding riverbank of the Three Bends of the Yellow River, and the changing sunlight adds infinite colors to it. Some may feel that missing the summer sun and breeze means settling for a lesser view of the Three Bends of the Yellow River in other seasons. In fact, the Three Bends of the Yellow River have their unique beauty throughout the four seasons! Even in the cold winter, nature still endows it with enchanting colors, and the tranquil riverside, together with the homely atmosphere of the riverside homes, forms a beautiful picture. In the evening, wisps of cooking smoke rise from the riverside villages, and the villages built along the river against the mountains light up with twinkling lights. The mist, cooking smoke, lights, and the distant sounds of cattle and sheep singing, children playing, make one feel as if they have traveled through time and returned to the hometown of their childhood. Here, far from the poetic seclusion of the city, here, the simple and warm everyday life, allows your soul to find its way home. Please remember her, the Three Bends of the Yellow River, the most beautiful riverbank in the Northwest.

Gansu Liujiakou Dam

Liujiakou Reservoir is located in Yongjing County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China, and is a famous tourist attraction. 🚗Transportation: Departing from Lanzhou City, you can take a bus or charter a car to Liujiakou Town. The bus fare is about 23 yuan/person, but you need to transfer, which takes some time and energy. Chartering a car can directly reach Liujiakou Town, but the cost will be relatively high. Attractions: The main attractions of Liujiakou Reservoir include Liujiakou Bridge, Xiangyang Wharf, Ten Mile Willow Forest, and Plateau Pearl. Among them, Liujiakou Bridge is a popular bridge that overlooks the entire reservoir. Xiangyang Wharf and Ten Mile Willow Forest are good places to enjoy the reservoir scenery. Play method: When visiting Liujiakou Reservoir, you can choose to take a yacht or speedboat to tour the reservoir, or you can walk or watch the scenery on the shore. The fare for yachts and speedboats is generally around 100 yuan/person, but you need to queue up and wait. 🍜Dining: In the restaurants near Liujiakou Reservoir, you can taste local specialties, such as hand-grabbed mutton and Yellow River big carp. The prices of these foods are quite affordable, and the taste is also very good. The best date to visit is during the summer vacation, when the trees are greener and lush. And it's cool to go in the summer, the dam wind is very strong, and it's also a cool place to go in the summer. In winter, it gets dark earlier, so it is recommended to go at noon or in the afternoon.

Liujiaxia Hydropower Station, China's first million kilowatt-class hydropower station. The main stream of the Yellow River is located in Yongjing County, Gansu Province. It was started in September 1958, stopped in 1961, resumed work in 1964, February 4, 1975, between the mountains and mountains of the northwestern plateau, the ancient city of Lanzhou, above the Yellow River, a dam rises from the ground. It is China's current large hydropower station - Liujiaxia Hydropower Station. It is designed and constructed by China. The Liujiaxia Hydropower Station can store 5.7 billion cubic meters of water, with an annual generating capacity of 5.7 billion kilowatts, more than the annual power generation in the early years of liberation. At the same time, it is also a large-scale water conservancy hub hydropower station with comprehensive utilization value of flood control, irrigation, anti-flooding and aquaculture. There are five large-scale domestic hydro-generator units arranged in the center, which are responsible for the supply to Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai. Electric task. The power plant is about 25 meters wide and 180 meters long and has a height of 20 stories. The dam type is a gravity dam with a maximum dam height of 147 meters and a total storage capacity of 5.7 billion cubic meters. Install 5 units with a total capacity of 1.225 million kilowatts and an annual power generation of 5.58 billion kilowatt hours. The first unit of 225,000 kilowatts was put into operation in March 1969. In November 2018, selected for the second batch of national industrial heritage list

Pine ridge hiking

The temples stood perched on the cliff face like eagle nests; the endless steps took me higher and higher, as I felt like I was climbing the back of sleeping giant. As I finally reached the top of the mountain I walked through a forest of ancient pine trees. Long after the emperors who built the temples have turned to dust and taken their place in history books, these trees, these silent witnesses are still standing tall and proud, braving the storms. There was an explosion of crude green so I decided to mute it with black and white photos, and keep the green forever in my heart and memories. Located in the Taizi Shan mountain range, a short distance from the town of Hezheng, Songmingyan National forest park is a great place to visit in every season. Go in the summer for endless hiking possibilities; take a trip there in the winter if you want to ski; autumn is the season of a thousand hues of rusty leaves; while spring will delight you with the smell of flowers. #mountainview #hiking #forest

Songmingyan, located at the steep stone gate at the southern end of Hezheng County, is 2,730 meters above sea level and was built during the Ming Chenghua period. Whenever the wind rises, the pine trees here are like waves, and the neat rhythm moves, and its voice is like a drumstick and a horse, so it is named "Songmingyan". There are temples built on the rock wall. There are the Heavenly King Hall, the Bodhisattva Hall, the Jade Emperor Pavilion and the Palace of the Queen Mother, so this is a holy place where Buddhist Taoism coexists. The abbots on the mountain stayed here for 40 years. The time was gone, although the hands had been immersed in black by the ash, but the old abbot still maintained a sincere and pure heart. Every time a visitor visits him, he will be enthusiastic. Sing a local folk song for them. On the way to climbing the mountain, we often see small wooden sticks in the seams of the mountains. There are many sayings from the folks. Some say that they are looking for the mountain god to support themselves, and they have to live straight outside, some say It is to detect whether the stone is moving. If the stone is moving slowly, the tree branch will be pushed down or even broken. The inspector can know it in time, so as to make corresponding judgment and prevention. Early warning system. Next to is the Songmingyan Ski Resort, which is a good place for winter travel.

Songmingyan National Forest Park is located in the Taizishan Forest Area, 25 kilometers south of Hezheng County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province. The total area of the park is 2,666 hectares, which consists of Songmingyan Scenic and Historic District, Yaoshuixia Water Recreation Area, Badugou Alpine Botanical Garden, Lushanziliang Forest Scenic Area and Xiaoxia Leisure Resort. The park is located in the forest area of Taizi Mountain. It has a relatively high height difference, and there are many kinds of animals and plants, and there are more than 130 kinds of shrubs and shrubs. Every year from April 26th to April 28th, thousands of good men and women and tourists come from all directions, Linxia, Hezheng, Guanghe, Kangle, Zhuoni, Xiahe, Linyi and other places. The folk singers such as Han, Hui, Dongxiang, and Baoan are gathered here to set up tents and stay up all night. On the slopes of Songmingyan, under the shade of trees, by the creeks, between the jungles, the songs are sung and commemorated to be beautiful. The fairy of singing. Visit the mountains to sing flowers or pray for disasters, ask God for a wish, and hold a Buddhist Longhua event. April 28 is the climax of the Flower Club, so Songming Rock is commonly known as "April 8". "The old bathing new Buddha, the eight thousand girls singing peony" is a true portrayal of the Songmingyan Flower Club.

Enjoy nature at Gansu's Lianhuashan mountain

In the south of Ganus province you can find a whole mountain range stretching from neighboring Shanxi to Sichuan. One of these mountains is called Lianhuashan, or Lotus Mountain. You can access the mountain from the nearby town of Yeliguan which you can easily get to by bus from Lanzhou. From Yeliguan you can hire a taxi that will take you there in about an hour. It's not far, but the road up is winding. It will set you back about 200 rmb return. After you have paid the entrance fee you can start your ascent climbing the stairs. Along the way to the top you'll come across dozens of little shrines and temples. When you're almost at the top you'll have to do a little bit of work, climbing on rocks holding on to the chains embedded in the rocks, so wear good shoes and be careful. Lianhuashan is fairly peaceful and quiet compared to some other mountains in China as it is not as heavily touristed. There are beautiful views everywhere as well as lots of green and wildlife. Everywhere you look you can see trees, flowers, birds and other animals. #mountainview

I have traveled a lot of places on the road. I have seen a lot of scenery this year. I always feel that I have missed this autumn. I never wanted to meet the deep autumn in Lianhua Mountain. It is really amazing, time rendering. The red leaves retain a short period of time. Lianhua Mountain is a holy place in the border areas of Linxia and Gannan in Gansu Province. His beauty is unexpected and people are nostalgic. The colors of the mountains and plains make people feel intoxicated during the indulging period. The mood is exhilarating, and the unexpected beauty can be found in the corner.

The grandeur of autumn, the mountains are smeared with radiance; the poetry of autumn is very strong, walk into nature, embrace the golden autumn... Take a breath of the mountain air, it is fragrant, a moist and fresh heart, let people forget the red dust Into the colorful maple forest, see the layer of forest to dye, listen to the singing of a hundred birds, listen to the low-pitched quinces of the five-pointed maple... a rhyme of autumn, affectionate, into the lotus hill, such as into the fairyland, the paradise is just like this. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu wrote such a verse: "Parking and sitting in love with Fenglin, frosty leaves are red in February." The red leaves are better than "February flowers". Although the safflower is colorful, it is still not as deep and deep as the autumn red, and there is a kind of elegant beauty! Walking through the valley and seeing the entire hillside covered with red leaves, this pure flaming stunned my eyes. Gansu Lianhua Mountain is located in the border area of several counties in the southeast of Gansu Province. The Tibetans are called Bai Ma Shan and Gongde Mountain and are respected as Holy Lands by Tibetans. The mountain shape is strange, and the cliffs are surrounded by thousands of cliffs. On the cliffs, there are countless pines and cypresses and vines. Every fall, the red image that comes out is a burning flame. Lantau Mountain is another religious attraction. In the history of the test, there are five ancient urns, and the lotus mountain is called the "Xi ". Lianhuashan Temple is full of people, and it is spread to the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has become the religious and cultural center of the people of all ethnic groups in Zhangzhou. In addition, the nearby Tibetan people call this mountain Baima Mountain, and every grand festival celebrates this mountain. Such as "Flower Club"