Gansu Tourist Attractions: 15 Top Places to Visit
Planning to visit Gansu? Check out our Gansu Travel Guide video and see top most Tourist Attractions in Gansu.
Top Places to visit in Gansu:
Zhangye Danxia Geopark, Mogao Caves, Labrang Monastery, Mingsha Shan, Maiji Shan Caves, Crescent Moon Pool, Gansu Provincial Museum, Yadan National Geological Park, Great Wall at Jiayuguan Pass, Iron Bridge of Yellow River, Dafo Temple of Zhangye, Bingling Temple Grottoes, Yumen Pass, Dunhuang Museum, Mati Temple Scenic Resort
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Bingling Temple Grottoes, Yongjing, China 4K
Bingling Temple Grottoes, Yongjing County - Bingling Thousand Buddha Caves - Bingling Temple, China 4K
Bingling Grottoes（炳灵寺）is hard to get to from Lanzhou, but it is one of China's big ancient Buddhist temple complexes with an array of statuary and frescoes dating from about AD 420 to the Ming Dynasty. The statues date from various dynastic eras and show the differing cultures, clothing and physical features of the worshipped gods. The earliest temples are at the highest elevation and have characteristic Indian-style features and artistic style.
Monks and Buddhists coming from Central Asia along the Silk Road probably stamped the idols with Central Asian and Indian Buddhist culture. So you can see typical Indian-style hand gestures and poses. The statues and art were carved in natural caves or hewn grottoes in a canyon along the Yellow River.
One of the highlights is a 27-meter-tall (88 feet) sitting Buddha that is about 1,200 years old. The difficult travel makes getting there something of an expedition, and there are several fees for private transportation and entry to the sites and you may have to do some negotiation. But if you are interested in Buddhism or ancient construction, then this is one of the best ancient sites in China.
History
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The history of the Bingling Grottoes is tied up with the history of the Silk Road. The Han Empire (206 BC – 220 AD) rulers ruled over China's first long-term empire. It was deeply Confucian, and three major religions were Taoism, worship of local gods and ancestors, and Confucianism. It is said that early Han Dynasty rulers wanted trade and allies and sent Zhang Qian as an emissary to western countries two times about the year 100 BC. The Han Empire succeeded in opening trade on the northern Silk Road routes that passed through the region of the Gansu Corridor.
It is said that a Han Emperor named Mingdi had a dream of a golden figure, and his advisers said that the figure was the Buddha who was the god of the West. In 68 AD, Mingdi sent Cai Yin to Central Asia to learn about this religion. The main religion of Central Asia was Buddhism. Cai Yin brought back Buddhist scriptures and two Buddhist monks. Buddhism became popular, and people built the big ancient Buddhist temple sites associated with the Silk Road at the Bingling Grottoes, Mogao Grottoes and the Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple during the next thousand years. The Western influence can be seen in the style of the ancient sites. The people near the Silk Road accepted Central Asian and Indian Buddhist teaching.
It is said that the earliest carvings at the Bingling Grottoes site were made about the year 420 AD in natural caves at the top of the site. They were made during the time of the Northern Wei Dynasty (368-534). The big Maitreya Buddha at the bottom of the site near the water level was made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when Buddhism and monasteries became very powerful in the Tang Empire. Near the end of the Tang Empire in 845, Tang Dynasty rulers turned against Buddhism and destroyed thousands of Buddhist temples and monasteries.
In the following dynastic eras, many more grottoes and Buddhist shrines were carved in this canyon of the Yellow River. The name Bingling is a transliteration of the Tibetan name for this complex. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) that was the Mongolian dynasty of China, Tibetan Buddhists carved many grottoes in the lower part of the site.
Touring Activities
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See the Buddhas and the Buddhist shrines.
See the scenery and learn about ancient history and art.
Travel Essentials
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Location: The Bingling Grottoes site begins at the edge of Liujiaxia Lake about 75 or 80 kilometers or 50 miles southwest of Lanzhou.
How to go there:
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Bus: First take a bus to Liujiaxia. The bus ride takes about two hours. It is best to leave as early as you can in the morning to maximize your stay at the site.
Boat: Then people have to hire a boat. The cost for private motorboats has to be bargained for. A group of eight may be able to hire a boat for 500 RMB or about 75 USD. The trip takes about an hour or more, depending on the boat. The boat drivers may not want to wait for tourists for more than an hour unless their waiting time is negotiated and paid for.
Walking: Once there, there are paths and stairs to walk around on and people might be able to hire a jeep to see the more distant parts of the site.
Open Hours: This seems to vary, but the site seems to close about 5 or 6 pm. It is open in the summer and in most of the fall, and maybe in the spring too.
Season: It may be only open between July and November. Conditions vary. In the hard winter of 2007-2008, the reservoir iced over.
Linxia travel, China 4K
Linxia City travel, China Tourism 4K, Linxia city China, The mosques and mausoleums of Linxia City
Colorful market town located in the mountains south of Lanzhou. Sometimes called the Mecca of China, many consider it a main center of Hui Muslim culture in China.
See in Linxia City, China
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Numerous mosques (qing zhen si) and Islamic mausoleums (gongbei). Start with Da gongbei (大拱北) of the Qadiriya Brotherhood near the Red Garden (红园), which displays mostly Sinified outlook, than proceed to Bijiachang Gongbei (毕家场拱北) and Huasi gongbei (华寺拱北) of Hufiya and Naqshbandiya Brotherhoods respectively -both are clearly more Arabicised.
Do in Linxia City, China
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Hike up the escarpment of the loess plateau north of town, to the pagoda of Wanshou Guan, a Taoist temple, for the great views of the Daxia River valley in which Linxia City is located.
Buy in Linxia City, China
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Bank of China branch exchanges currency.
Throughout town there are vendors that sell the skullcaps of the local Muslim Hui ethnic minority in a variety of styles.
Antique Market, (Along one of the main streets). Has real and fake antiques. The selection there includes locally made bronze teapots, Tibetan metal and leather products, and porcelains. One product that travelers should NOT BUY are the furs. The skins of spotted leopards, an endangered species, appear on open display in the market. Leopard skins and other fur products have been poached in China or in neighboring countries. Asia's wildlife is quickly disappearing as China's appetite for illegal animal products increases. Please do not contribute to this crisis.
Transport
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Linxia City is the main transportation center of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. It is the junction of the prefecture's two main roads. China National Highway 213 (G213) runs from the northeast to the southwest, from Lanzhou via Yongjing County and Dongxiang Autonomous County to Linxia City, and then continue via Linxia County to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Provincial route 309 (S309) comes from Lintao County in Dingxi City (to the east of Linxia Prefecture), and crosses Guanghe County and Hezheng County on its way to Linxia City; it then continues further west to Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County. Because it connects in Lintao County with a Lanzhou-bound expressway, it actually provides a faster way to travel from Linxia City to Lanzhou than G213 does.
Another important route, not yet designated as a national or state highway, allows for an alternative connection between Linxia City and Liujiaxia Town (the county seat of Yongjing County). It goes north from Linxia City, crosses a section of Linxia County and then, using ferry, the Liujiaxia Reservoir, and arrives to Liujiaxia Town from the west.
There are three bus stations in Linxia City.The South Bus Station, situated near the Daxia River bridge over which S309 enters the city from the southeast, is served by for frequent (hourly or half-hourly service) buses to Lanzhou, Xiahe, Hezuo, Kangle, Hezheng. The same South Bust Station and the West Bus Station (located on G213 in the northern part of the city) also have a number of departures every day to major cities throughout Gansu and to Xining in the neighboring Qinghai. The East Bus Station, located on G213 on the northeastern outskirts of the city, is primarily the hub for shuttle buses serving major towns in nearby counties.
There are no railways, airports, or navigable waterways near Linxia City, but the popular Lianhua Tai (莲花台) dock, also known as Lianhua Gudu (莲花古渡, Lianhua Old Ferry), at the Liujiaxia Reservoir in the neighboring Linxia County serves as Linxia City's marine gate of sorts.
The city is served by a local public bus system with 13 routes.
Gansu - Yellow river and the charming Yongjing county
Yongjing county is situated in western Gansu along the Yellow River, north of the popular Bingling Lake.
The most famous attraction is the Bingling Temple, located in the southern part of Yongjing County and approx. a 3-hour boat ride away (upstream) from Liujiaxia Dam.
Take a look at the beautiful and unique sights that Yongjing has to offer.
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