Lanzhou between the Yellow River and culture

The Yellow River crosses Lanzhou from west to east: it divides the city into two areas while also connecting them. The river landscape, museums, history of the bridges and regional cuisine give a trip here a range of possible focuses. If you are looking for a holiday rental in Lanzhou, you can base your choice on which of these aspects interests you most—for example, the culture of the river, the city's history or its local traditions.

Along the Yellow River: landscape and waterwheel culture

The Yellow River Scenic Line runs along the river and is Lanzhou's ecological landscape corridor and urban viewpoint route. The riverside park on Binhe Road offers space for walks, relaxation and experiencing nature. The Lanzhou Waterwheel Park offers another way to explore river culture: the theme park includes the Waterwheel Garden, Waterwheel Square and Culture Square. Twelve Yellow River waterwheels stand right beside the river in the Waterwheel Garden; each has a diameter of 16 metres.

The history of the bridges can also be a focus in its own right. Zhongshan Bridge is a hundred-year-old iron bridge and a surviving testament to the Self-Strengthening Movement. The Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge Museum presents the development of bridges across the Yellow River through miniature models, reconstructed historical scenes and audiovisual materials. The two attractions offer different perspectives: one is a specific historic iron bridge, while the other explores the development of river bridges in an exhibition.

Museums and local history

The Gansu Jiandu Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, restoration, study and interpretation of cultural artefacts. It was established on 12 December 2012 as a state-run specialised public welfare museum. Its new building is on Matan Cultural Island in Qilihe District, east of Lanzhou Old Street. The building covers 37,987.75 square metres, with exhibition areas totalling almost 10,000 square metres. The collection comprises 50,129 cultural artefacts or collection groups, including 31,943 particularly valuable cultural artefacts classified as Grade III or higher.

Four permanent exhibitions explore different themes: “The Era of Jiandu”, “The Silk Road in Brief”, “Frontier Families” and “Written on Bamboo and Silk”. The special exhibition “The Four Great Discoveries of Ancient Chinese Documents at the Beginning of the 20th Century” was also on display there from 7 September to 29 October 2023.

Lanzhou Museum was built on the site of Baiyi Temple, which dates to the Ming dynasty, and is itself a heritage site with an exhibition function. Its notable collections include painted ceramics, especially from the Majiayao culture; paintings and calligraphy by local figures from the Ming and Qing dynasties; and cultural artefacts kept in the Baiyi Temple Tower. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall in Jinchengguan Cultural Park presents local traditions through miniature landscapes and original objects. These include the Lanzhou Taiping Drum tradition, Yellow River waterwheels, Lanzhou Guzi and Yongdeng Gaoqiao.

Traditions, cuisine and experiences

Lanzhou beef noodles are considered a signature local speciality, shaped by the city's culture and region. Alongside the museums and river traditions, they offer another way to experience everyday life in the area. The Bronze Galloping Horse, in turn, is considered a symbol of cultural exchange between East and West and a symbol of Chinese tourism. On the riverbank, the Yellow River Mother sculpture commemorates the river's nurturing and protective role for Lanzhou and the city's bond with its Mother River.

A sheepskin raft trip on the Yellow River below Zhongshan Bridge is a tourist experience connected with the intangible cultural heritage of the upper Yellow River. The tradition was included in Gansu Province's first list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006. The Lanzhou night cruise project offers another way to experience the river: three themed routes and a waterbus loop connect the Yellow River Mother sculpture, Zhongshan Bridge and Baita Mountain. Camping and lawn weddings are also offered at the piers.

Craft culture is also part of the visitor experience: the Heartlight Handicraft Shop at Zhongshan Bridge combines presentations of intangible cultural heritage with hands-on activities and the sale of cultural products. The Culture Experience Hall displays more than 2,000 objects, documents and representative works of intangible cultural heritage across ten interactive exhibition areas. Visitors can experience local landscapes, cultural products and cultural activities first-hand.

Getting oriented and other destinations

The Yellow River Scenic Line has a volunteer guide team. It helps visitors find their way and manage visitor flows, and offers food recommendations, route explanations and information about ecotourism. Launched in 2025, the “Changyou Lanzhou” platform brings together tourist services for dining, accommodation, transport, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment. When planning your trip, you can use these resources alongside your decision about whether you want to discover Lanzhou primarily through its river landscape, city history, intangible cultural heritage or cuisine.

More destinations: Wuwei, Dingxi, Jiuquan, Jinchang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, Qingyang, Pingliang.

For the main travel overview: Gansu.