Discover Qingyang

During a trip to Qingyang, you’ll encounter a range of regional attractions: historic culture, traditional crafts, and landscaped bodies of water. The cultural sites are in Xifeng District, while Huaguoshan Reservoir and the ponds are in the wider surrounding area. The examples below are distinct both in their histories and in the landscapes they represent.

History and culture in Xifeng District

Beishi Grotto Temple (北石窟寺) is in Xifeng District, at the foot of Mount 覆钟山, west of the 董志塬 Plateau. The site was founded in 509 CE, in the second year of the Yongping era of the Northern Wei dynasty. Over the following centuries, it was expanded under the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. This means its precisely dated beginnings are followed by a long sequence of periods of expansion. If you’re exploring historical topics with children, you can use the founding and the later dynasties as a timeline, rather than focusing on a single year.

Qingyang Museum is another cultural point of interest. In December 2020, the Chinese Museums Association classified it as a national second-tier museum; its address is in Xifeng District. The museum and the grotto temple offer different perspectives: the museum’s classification is a specific point of reference, while the temple is notable for its founding and expansion across several dynasties. If you’re interested in history, you can keep these two perspectives in mind as you plan your trip.

Jinxiu Fang (锦绣坊), also in Xifeng District, offers a focus on traditional crafts. A route published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2023 features the site and its 140 shops. It lists sachet embroidery, paper cutting and shadow puppetry, clay sculpture, antiques, calligraphy and painting, arts and crafts, and community cultural activities. The range spans craft techniques, performing arts, art objects, and community events. This makes it distinct from the grotto temple’s dynastic history and the museum’s classification. If you’re planning to visit Jinxiu Fang, check current access options beforehand.

Water features in the wider surrounding area

Huaguoshan Reservoir is on the upper section of Nan Xiaohe Gou and covers an area of 140 mu. On the middle section, there are eleven ponds set up for fishing, with a combined area of 19 mu. The figures make for a direct comparison: the reservoir is larger than the ponds combined. The sites also differ in their locations on the upper and middle sections of the watercourse. A single reservoir and several ponds specifically set up for fishing thus represent different landscape scales. If a visit or fishing is important to your plans, check the current options beforehand.

Prioritizing culture and scenery when looking for a vacation rental

When choosing a vacation rental in Qingyang, it helps to first consider your travel group’s interests: do you want to focus your plans on historic sites and cultural activities, or would you also like to include the water features? Decide which places you’d like to visit, then compare the location of a specific accommodation with your own itinerary. That way, you can shape your search around what matters to you, rather than assuming there is only one kind of trip that suits everyone.

Discover more destinations: Tianshui, Gannan, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, Longnan, Wuwei, Jiuquan, Baiyin

For the broader travel overview: Gansu.