2-Day Lanzhou: the Yellow River, the Zhongshan Bridge & the Bingling Temple Grottoes

Lanzhou is the only provincial capital in China that the Yellow River runs through, and this two-day private tour takes it as the subject rather than a stopover. The first day is the city waterfront - the Zhongshan Bridge of 1909, the river mother sculpture, the waterwheel park and the provincial museum with its flying horse - and White Pagoda Mountain above the river. The second day goes out to the Liujiaxia reservoir and crosses it by boat to the Bingling Temple, a grotto site begun in the fourth century whose earliest dated inscription is from 420 AD, and which was inscribed with the Silk Roads World Heritage listing in 2014.

• The Zhongshan Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Yellow River at Lanzhou
• The Yellow River Mother sculpture and the Ming-dynasty waterwheel park
• The Gansu Provincial Museum, home of the Bronze Flying Horse of Wuwei
• White Pagoda Mountain, looking down on the river and the city
• A boat across the Liujiaxia reservoir to the Bingling Temple grottoes
• The 169th cave, with China's earliest dated inscription, from 420 AD

• Accommodation for 1 night at a 4-star or equivalent hotel, twin share, with daily breakfast
• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (breakfasts and lunches as shown)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone
• Entry to the Bingling Temple grottoes and the boat across the Liujiaxia reservoir are payable locally and are not included in the price shown
• A ride on a Yellow River sheepskin raft, which is offered at the waterfront, is payable locally if you choose to take one

Please read the notes below before you book. The Bingling Temple day depends on the boat across the Liujiaxia reservoir, and the crossing is subject to water levels and weather - in the rare season it does not run, we say so in advance and rebuild the day rather than pretend. The city day is all on foot along the riverbank. May to October is the comfortable window; the river light is best in the morning.

Why is Lanzhou the right place for a Yellow River day?

Because it is the only provincial capital in China that the Yellow River actually runs through. The city lives on the water: bridges, waterwheels, a waterfront promenade and a museum holding the river's most famous bronze. This tour takes the river as the subject instead of using Lanzhou as a stopover.

What is the Zhongshan Bridge?

The first permanent bridge across the Yellow River at Lanzhou, opened in 1909. It was built with German engineering and American steel at the end of the Qing, and it is still closed to traffic and open to walkers. From its deck you read the whole city day - the rafts are gone, but the light has not changed.

How do we reach the Bingling Temple grottoes?

By boat across the Liujiaxia reservoir, then a short walk to the cliff. The temple was begun in the fourth century, cut into a gorge wall that no road reaches comfortably, and the crossing - an hour of green water between hills - is half the reason to go. Boats run on a timetable and depend on water levels.

What is the Bronze Flying Horse?

The Eastern Han bronze unearthed at Wuwei in 1969, and the emblem of Chinese tourism. It stands in the Gansu Provincial Museum, one horse balanced on one flying swallow, and it is the single most famous object in the province. The museum is the first stop of the city day.

Is two days enough for Lanzhou, or is it just a stopover?

Two days is what the city actually deserves, and most schedules give it none. Day one is the waterfront and the museum; day two is the boat to Bingling. Used this way, Lanzhou stops being the corridor's transit point and becomes one of its proper stops.

What is there to see besides the river in the city?

White Pagoda Mountain above the bridge, the Ming-era waterwheel park, and the River Mother sculpture on the bank. None of them takes long, and together they make a walk that holds a day. The mountain gives the view that explains the city's shape.