Gansu (甘肃; Gānsù) is a province in the North West region of China. Historically, it is the combination of the two regions, gan (甘) and su (肃). On the Silk Road Gansu marked the end or beginning of China proper depending upon if you were traveling east towards Xi'an or west towards Central Asia and Europe. Gansu's western frontier thus juts right into the borders of the vast steppes of Mongolia, the unforgiving deserts of Xinjiang and the high mountain wastelands of the Tibetan Plateau.

Regions

Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

Cities

• 1 Lanzhou - 2,000 years of history, the capital of Gansu Province
• 2 Dunhuang - Buddhist grottoes, colossal treasure trove
• 3 Guazhou - more Buddhist grottoes plus some ruined cities
• 4 Jiayuguan - Fort at the western end of the Great Wall, nicknamed "Last Fort Under Heaven"
• 5 Jiuquan
• 6 Linxia - colorful Islamic market town known for its mosques and madrasahs
• 7 Longnan
• 8 Minle -
• 9 Pingliang
• 10 Tianshui - more Buddhist grottoes, 194 cave shrines, nicknamed "Gallery of Oriental Sculpture"
• 11 Xiahe (Sangqu) - a little piece of Tibet for those who don't get to Tibet
• 12 Wuwei - former garrison town on the Great Wall of China
• 13 Zhangye - near beautiful mountain landforms, and a former garrison headquarters on the Great Wall of China
• 14 Qingyang
• 15 Subei Mongol Autonomous County

Other destinations

• 1 Kongtongshan National Park - important site in the Taoist religion
• 2 Maijishan National Park - Buddhist statues, botanical gardens
• Mingshashan—Yueyaquan National Park - Singing sand amid oases

Understand

Gansu spans the Qinghai-Tibet, Inner Mongolia and loess plateaus in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The topography is complex and the climate unpredictable. The river valleys in the south belong to a subtropical zone while the north is an arid temperate zone. The province was a centre for East-West cultural exchanges as early as the Han and Tang dynasties. Many people go to Gansu to seek out the roots of world civilization. The Silk Road of the Han and Tang dynasties brings visitors to such places as the grottoes at Dunhuang (a world-class treasure house of art), the Jiayu Pass on the Great Wall of China, Majiishan Grottoes of Tianshui, the Labrang Temple of Xiahe, the Great Buddha Temple at Zhangeye and the bronze sculpture of galloping horse in Wuwei.

Gansu contains some of the largest and most important Tibetan monasteries outside of Tibet. Travel by local bus across high, frigid plateaus to reach them. Ride horses across the plateaus past yurts. Share lunch with Tibetan monks. Share yak butter tea with monks. This part of China bears almost no resemblance to Eastern, Han China. Empty, wild, culturally and ethnically distinct, it offers some of the most exhilarating travel in the world.

Imagine seven hours of travel across a high plateau in a rickety bus dating from 1970. Every few hours, one of your neighbours, swathed in yak wool, stops the bus, dismounts and starts walking to the horizon. You can see for 30 km in all directions, with no towns in sight. It is an empty and riveting land.

Beware of the time of year you travel there. It is cold even in May. In rural areas, which are the most interesting areas are rural, very few housing options are available. Probably, there will be no heat so bring layers or buy a yak wool coat.

Talk

There is a Tibetan region in Southwest Gansu bordering Qinghai province, where both Chinese and Amdo Tibetan are spoken. Local dialects are used across the province, but in general most people can talk standard Chinese.

Get in

The main airport of Gansu is Lanzhou (LHW ^IATA). Others include Dunhuang Airport (DNH ^IATA), Zhangye Ganzhou Airport (YZY ^IATA) and Jiayaguan Airport (JGN ^IATA).

Get around

Some train access, but to get to the interesting sites local buses are a necessity. Best to consider it as an adventure, and get ready to use non-verbal communication.

Foreign tourists are supposed to get insurance for bus trips and are normally charged twice the regular fare paid by locals. This occurs in the main parts of Gansu with many tourists, but less so in the outlying areas. CITS sells a policy as well as the Peoples Insurance Company of China.

See

Badain Jaran Desert landscape

• Water Curtain Thousand Buddha Caves - located at Luomen, temple built in a cave and a 30 m high Sakyamuni Buddha carved into the cliffside.

• 1 Badain Jaran Desert. China's third largest desert, mainly in Western Inner Mongolia but also stretching into eastern Gansu and western Ningxia is a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site. (updated Jul 2024)

Do

• South Ride horses for days on a trek; hike through the hills; hang out in monasteries. If you don't like the outdoors, this is not the place for you.
• North Camels are an option for short trips in tourist locations.

Eat

Southern Gansu: Yak meat, butter, yogurt. In places catering to foreigners they often have scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Beware of local rice whisky.

The most famous food not just in Gansu, but all around China is 兰州拉面 (Lánzhōu lāmiàn), noodles: available everywhere in Gansu from ¥2.

Another choice is lamb (羊肉; yángròu).

Drink

Yak milk. Zhangye local spirits.