Must-see attractions in Gansu

  • Mogao Grottoes

    Dunhuang

    The Mogao Grottoes are considered one of the most important collections of Buddhist art in the world. At its peak during the Tang dynasty (618–907), the…

  • Labrang Lamasery, Gansu, China

    Labrang Monastery

    Gansu

    With its succession of squeaking prayer wheels (3km in total), hawks circling overhead and the throb of Tibetan longhorns resonating from the surrounding…

  • Maijishan Grottoes

    Gansu

    Set among wild, green mountains southeast of Tianshui, the grottoes of Maijishan hold some of the most famous Buddhist rock carvings along the Silk Road…

  • China, Gansu Province, Zhangye, 35m sleeping buddha in the Great Buddha temple, (1098) western Xia dynasty

    Big Buddha Temple

    Gansu

    Originally dating to 1098 (Western Xia dynasty), this stunning temple contains an astonishing 35m-long sleeping Buddha – China’s largest of this variety…

  • Jiayuguan Fortress on the West end of the Great Wall at Jia Yu Guan Pass

    Jiayuguan Fort

    Gansu

    One of the classic images of western China, this huge fort once guarded the narrow pass between the snowcapped Qilian Shan peaks and the Hei Shan (Black…

  • Snowland Art

    Gansu

    Tucked away down the backstreets of Xiahe not far from Labrang Monastery, Snowland Art is a family-style fine art and handicrafts training school set up…

  • Chinese Dunhuang Crescent Lake

    Singing Sands Dune

    Dunhuang

    Six kilometres south of Dunhuang at Singing Sands Dune, the desert meets the oasis in most spectacular fashion. From the sheer scale of the dunes, it’s…

  • Milarepa Palace Buddhist Temple

    Gansu

    A towering nine-storey layer cake of a temple, the Milarepa Palace is both deeply steeped in mystery and unusual in the Tibetan world as different…

  • Dunhuang Museum

    Dunhuang

    On the road to Singing Sands Dune is this sparkling museum that takes you on an artefact-rich journey through the Dunhuang area (from prehistoric to Qing…

  • Bǐnglíng Sì

    Gansu

    With its relative inaccessibility, Bǐnglíng Sì is one of the few Buddhist grottoes in China to have survived the tumultuous 20th century unscathed. Which…

  • Tiantishan Grottoes

    Gansu

    By the Huangyanghe Reservoir (黄羊河水库, Huángyánghé Shuǐkù), it's hard to appreciate how massive the 15m-high Shakyamuni Buddha statue at Tiantishan Grottoes…

  • Yadan National Park

    Dunhuang

    The weird, eroded desert landscape of Yadan National Park is 180km northwest of Dunhuang, in the middle of the Gobi Desert’s awesome nothingness. A former…

  • Looking along battlements of reconstructed Great Wall of China at Shiguan Gorge, near Jiayuguan.

    Overhanging Great Wall

    Gansu

    Running north from Jiayuguan Fort, this section of the Great Wall is believed to have been first constructed in 1539, though it was reconstructed in 1987…

  • Mǎtí Sì

    Gansu

    Mǎtí Sì translates as 'Horse Hoof Monastery', a reference to when a heavenly horse left a hoof imprint in a grotto. Between the 5th and 14th centuries a…

  • Kongtong Shan

    Gansu

    Kongtong Shan, 11km west of Pingliang, is one of the 12 principal peaks in the Taoist universe. It was first mentioned by the philosopher Zhuangzi (399…

  • Jade Gate Pass

    Dunhuang

    The Jade Gate Pass, 78km west of Dunhuang, was originally a military station. Together with Sun Pass, it formed part of the Han dynasty series of beacon…

  • Sun Pass

    Dunhuang

    This Han dynasty military post was one of the two most important gates marking the end of the Chinese empire along the ancient Silk Road. Today, a dusty…

  • Changchengxiang Great Wall

    Gansu

    Running between fields near the village of Changchengxiang (itself named after the Great Wall), this section of Great Wall makes for an interesting…

  • Fuxi Temple

    Gansu

    This hoary Ming dynasty temple was founded in 1483 in honour of Fuxi, the father and emperor of all Chinese people. A statue of Fuxi is in the main hall,…

  • Yulin Grottoes

    Dunhuang

    About 180km south of Dunhuang, the 40-plus caves of the Yulin Grottoes face each other across a narrow canyon. The interior art spans a 1500-year period,…

  • Kerti Gompa

    Gansu

    Rising up on the Sichuan side of White Dragon River is this monastery – otherwise dubbed the Sichuan Monastery – built in 1413, home to around 700 monks…

  • Gongtang Pagoda

    Gansu

    With an interior splashed with murals and illuminated by a combination of yak-butter candles and electric lamps, the golden 31m-tall Gongtang Pagoda is a…

  • Confucian Temple

    Gansu

    The lovely Confucian Temple is testament to the grandeur of old Qinzhou. Today the temple is open to all, a gorgeous haven of peace and tranquillity,…

  • Jiayuguan Museum of the Great Wall

    Gansu

    Located inside Jiayuguan Fort, this excellent and highly informative museum contains photos, artefacts, maps, Silk Road exhibits and models to show just…

  • The Danxia Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye, China.

    Zhangye Danxia National Geopark

    Gansu

    The swirling orange, yellow, white and brown lunar landscape of this national park is the result of sandstone and mineral deposits that have eroded into…

  • Ganjia Grasslands

    Gansu

    The Ganjia Grasslands, 34km from Xiahe, aren’t as pretty as those at nearby Sangke, but there is more to explore. From Xiahe a bumpy road crosses the…

  • First Beacon Platform of the Great Wall

    Gansu

    Atop a 56m-high cliff overlooking the Taolai River south of Jiayuguan, a large, crumbling and wind-eroded chunk of packed earth is all that remains of…

  • Haizang Temple

    Gansu

    A fascinating active monastery with a minute pavilion to the right of the entrance containing a well whose ‘magic waters’ (神水, shénshuǐ) are said to…

  • Sangke Grasslands

    Gansu

    Expanses of open grassland dotted with Tibetans and their grazing yak herds highlight a trip to the village of Sangke, 14km from Xiahe. Development has…

  • Weijin Tombs

    Gansu

    These tombs date from approximately AD 220–420 (the Wei and Western Jin periods) and contain extraordinarily fresh brick-wall paintings (some sadly…

  • Wuwei Confucius Temple

    Gansu

    This large Ming-era temple complex divides into two sections: the Confucian Temple and the Wenchang Hall, both fine examples of traditional architecture…

  • Xilai Wooden Pagoda

    Gansu

    Zhangye's main square is dominated by this good-looking and elegant nine-tiered brick and wooden pagoda. Though first built during the Northern Zhou…

  • Kumarajiva Pagoda

    Gansu

    This elegant 12-storey brick pagoda dates from AD 488 and is surrounded by a tranquil complex of both unpainted and colourful wooden temple halls with old…

  • Xixia Museum

    Gansu

    This museum facing the Confucian Temple is dedicated to the Xixia (Western Xia; 1038–1277), the kingdom established by the Tangut people in a region…

  • Western Thousand Buddha Caves

    Dunhuang

    Located 35km west of Dunhuang, there are 16 caves hidden in the cliff face of the Dang River (Dǎng Hé, 党河) gorge, ranging from the Northern Wei to the…

  • Barkhang

    Gansu

    The three-storey Barkhang serves as the monastery’s traditional printing temple. With rows upon rows of more than 20,000 wood blocks for printing, it’s…

  • Hall of Hayagriva

    Gansu

    A repository of vivid and bright murals, the hall encapsulates a startlingly fierce 12m-high effigy of Hayagriva – a wrathful manifestation of the usually…

  • Hermitage Ruins

    Gansu

    What remains of this hermitage are earthen walls overgrown with nettles, making the real attraction here the view of the town nestled into the mountains…

  • Serti Gompa

    Gansu

    This small monastery (simply referred to as the Gansu Monastery) with golden- and silver-roofed halls dates from 1748 and stands on the Gansu side of…

  • Tseway Gompa

    Gansu

    The renovated Tseway Gompa is one of the few Bön monasteries in Gansu. Unlike most Buddhist temples, you should circumnavigate this holy site…

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