Jiayuguan (pop 250,000)
Gansu Province
China
September 16, 2016
How can I describe the Great Wall of China? Books have been written.
I recommend The Great Wall: The extraordinary history of China’s wonder of the world by John Man.
For basic information about the reality and the myths, please read the Introduction to the book here.
Rainbow Mountains
Zhangye
Gansu Province
China
September 14, 2016
The Rainbow Mountains is one of the most dramatic geologic formations in China.
For good reason, they are also known as the Painted Mountains.
If you travel to central or western China, be sure to visit this site.
It’s easy to reach here by bus or tour group from Zhangye City in Gansu Province.
Baoji
Prefecture Population 3,760,000
City Population 800,000
Shaanxi Province
Peoples Republic of China
August 31, 2016
With mountain ranges to the north and the south, Baoji lies in the strategic corridor and is the gateway to the eastern cities of Shanghai and Beijing and to the Far West of China.
Baoji traces its roots back to 2000 BCE.
The ancient, now modern city of Baoji is just a short 177 km (110 miles) from the ancient capital of Xi’an and, heading west, an appropriate first stop along the Ancient Silk Road.
Tianshui
Gansu Province
China
September 2, 2016
Ancient trade routes were much more than just a highway for the exchange of materials and goods from one distant place to another. Ideas and culture also traveled with ships and camels and horses. The Silk Road is certainly a prime example of the exchange and dissemination of culture.
Buddhism flowered in South Asia and eventually “traveled” to Central Asia and China. Here in Gansu Province, the Maijishan Grotto Complex is one of several grotto sites lying on the trade routes between northwest China and Central Asia.
Tianshui
(pop 3.5 million)
Gansu Province.
People’s Republic of China
The aroma of fresh baked bread draws my attention as I wander through the noisy food market here in Tianshui, the second largest city in Gansu Province. My eyes bulge as I encounter a pile of huge watermelons – the largest I think I have ever seen.
The bakers smile and also the lady who slices chunks of tofu and the man who sells noodles. An elderly lady ignores me as she makes her selection from a truckload of pears.
Labrang Monastery
Xiahe
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gansu Province
People’s Republic of China
September 4, 2016
Hello,
After I purchased a small Tibetan painting, I said to my guide, “You just saved me an expensive trip to Tibet.” He responded, “Jan, you are in Tibet.”
Tibet. It’s confusing.
