Travel Destinations: Eastern Gansu Province, China

Gansu is the highlight of any trip to North West China, but with a region so big, where about should you visit? Eastern Gansu is home to some of the most incredible scenery ever found in China. Imagine tampered earth houses, terraced fields lush with wheat and corn, all surrounded with green rolling hills and you have found yourself in Eastern Gansu.

TIANSHUI:

With a population of 400,000 people, this lovely town is located near one of China’s legendary cradles of civilizations. The town is famous for the Buddhist Caves at Maiji Shan as well as the Fu Xi Temple.

Maiji Shan are one of the four largest Buddhist grottos in the country. The rise out of the horizon, like gigantic stone pillars holding up the sky. Most of the caves date back to the Northern Wei and Zhou dynasties and there were more added over the successive periods.

The Maiji Shan Buddhist caves are the main tourist attraction for Tianshui, but you should make time to see the Fu Xi Temple. This temple was built during the Ming Dynasty, with some of the most intricate and beautiful carved structures in the entire province. It is said that Fu Xi, the mythical founder of China, was a local who introduced hunting and the domestication of animals.

LUIMEN:

Visiting here and the Water Curtain Caves is like visiting the China of your dreams. The sandstone dunes rise above the lush canyon walls – this place will make your heart stop beating as your eyes water with the natural beauty of the region. There are many Buddhist and Daoist temples nestled away in the hills, making it a place you couldn’t ignore even if you wanted to.

MOON CANYON:

Moon Canyon is an incredibly beautiful area nestled away in the southeast of the province. Set in a region with flowing rivers and impressive rock walls, this is one of the few regions in the Middle Kingdom that has been untouched by the 20^th century.

PINGLIANG:

Pingliang is a small town but one of those few places in Gansu that you don’t want to miss. From here, you can visit Kongtong Shan, an important peak in the Daoist religion. This is an important place; it was first mentioned by Zhuangzi and even the mythical Yellow Emperor was said to have visited Kongtong Shan. There are several great hiking trails in this area that will take you up to numerous lovely little temples hidden away.