Lanzhou

Lanzhou (兰州; Lánzhōu) is the capital of Gansu province Understand Lanzhou Lanzhou is an industrial city of about three million people. It is located on the shores of the Yellow River and was a major stop on the Silk Road, where it was known as the Golden City. From the 5th to the 11th century the city was a major seat of Buddhist learning, and it acquired its present name during Qing Dynasty in 1656. Until 19th century, Lanzhou was the primary point in crossing the Yellow River via a bridge made by chaining a flotilla of boats together with a road on top to cross on. Lanzhou is one of the most polluted cities in China, having had most if not all touristy areas knocked down and rebuilt. There is a lot of industry here, and reasonably remote but well paid teaching opportunities. Get in By plane Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport (IATA: LHW) is situated 75km from the city centre of Lanzhou. Daily flights to Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dunhuang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Jiayuguan, Kunming, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Ürümqi, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Xi'an, and Zhengzhou. By train Lanzhou Huoche Zhan - southern end of Pingliang Lu at Tianshui Lu Beijing via Hohhot and Datong Beijing via Xi'an and Zhengzhou - takes about 25 hours Chengdu - takes about 19 hours Golmud via Xining - takes about 14 hours Guangzhou - takes about 29 hours Lhasa - takes about 30 hours Shanghai via Xi'an and Zhengzhou - takes about 23 hours Urumqi via Jiayuguan and Turpan - takes about 24 hours Xian - takes about 9 hours Xining - takes about 3-4 hours By bus East Long-Distance Bus Station Location: Pingliang Lu Dunhuang - takes about 24 hours Guyuan - takes about 8 hours Jiayuguan - takes about 17 hours Pingliang - takes about 5 hours Tianshui - takes about 4 hours Urumqi* Dunhuang - takes about 38 hours Xi'an - takes about 14-16 hours Yinchuan - takes about 12 hours Zhangye - takes about 12 hours West Long-Distance Bus Station Location: Xijin Xilu Linxia - takes about 3 hours Liujiaxia - takes about 2 hours Xining - takes about 5 hours Hezuo - takes about 5 hours Xiahe - takes about 6 hours- from the SOUTH Bus Station, not the West [as of July 22 2008 this bus was not running, at the request of Police. Likely due to Tibetan protests. Check Thorn Tree forum for more details] Get around The #1 Bus is really useful getting around Lanzhou. It travels from Lanzhou Station to the Lanzhou Hotel, Qingyang Lu, Xihu Gongyuian Park, Qiliheqiao and ending at Lanzhou West Station. See Gansu Provincial Museum. Silk Road history in one place Green Corridor along Binhe Road. Five-Spring Mountain (Wuquanshan Gongyuan). A jumble of a poor amusement park and some renovated temples. White Pagoda Mountain (Baitashan). Yuan dynasty White Pagoda Temple overlooks the Yellow River. Sun Yat-Sen Bridge (Zhongshan Qiao). Waterwheel Garden. Sculptures of the Mother River. Lanshan Mountain. Cool place to be when the summer heat kicks in. Qiaomen Mosque. Tianfusha Palace. Bingling Si. Cave grottoes and a boat ride, all in one trip. Do Walk across the Zhongshan Bridge for the night lights, people and the immense Yellow river. Buy Hezheng Lu Night Market, (Between Tiansuhi Lu and Pingliang Lu). A very authentic market from mid-afternoon onwards. free. Sanfo, 1 Youshengnan Road, Jinshui District. The leading outdoor gear stores in China. Xidan, (Off Zhangye Road). The main shopping district. Eat Street food at the Hezheng Lu Night Market Lanzhou is famous for its beef noodle soup (Lanzhou niurou lamian). The noodles are always hand made, and the broth served hot and spicy with as much beef as you care to pay for. Mazilu. Chain of restaurants specialising in Lanzhou niurou lamian Other options: UBC Coffee House (Shangdao Kafei Ting), Zhongshan Road (Opposite Shengli Binguan). For when you need a Western food break thats consistent wherever you are. Amazon (Yamaxun Yidali Xicanba), 61 Jiuquan Road (South of Nanguan Shizi), ☎ 0931-8455899 English speaking. 11:00-23:00. Best pizza in Lanzhou also offers delivery. Drink Huanghe Beer: [1] Wuquanshan Beer Sleep Budget Many of the cheap hotels on near the train station on Tianshui road (天水南路) do not accept foreigners, but some do, look around. Here's a couple to get you started. Yingbin Hotel (Yingbin Fandian), 35 Tianshui Road, ☎ +86 931 8886552 (fax: +86 931 8886776). Lanshan Hotel, (Opposite the train station). Pleasant enough rooms at decent prices. The fire escapes are locked. There is a public internet cafe in an adjoining building (ask at reception). Listed rates for doubles with en-suite ¥138 (can be bargained), double without bathroom ¥56 (summer 2006). Mid range Lanzhou Hotel, 434 West Donggang Road, ☎ +86 931 8416321 (fax: +86 931 8418608). Friendship Hotel Lanzhou, 16 Xijin West Road West, ☎ +86 931 2333051 (fax: +86 931 2330304). Splurge Lanzhou Legend Hotel, 599 Tianshui Road, ☎ +86 931 8882876 (fax: +86 931 8887876). Jinjiang Sun Hotel, 589 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District, [2]. A 4-star hotel catering to the traveling executive. The hotel is replete with deluxe amenities for business and leisure. It has 236 guestrooms, meeting venues, business center, restaurants, sauna and health club. Online reservation is accepted. Get out Linxia - center for the Dongxiang minority, has colorful markets and relaxing teahouses Sichuan Back Entrance Route - south via Xiahe, Hezuo and on past Langmusi into Sichuan province Routes through Lanzhou END ←  W  E  → Tianshui → Xian This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow! Internet Almost all hotel rooms have free internet in the form of an Ethernet cable. Sometimes the cable is sticking out of the wall. Sometimes you will find it in the drawer or the cupboard - plug in. Although wireless networks are not common (ethernet based connections are much more common) there are a great many unsecured wireless networks in the city. For the most part downloads are unlimited for subscribers - so don't feel too bad if you help yourself. You can also buy 3G internet USB modems from the major telcos. Expect Chinese language software simple enough for the English speaking to use. Internet cafes exist thanks to online gaming. They are not particularly cheap, staff have extremely poor English and all applications will be in Chinese. Recommend plugging in your USB stick with Portable English applications on it: http://portableapps.com/ If all else fails, keep Skype open. Skype have done deals with many ISPs. And you can use Skype to make a wireless Internet connection. See this article for more detail: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/allfeatures/skype-access/