Speaking of Gansu, you will think of Lanzhou where the beef noodles are fragrant, you will think of the colorful Zhangye, and you will think of the world-famous Dunhuang.
But you have forgotten that there is a small border town in this magical and mysterious land of Gansu.
It is less than an hour’s drive from Dunhuang, a place to rest on the way to Dunhuang, and a place that is always overlooked.
It is not as famous as Dunhuang, and it is full of tourists, but because of this, there is no high price here, but it has the same artistic value as Dunhuang.
Here is the best preserved ancient military city of the Tang Dynasty in the world;
The highway here is very long and long, but there is not much traffic. The scenery on both sides moves back quickly, and the road in front of you seems to be able to bring people to the horizon.
This is Guazhou.
It is a place with many reputations as “Hometown of Chinese Melon”, “Hometown of Cynomorium in China”, “Gansu Cotton General Base”, and “Hexi Corridor Granary”.
However, recently, it was known to more people because of a baby sleeping in the desert.
Someone just took a look at it and drove away from a long distance.
It is called the Son of the Earth.
It is a sculpture with red sandstone as the main material, 15 meters in length, 4.3 meters in height and 9 meters in width. The model data is obtained by 3D scanning, and then 3D carving is carried out in blocks, and finally the sculpture is carved and installed block by block.
It was just like this, sleeping in the Gobi, sleeping in the arms of Mother Earth.
Just looking at it from a distance makes people cry. You don’t know how to describe it, you just feel like you want to pat this “baby” gently.
Some people say that the existence of the Son of the Earth is to call on mankind to protect Mother Earth;
It is also said that this once desolate Silk Road is now alive;
Others say that this is the greatest milestone in Chinese carving art.
In any case, the appearance of this An Ran is distressingly lonely. No matter how the sea changes, it always sleeps in the arms of heaven and earth.
If you come to Guazhou, you can visit the sister caves of Mogao Grottoes-Yulin Grottoes.
The Yulin Grottoes are all excavated on the upright cliffs on both sides of the Yulin River Gorge, like the ground cracking apart.
The Yulin River flows quietly here, guarding the Yulin Grottoes silently.
Because of its lack of fame, the caves have been fairly well protected, especially the Xixia murals, whose artistic value is comparable to Mogao Grottoes.
If it comes to winter, the white snow will cover here.
At a glance, if you can bring people back a thousand years ago, you can talk to murals and sculptures to explore the mysterious Buddhist kingdom.
If you come to Guazhou, you can take a look at the ruins of Suoyang City.
This is the ruins of ancient Guazhou county city, and it is also a big ancient city on the throat of the Silk Road. Today, desolate and magnificent are the colors here.
Standing on the viewing platform, the prosperity of the past has faded. Looking at the ruins of the city left over a thousand years ago, I can’t help feeling.
There is plenty of time, so I am here to watch for a sunset.
The setting sun adds a warm filter to everything here, which seems to cure its desolation.
As night falls, the stars in the sky, the Milky Way clearly visible, it turns out that everything in the world is so touching.
If you come to Guazhou, you can go to Pochengzi Ruins.
On the way to Suoyang City, you will pass Pochengzi, you may ignore it, or you may meet it unexpectedly, depending on what kind of fate it is.
The impact of the years has made the soil full of holes, and in the seemingly lifeless Gobi, lizards and sparrows have found a good place to rest.
Above the vast Gobi, a sad and solemn atmosphere is left alone.
If you come to Guazhou, you can go to see the surrealist buildings belonging to Guazhou.
Standing on the huge wilderness, it is like a mirage, between the real and the virtual, in a trance, into a dreamland.
Few people know it, and very few people arrive. Perhaps this is the charm of Guazhou. You never know what kind of scenery you can meet here.
In this deserted Gobi, self-consciously beautiful.
If you come to Guazhou, you can go to Yulin River Reservoir.
The Yulin River originates from the Qilian Mountains and flows through Guazhou into the Shule River. The lake is clear and surrounded by endless Gobi sand dunes.
In autumn, there are Populus euphratica forests on both sides of the river valley. If you are not careful, you will fall in love with it.
I just know that there are so few people here, even the pictures can’t be found, so if you go to Guazhou, don’t miss it.
If you come to Guazhou, you can try its fruits.
The sweet and glutinous cantaloupe melts in the mouth, and the unique climate creates a fragrant Guazhou.
There are also wolfberry, Cynomorium…good quality, warm and nourishing.
Travelers who come to Guazhou will bring something to their family and friends as a souvenir.
Guazhou, a small city most easily forgotten.
Guazhou, one of the most missed places in the Great Northwest.
It hides the magnificence of Western Sichuan and the art of Dunhuang. If you come to Gansu, don’t miss it again.
Activity highlights
Essence of beauty: New Internet celebrity Emerald Lake/Dongtai Jinel Lake, Salt Lake Flower Sea, Desert Yadan, Ancient Cave Humanities, do not leave any regrets!
Wild gameplay: Dunhuang desert party banquet, cross-country motorcycle desert surfing, starry sky camping + KTV, unlimited drinks and enjoyment!
Folklore depth: Experience painting Tibetan characteristic thangka, Qilian grassland nomadic culture, go deep into the local area, and combine the beauty and culture deeply.
Detailed road book
D1 Xining All Day Gathering Day
Today, my friends are heading to Xining, the “Oriental Gateway to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau”. Those who arrive early can go to the People’s Park, Qinghai Provincial Museum, Dongguan Mosque, and Taer Monastery.
The gluttonous state is turned on at night, and snacks are concentrated in Mojia Street, Shuijing Alley, and Koufu Street. You can taste specialties such as stuffed skins, fried jelly, yogurt, fried cakes, noodles, noodles, mutton skewers and so on.
D2 Xining-Qinghai Lake (210km, about 3.5h by car)-Chaka Town (150km, about 2.5h by car)
Depart after breakfast and arrive at China’s largest inland lake in the afternoon Qinghai Lake , To avoid overcrowded scenic areas, choose to visit places with few people and beautiful scenery.
The endless blue waters of Qinghai Lake and the leisurely birds and beasts constitute a peaceful and harmonious picture. During the flower season from June to August, the periphery of Qinghai Lake is scattered with golden bright yellow Qinghai Lake Rapeseed Flower Don’t add a bit of vividness to this lake view, take pictures here as much as you like, and then come in groups Cycling around the lake .
Then go to study Hand drawn thangka , Thangka is a unique painting art form in Tibetan culture. It uses hand-grinded mineral pigments to imitate Tibetan Thangka. The beautiful lines and strong colors seem to tell the vicissitudes of Tibetan history…
D3 Caka Salt Lake-Emerald Lake (410km, about 5 hours by car)-Dachaidan (12km, about 0.5h by car)
Wake up this morning and set off for Chaka Salt Lake, which is known as the mirror of China’s sky. The reflection of the sky on the clean and white lake makes it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. The beauty is suffocating.
After lunch, we set off to the next stop Emerald Lake. This is one of the most popular destinations for internet celebrities this year. It is also the filming location for the movie “Send You A Little Red Flower”. The emerald-like lake reflects the blue sky, white clouds and snow-capped peaks. It’s like being in a fairyland.
D4
Dachaidan-(260km, about 3h by car)-Dongtai Jinel Lake-Qaidam Basin-(360km, about 4.5h by car) Oil Town-Dunhuang (120km, about 2.5h by car)
Let’s set off today for today’s highlight. The Jinel Lake in Dongtai, which has made countless people marvel at nature, is derived from the blue water of the snow-capped mountains of the Kunlun Mountains. The water is pure and innocent, and it draws a wonderful picture in the Qaidam Basin. Blue and white world. Under the sunlight, Dongtai Jinel Lake is like the blue eyes of the Qaidam Basin, stunning the lonely world.
Then head north to Dunhuang, passing by Aksai Petroleum Town on the way. This is the filming location of the movie “Nine-story Demon Tower” adapted from Ghost Blowing Lantern. The buildings in the wilderness are already devastated, which reminds people of the ghosts in the movie. A scene where monsters and humans are at war.
D5 Dunhuang-Mogao Grottoes (20km, about 25 minutes by car)-Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (7km, about 10 minutes by car)-Desert Star Camp (7km, about 10 minutes by car)
After breakfast, we will head to the world-class cultural treasure house on the Silk Road, Mogao Grottoes, known as the “Treasure House of Oriental Art”.
Go to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring in a timely manner. The fine sand, golden light, and a bay of spring water in the desert is like a bright moon. Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring are the miracles of the vast desert.
Camping in the desert starry sky at night, friends can also experience off-road motorcycle desert surfing here, hold super high desert party, light a campfire outdoors in the desert, and sing KTV. At night, with the sky full of stars, I gradually fall asleep in the desert…
D6 Dunhuang-(130km, about 1.5h) The Son of the Earth-(170km, about 3.5h) Jiayuguan (381km, about 4.5h by car)-Linze/Zhangye Colorful Danxia
After breakfast, drive to Jiayuguan. When passing through Guazhou, the friends will visit the Son of the Earth and Unbounded Modern Art Exhibition made by modern art masters, and feel the perfect combination of modern art and the vast Gobi.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Jiayuguan Guancheng. From outside the Guancheng, the majestic Guancheng and Wengcheng stood in the setting sun, majestic. The big bluestone hundreds of years ago still bears the weight of history silently here. Outside Jiayuguan, is the stretch of Qilian Mountains. Snow can be seen on the top of the mountains in the distance. The brilliant clouds in the sky set off the Jiayuguan city even more magnificently.
D7 Zhangye Colorful Danxia-(180km, about 2.5h) Private Ranch-(90km, about 1.5h) Qilian County
After breakfast, drive to Qicai Danxia, one of the “Seven Most Beautiful Danxia Landforms in China”. This is the only composite area of Danxia landform and colorful hilly landscape in China, and it was named one of the seven most beautiful Danxia landforms in China by “Chinese National Geographic” magazine.
In the afternoon, I rushed to the Qilian Mountains, and soon you will see beautiful green mountains, cows and sheep, rape blossoms in full bloom (flowering period is from the end of June to the end of July), passing by the ancient city of Ebao halfway, you can stop and take pictures.
When you come to the Qilian Prairie, how can you not get in close contact with the local herders? My friends come to a private ranch to experience the cultural customs of the Tibetan herders, wearing traditional ethnic costumes to take pictures, riding horses on the grassland, and archery.
After having fun, taste the Qinghai soil hot pot + butter milk tea, tsampa, yogurt, glutinous rice and other 8 ethnic snacks, and enjoy the wine and have fun!
D8 Qilian County-Zhuoer Mountain (170km, 2.5h)-Menyuan Flower Sea (180km, about 3.5 hours by car)-Xining Railway Station disbanded
After breakfast, go to Zhuoer Mountain, known as the “Little Switzerland of the Orient”. Zhuoer Mountain is close to the Babao River and across the river from Niuxin Mountain, the Shenshan Mountain in Tibet. The left and right sides are the Ladong Gorge and Baiyanggou Scenic Areas, on the back. It is the rolling Qilian Mountains. In summer, there is a large sea of rapeseed flowers, with red danxia dotted among the mountains, and you can also see the Ami Dongsuo Snow Mountain from a distance.
Then arrive at the Menyuan Flower Sea (the flowering period is expected to be from the end of June to the end of July). In the distance stands the majestic Qilian Mountains. On the top of the mountains, the Shika Snow Mountain (also known as Lenglongling) is covered with snow, and the sea of rapeseed flowers presents a magnificent natural picture between Qilian Mountains and Daban Mountains.
After that, we will return to Xining all the way, passing the Daban Mountain Observation Deck, which is one of the best viewing places to overlook the Qilian Mountains. Passing by the Heiquan Reservoir, the Qilian Snow Mountain and the green mountains and green valleys on both sides of the bank are reflected in the distance.
Arrived in Xining City at about 19:00, first sent to the train station, then to the airport, this event ended successfully, looking forward to your next trip!
Tips:
It is recommended to schedule a train after 21 o’clock, or a return flight after 22 o’clock.
[Huikexiao Cultural Tourism]Upgrade your travel experience!
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