Lanzhou
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Northwest China (西北) » Gansu (甘肃) » Lanzhou (兰州)
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[edit] Overview
Situated on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Lanzhou (兰州) is geographically located in the heart of China. It's the capital of Gansu Province, and is a regional rail, highway, and air hub in Northwest China.
Lanzhou served as the southern end of the ancient Silk Road, and a junction leading to Xinjiang and Central Asia via the Hexi Corridor, and to the ancient capital area of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) in Shaanxi province, as well as to the area of Qinghai Lake via the upper courses of the Yellow River and its tributaries.
[edit] History
Lanzhou was the county seat of Jincheng County (金城郡) in the Western Han Dynasty. It became the seat of Lanzhou prefecture during the Sui Dynasty, when Lanzhou first adopted its current name from the name of the Gaolan mountains to the south of the city. The name has been used ever since for over 1400 years.
[edit] Video
| Lanzhou |
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| Situated on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Lanzhou (兰州) is geographically located in the heart of China. |
[edit] Map
Click here to open Lanzhou map.
[edit] Weather
The weather in Lanzhou is usually dry and arid with sunshine year around. It typically has a long and cold winter with little rain and snow. Spring is short with big temperature swings, and summer is also short but only mildly hot. Temperature quickly drops as season changes to fall. The average annual temperature is 6-9 ℃, and the annual average rainfall is 327.7 mm.
Due to its unique weather patterns, the best time to visit Lanzhou and other areas of Gansu is late spring and early summer.
Current Conditions (2009-01-10 07:00:00, local time)
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Lanzhou |
Temp: 1°F (-17°C) |
Lanzhou Weather Forecast
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| Weather averages for Lanzhou, China | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg high °C (°F) | 2 (36) | 6 (43) | 12 (54) | 19 (66) | 24 (75) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 23 (73) | 17 (63) | 10 (50) | 3 (37) | |
| Avg low °C (°F) | -9 (16) | -5 (23) | 1 (34) | 7 (45) | 11 (52) | 15 (59) | 17 (63) | 16 (61) | 12 (54) | 5 (41) | -2 (28) | -8 (18) | |
| Rain cm (inches) | 0.12 (0) | 0.17 (0.1) | 0.58 (0.2) | 1.16 (0.5) | 2.65 (1) | 3.44 (1.4) | 4.87 (1.9) | 4.96 (2) | 2.68 (1.1) | 1.47 (0.6) | 0.11 (0) | 0.06 (0) | |
| Source: per MSN 2008 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Getting in & Getting out
Lanzhou is a regional rail, highway, and air hub in NW China and the junction point to Xinjiang.
[edit] By Air
Lanzhou is served by Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport, located 75 km north of the city area. Flights from more than 20 cities depart and arrive at the airport.
The airport inquiry number is 0931-8968160.
The ticket office for China's Eastern Airlines (after merging with China's Northwest Airlines in 2003) is located at West Donggang Road (东岗西路), and their telephone number is 0931-8411606.
[edit] By Train
Lanzhou is linked to Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi and Baotou. The Longhai Railway (Lianyungang-Urumqi) line was extended westward to Lanzhou from Tianshui by 1953. Later Lanzhou was linked with Beijing via Baotou in Inner Mongolia, and lines have also been constructed northwest to Urumqi and westward via Haiyan on Qinghai Lake to Golmud (in Qinghai).
Lanzhou railway station is conveniently located in the urban areas at the southern foot of the Gaolan Hill. It is the railway transportation hub for Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia provinces. Four backbone railways (Longhai line, Lanzhou-Xingjiang line, Lanzhou-Qinghai line, Baotou-Lanzhou line) converge here. There are more than 50 trains running between Lanzhou and other major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qingdao, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Changsha, Wuhan, Chengdu, Xi'an, Urumqi, Hohhot daily. In addition, there are local trains going to other cities inside Gansu province, such as Zhangye, Pingliang, Yumen, as well as to the cities in nearby provinces such as Xining, Yinchuan, Golmud. Train travel from and to Lanzhou is safe and convenient.
Lanzhou train station inquiry phone is 0931-4922222, or 0931-4632142
The ticket office is at 321 Baiying Road at Majiapo area of Chengguan district (城关区马家坡白银路321号). And the phone over there is 0931-8467727.
[edit] By Bus
National highway 109, 212, 213, 310 and 312 converge in Lanzhou, and link Lanzhou to neighboring provinces. There are long-distance buses going to Xinjiang, Baotou, Xining, Zhengzhou, Chengdu.
Lanzhou has 7 long-distance passenger bus stations. Lanzhou East Station and Lanzhou West Stations are the two main bus terminals. They are located at 170 Pingliang Road (平凉路170号), and 486 East Xijin Road (西津东路486号) respectively.
The inquiry phone numbers for Lanzhou East Station are 0931-8418441, 0931-8418411, and 0931-8417118.
The inquiry phone numbers for Lanzhou West Station are 0931-2334575, 0931-2333285, 0931-2334393.
[edit] Getting Around
[edit] By Public Bus
Lanzhou's public transportation is mainly served by the public buses. There are two type of buses: Large bus and mid-size bus. The fare for large buses range from 0.50 to 2.50 RMB depending how many stops the ticket serves for. The ticket for most mid-size buses is 1 RMB.
The phone number of the public bus company for the city of Lanzhou is 0931-2337511.
[edit] By Taxi & Rental Car
Lanzhou has over 6000 taxis with many different kind of cars. Taxi drivers mostly do not follow the traffic rules. The fares also appear random, but usually very cheap.
The phone number for the taxi complaint line is 0931-8488798.
[edit] Attractions
- Wuquan Mountain (zh:五泉山公园)
- Gansu Provincial Museum (zh:甘肃省博物馆)
- Baita Mountain (zh:白塔山公园)
- Xinglong Mountain (兴隆山国家级自然保护区)
- Xinglongshan National Natural Reserve (兴隆山国家级自然保护区)
- Lanzhou Wuquanshan Park (兰州五泉山公园)
[edit] Hotels
[edit] Budget
[edit] Mid Range
[edit] Luxury
- HNA Hotel Konggang Lanzhou
- Hotel Savoy Lanzhou
- JJ Sun Hotel
- Lanzhou Legend Hotel
- Xilan International Hotel
- Sunshine Plaza
[edit] Restaurants
[edit] Shopping
The main shopping districts are Railway New Village commercial district (铁路新村商业区), Nanguan-Xiguan commercial district (南关-西关商业区) and Lanzhou Central Square (中心广场).
You can find numerous traditional handicrafts, clothes, local specialties, and modern tourist products.
[edit] Night Life & Entertainment
Central Square and Binghe Road (滨河路) (right on the Yellow River bank) are two most popular places for the entertainment. Watching and better yet participating in early morning group exercise and night time group dance are unforgettable experiences and most fun for visitors.
