100-li Scenic Zone along the Yellow River As the capital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou is located on the upper reaches of the Yellow River and at the geometric center of Chinas continental territory. The city proper, with the Yellow River going throng, is sandwiched by mountains on the northern and southern banks. It is a famous city in the West China featuring the majestic appearance of the beauty of the south. There are three counties and five districts under the jurisdiction of Lanzhou Municipality with a total area of 13.100sq.km. There are 38 nationalities dwelling here. The average altitude of Lanzhou is 1520m. In Lanzhou, winters are not extremely cold and summers are not severely hot. In midsummer the average temperature is only 22.6. Mentioning Lanzhou, we should not avoid mentioning its local snacks. Maybe you havent been to Lanzhou yourself, but surely you must have known Lanzhou stretched beef noodles. Created in about 1875, Lanzhou been noodles enjoys a wide popularity in China and is also the favorite of local people. Its made of ordinary flour mixed with a little specially-made plant ash. Though its production method sounds simple, it requires some skill. Now Lanzhou stretched beef noodles has been sold through out China and as peoples rhythm of life gets faster and faster, it becomes more and more popular. Tian Peizi-sweet fermented wheat is another snack in Lanzhou. Cold boiled water, sugar and fermented wheat are mixed together to get this cold refreshing summertime snack. In Lanzhou you can also enjoy Shish Kebab, Red Pea gruel and hot Dongguo pear etc. Im sure that all these local snacks will enable your staying here more attractive. When you ask about the local handcrafts, surely people will tell you Lanzhou carved gourds and Yellow River Stones. The production of carved gourds enjoys a history of over 70 years. Various pictures and patterns are carved on a kind of small bottle gourd growing in Lanzhou area. The carving skill involves the techniques of traditional Chinese calligraphy and paintings. The carved gourds are very popular souvenirs for all tourists. The Yellow River Stone is another kind of art works. Artists select stones with beautiful natural colors and shapes and create vivid and eye-catching art works. Lanzhou, once called Jincheng (i.e.-Gold City) before, has a history of over 2000 years. Merchants and travelers traveling along the Silk Road from Xian to Central Asia and then on to the Roman Empire broke their long journey in Lanzhou. In the successive hundreds of years, Lanzhou remained a significant city along Hexi Corridor and achieved a long period of prosperity. Due to its long history and special geological position, Lanzhou is endowed with many tourist attractions. Wuquan Park-Five Spring Park is one of them. Inside the park there are five springs Ganluquan ( Sweet-dew Spring ), Juyuequan ( Moon-scoping Spring ), Moziquan ( Child- Seeking Spring ), Huiquan ( Benefit-giving Spring ) and Meng Spring, hence the name of Five Spring Mountain and Five Spring Park. According to a legend, the emergence of the five springs was related to a great general named Huo Qubing in Western Han Dynasty. Its said that when he passed here leading his troops into battles, they were thirsty and found no water nearby so the general whipped the hill and the five springs emerged. Though these springs are small, they have never dried up. The clear and sweet water makes a miracle on this dry loess plateau. Later well travel along the bank of the Yellow River which is also known as “100-li Scenic Zone along the Yellow River”. Our first stop is Zhongshan Bridge which is referred to as “the first bridge on the Yellow River” This iron bridge was built in 1907, stretching 240m and has witnessed all the changes along the Yellow River in the last century. In 1954, 5 steel archways were added for reinforcing this bridge. Now it has already been 100 years old and retired, only allowing walking and bicycling. Facing us is the White Pagoda Park, which is laid on a steep hillside. It is small yet fairy attractive and famous for a white pagoda of Yuan Dynasty. On the top of it, we will catch a fire view of the Yellow River snacking its way to the east. Occasionally and luckily, we may catch sight of sheepskin rafta kind of ancient transportation form on the Yellow River. Drifting down the river on the raft will render you unusual as well as unforgettable experiences. This park we are entering is the Water Wheel Garden. Waterwheel was used to draw water from the Yellow River for irrigation in ancient times. It was firstly invented in Eastern Han Dynasty and was introduced into Lanzhou in 1556 AD. Now we are here before the statue of the Yellow River Mother. The Yellow River is referred to as the Mother of Chinese Nation. Lanzhou is the only provincial capital city that the Yellow River runs through. As a tribute to their mother river the people of Lanzhou erected this