Traveling Across China: The Hexi Corridor (Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Dunhuang) Plus Maijishan Grottoes, Southern Gansu, and Jiuzhaigou

📍 Jiuzhaigou · 👁 629 reads

On September 20, 2020, together with my daughter, her best friend, and my two granddaughters, a group of six formed a tour to the Hexi Corridor, visiting Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Dunhuang, and the Maijishan Grottoes. After parting ways in Lanzhou, Grandpa and Grandma, along with our eldest granddaughter Qingqing, continued on to Southern Gansu and Jiuzhaigou.

Grandpa: Responsible for route planning, guiding, and driving.

Grandma: Responsible for booking rooms and logistics.

Awen: Responsible for finances and shopping.

Huizai: Responsible for finding local cuisine.

Daughter and her two daughters: Responsible for having fun.

Day 1 (Sep 20) Flew from Guangzhou to Lanzhou. Right across from Terminal 1 of Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport is the intercity railway station. Took the intercity train to Lanzhou Station, a 45-minute journey.

Stayed at: Ji Hotel (Lanzhou Railway Station)

After checking in, crossed the street and took bus No. 6 to Zhongshan Bridge stop to visit the century-old Zhongshan Bridge.

Nearby, we found a Lanzhou lamian noodle shop. A large bowl of beef noodles cost only 8 yuan, with big and delicious pieces of beef.

Day 2 (Sep 21) Departed at 7:20 a.m., walked 15 minutes to Lanzhou Railway Station, took D55 to Jiayuguan South. Had breakfast and lunch on the train.

At Jiayuguan South Station parking lot, we picked up our rental car (a 7-seater, already booked in Guangzhou). After stowing five pieces of luggage, we began our self-driving tour.

Outside temperature was 16°C and it was raining. We drove 2 hours on the highway and arrived at Jinta Poplar Forest at 4 p.m. The scenic area was huge, with several zones. The poplar trees were gradually turning yellow; a few were fully golden, and their reflections in the water were incredibly beautiful.

In Jiayuguan, barbecue is a must. We found a barbecue shop where lamb skewers cost 20 yuan per bundle. The flavor was absolutely delicious.

Stayed at: Jiayuguan Nuojin Hotel

Day 3 (Sep 22) Morning: Visited Jiayuguan Pass, which includes an enclosure wall, a Guandi Temple, a stage, and the city wall. It took about 2.5 hours to see everything carefully.

Then drove 3 hours to Yulin Grottoes, with a reservation for a 3:00-4:00 p.m. visit (closes at 5:00 p.m.). Yulin Grottoes are the sister grottoes of Dunhuang Mogao Caves. A guide led us through 4 caves, explaining their history and murals in detail.

Arrived in Dunhuang around 8:00 p.m. We had dinner first before heading to the hotel.

Stayed at: Dunhuang Fuhua International Hotel for 3 nights

Day 4 (Sep 23) Left at 8:50 a.m. for the Mogao Caves Visitor Center. We had booked A-type tickets (248 yuan each) for 9:30 a.m. At the visitor center, we watched two films, then took a bus to the Mogao Caves for the tour.

A-type tickets can be reserved 30 days in advance and include visits to 8 caves, arranged by the guide. The site was quite crowded. The final stop was the Nine-Story Tower. The whole tour took about 4 hours.

B-type tickets allow visits to 4 caves.

After exiting, we bought trendy ice cream bars shaped like the Nine-Story Tower and Crescent Moon Spring, satisfying the girls’ youthful fancies.

Had lunch at the Mogao Caves restaurant inside the scenic area.

At 3:00 p.m., we went to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring. (Entrance fee: 110 yuan per person; valid for multiple entries within 3 days with registration at the gate.) First, we rode camels: 100 yuan per person, 20 yuan for children. With many camels now, traffic jams often occur on the route.

My daughter and her friend climbed the sand dune, while we stayed with the two sisters playing in the sand at Crescent Moon Spring. The older sister said she wanted to climb the dune to find her mom. Grandpa agreed, and the little girl dashed up like an arrow, not following the group but climbing quickly to the side. Grandpa chased after her, and in a blink she was two-thirds of the way up—amazing! The younger sister also wanted to go up, but that was out of the question. Coming down, the older sister invented her own method of sliding on her bottom. She completed the round trip in about 40 minutes, while Mom and her friend were still halfway down.

As night fell, lights illuminated Crescent Moon Spring, creating a dreamlike scene.

For dinner, we had lamb, a specialty of the northwest, exceptionally tasty.

Day 5 (Sep 24)

Departed at 8:30 a.m. to visit the Dunhuang Museum.

Arrived at Yadan National Geopark (Ghost City) at 12:30 p.m. First, we had a bowl of Lanzhou lamian noodles. Entrance fee: 120 yuan per ticket, purchased at the museum. We took the scenic area bus to tour (buses depart on the hour and half-hour).

The Yadan landform is a Danxia landscape. The wind blowing through the rocks makes sounds like ghostly wails, hence the name “Ghost City.” There are four main spots: Welcome Lion, Peacock Spreading Tail, Sphinx, and Fleet on the Sea—all breathtakingly spectacular. Truly astonishing!

Dinner: Dunhuang cuisine.

Day 6 (Sep 25) Since we had a long drive ahead, we set off at 7:30 a.m. and drove about 5 hours to Jiayuguan South. We had a delicious barbecue meal at an apple orchard nearby. At 1:30 p.m., we returned the car using self-service.

Took the high-speed train and arrived back in Lanzhou at 8:20 p.m.

Stayed at: Hilton Hampton Inn Lanzhou

Day 7 (Sep 26) Departed at 8:30 a.m. and rushed to Maijishan Grottoes. Because the Lanzhou-Haikou expressway was under construction, we got off at Gangu Station and took national road up and down the mountains. Along the way, we saw many fruit farmers selling apples at 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 kg)—fresh, juicy, and crisp. We got back on the expressway at Guanzi Station. After 6 hours of driving, we arrived at 2:30 p.m., bought tickets, and took the shuttle bus. After getting off the shuttle, we still had 1 km to walk to the ticket checkpoint of Maijishan Grottoes. With the two sisters, we climbed the suspended plank roads step by step, examining each cave carefully. Because it was afternoon, there were few visitors, so no crowding, which felt wonderful. Truly deserving of the name “Oriental Sculpture Gallery.” At 5:30 p.m., we finally left contentedly and began the return journey. We safely returned to the hotel at 11:00 p.m.

Maijishan Grottoes was the most arduous day of our trip, as driving round trip took 11 hours, and only Grandpa drove.

Day 8 (Sep 27) The four (daughter, etc.) visited Gansu Provincial Museum in the morning, then took the intercity train from Lanzhou West Station to the airport for flight CZ3206 back to Guangzhou.

We continued driving with Qingqing toward Jiuzhaigou. A small interlude: Qingqing clung to her mother crying, saying she didn’t want to leave her—a heart-wrenching scene. After 7 hours of driving, we reached Longnan City and stayed overnight.

Stayed at: Longnan Jindu Hotel

Day 9 (Sep 28?) Note: The text says D9 (9.27) but 9.27 was D8; likely a typo. It continues: “Day 9 (9.27) Drove to Jiuzhaigou at 10 a.m.” Following the original: D9 (9.27) drove at 10 a.m. to Jiuzhaigou from Longnan Wudu via national roads, crossing mountains and waters—230 km, took 6 hours. Part of the national road was damaged by floods and could only allow one-way traffic, so average speed was 38 km/h. The Wudu-Jiuzhaigou expressway was under construction, so the road was a big construction site. We decided not to return the same way but to go via Southern Gansu through Huahu Lake to Diebu and then back to Lanzhou. Arrived at Jiuzhaigou at 4:30 p.m.

Stayed at: Jinjiang Inn

Day 10 (Sep 29) Took a taxi at 10 a.m. to the entrance of the scenic area. This is a new entrance built after the August 8, 2017 earthquake. Since driving ourselves would require finding parking far from the entrance, it was more cost-effective to stay near the scenic area and take taxis.

About 7,000 people entered the park that day; we basically didn’t wait for the bus and got on immediately. The scenic area is Y-shaped with two lines. Usually, you take the bus to the end and then visit stops one by one on the way back. At Nuorilang Waterfall transfer station, you take another bus to the other line. We visited Five Flowers Lake, Pearl Shoal Waterfall, Nuorilang Waterfall, then took the other line to Long Sea, Five-Color Pond, Shuzheng Waterfall, and Panshui Shoal. With little Qingqing, we took the bus stop by stop, walking only on shallow paths, about 3 km total. It was tiring, but Qingqing followed along, climbing trees, playing in water, drinking yak butter tea, and watching waterfalls. By 4:30 p.m., we had seen all the favorite spots in Jiuzhaigou.

The post-earthquake Jiuzhaigou is not very crowded, mostly independent travelers. Tickets cost 259 yuan per person. Water flow was strong. Everyone wore masks on the bus, showing that epidemic prevention was taken seriously.

Day 10 (Sep 30) Departed at 9:00 a.m., passing through the beautiful Yellow River Grassland and the Zoige Grassland at an altitude of 3,800 m, then went to Huahu Lake Wetland Park. Now the park entrance is across the road from the parking lot. But at an altitude of 3,400 m, we had to climb about 40 steps to cross a pedestrian bridge and then go down to enter the scenic area—exhausting.

Huahu Lake was breathtakingly beautiful. Blue sky and white clouds were reflected in the water, merging sky and lake. Autumn plants had turned yellowish-red. Moorhens frolicked in the lake, fish swam underwater, butterflies and birds flew over the lake—it felt like a paradise.

At 5 p.m., we drove 60 km to Diebu, “a paradise left on earth by God.” The scenery along the road was picturesque, with lush Galsang flowers on both sides. The road was newly built, giving a very comfortable feeling. Diebu is at an altitude of 2,300 m. We had been here four years ago; in Southern Gansu, only Diebu’s low altitude made us feel better.

Stayed at: Saiyin Hotel

After dinner, we went to the supermarket to buy some food and a dinosaur box that Qingqing liked. She returned to the hotel happily.

Day 11 (Oct 1) Drove from Diebu and arrived at Labrang Monastery at 2:00 p.m. for a visit. The scenery along the way was beautiful.

Left Labrang Monastery at 4:30 p.m. and drove 1.5 hours to Linxia City.

Stayed at: Linxia Xuehe Manbo Hotel

Ordered room service: hand-grabbed lamb, which was tasty. Of course, we didn’t forget to order two cups of “Mixue Bingcheng” to enjoy.

Day 12 (Oct 2)

Drove 2 hours in the morning back to Lanzhou.

Stayed at: Qilihe District Hilton Shuangpeng Hotel?

Note: The original says “七里河希尔顿双朋酒店” – likely a variant name. We’ll keep as Qilihe Hilton Shuangpeng Hotel.

After dropping luggage, drove to Gansu Provincial Museum.

Day 14 (Oct 3) Flew back to Guangzhou.