GANSU PROVINCE.
Gansu has a long history and rich culture. 1655 km of the Great Wall of China lie here, ancient monuments associated with the great “Silk Road” have been preserved. The province was considered the “golden” section of the tract. The situation on the “Silk Road” has led to the fact that this territory has become multinational and multi-confessional. Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Confucianism and Taoism coexist here, Tibetans, Hui, Uighurs, Mongols live. Each of the religions and nationalities left their monuments. Along the “Silk Road” you can see many attractions – temples, monasteries, pagodas, towers, sections of the Great Wall and ancient castles. Gansu is considered the birthplace of the art of cave temples. The majestic and charming nature of this region is amazing. It combines endless steppes on a plateau,
According to Best-Medical-Schools, Lanzhou is the provincial capital and one of the largest cities in Northwest China. The city was founded at the intersection of the “Silk Road” with the Yellow River. There are few cultural monuments in the city, its main attractions are parks – Binhe, “Five Springs”, “White Pagoda”. Also worth a visit is the Gansu Provincial Museum.
Donghuang was a transit point on the Silk Road. Its most significant attraction, awarded the inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, are the Mogao Grottoes, which contain one of the richest collections of Buddhist frescoes and sculptures, covering a period of 10 centuries. The grotto complex also includes 5 wooden buildings erected during the Tang (618-916) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, which store about 50 thousand documents and other historical exhibits. To the north of Donghuang is the Yumenguan Great Wall Fortress, and to the south are the ruins of the Yangguan Fortress. Fortresses are outposts through which caravans of camels and horses passed.
Labrang Monastery is located 280 km southeast of Lanzhou.. It is the second most important of the six monasteries of the Gelug sect in all of China. The monastery has more than 2,000 monks and 6 academies, it houses a large number of relics and 10,000 Tibetan scriptures. The monastery is decorated with very beautiful ornaments.
The Maijishan Grottoes are located in the east of Gansu. The cone-shaped mountain in which they are hollowed out was split in two as a result of an earthquake. The total number of grottoes on both sides of the mountain is 194. They contain 7200 clay and stone sculptures, as well as 1300 m 2 of frescoes.
Jiayuguan fortress (Jiayuguan), located southwest of the city of the same name, is famous for being the westernmost point of the Great Wall of China. The fortress overlooks the Gobi Desert. The city houses the Great Wall Museum. Every year, Jiayuguan hosts the International Gliding Festival.
HENAN PROVINCE.
Henan is one of the cradles of Chinese culture, so the most important archaeological sites are located in the province. Over the millennium-long history of Chinese civilization, more than 20 dynasties established or moved the capitals of their states to Henan. Three of the seven ancient Chinese capitals are in Henan – they are Luoyang, Kaifeng and Anyang. In addition, there are three state-level cultural and historical cities: Nanyang, Shangqiu and Zhengzhou. Another important attraction of the province is the Yellow River. There are 23 nature reserves in Henan, 2 of which are state-level reserves, and 21 are regional reserves.
Zhengzhou is the provincial capital. At present, it is an important transport hub: the Beijing-Guangzhou and Lanzhou-Lianyungang railway lines pass here. The main cultural monuments of Zhengzhou are the ruins of the ancient city, the Henan Provincial Museum, the Yellow River tourist area, and the city of Dengfen. Dengfeng, under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou, is famous for the holy Songshan Mountain and Shaolin Monastery located here. To the east of the Shaolin Monastery is a school where you can take some martial arts lessons. There is an observatory on Mount Songshan built 700 years ago.
Luoyang (Luoyang) was founded in the 11th century. BC. and served as the capital for 9 imperial dynasties of the Tang and Song periods. The main attractions of the ancient capital are the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China; Longmen grottoes, where there are 2,000 caves with 100,000 sculptures and reliefs.
Kaifeng is located 8 km east of Zhengzhou. For 168 years, it served as the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty and was reputed to be the most prosperous city in the world. The oldest building in Kaifeng that has survived to this day is the three-story Po Ta Pagoda, decorated with 108 images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. The symbol of the city is the brick 13-story Iron Pagoda. On the southern shore of Lake Bao (Bao) is the City Museum.
In Henan you can do cruise along the Yellow River, which flows through the entire province from west to east. Along the route, stops are made in the ancient cities of Sanmenxia, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Kaifeng. You can also raft down the river on traditional goatskin rafts.
