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Background: For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

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By kirstent
August 7th 2008

Buddha Caves at Bingling Si

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Big Bhuddha

We have just returned to Lanzhou from a night in Liujiaxia. The main aim was to go and have a look at the Big Buddha at Bingling Si. Liujiaxia is only about 2hrs out of Lanzhou but up at 1600m. To get to Bingling Si involved a 45 min speed boat ride on the Yellow River. The place itself is beautiful and very peaceful. The Big Buddha is not far from the water's edge and then we followed a dry river bed to the Monastry further up the valley. A monk gave us tea and bread. Having been to Tibet - [View Full Entry]

By kirstent
August 5th 2008

Heading West

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Truck Jam

We headed out of Xian yesterday. really ready to get on the road. Xian is a nice city and all geared up for the Olympics but I was ready to see what was around the next corner. We loaded up the truck and started out with the aim of reaching Pingliang around 10 hrs later. (It was 300km.) The plan was to visit a big buddha along the way. About half an hour into the journey we hit the first section of a day long truck jam. There seemed to be no real reason for the road of trucks - [View Full Entry]

By BossManBing
July 9th 2008

China - Bingling Si

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Big Buddha
Carved from the rock-face at Bingling Si

I say for a couple of nights in a town called Liujaxia, where they obviously don't see many Westerners from the looks I got, and caught a boat up the Huang He (Yellow River) from the huge Dam, 60km to the Bingling Si Buddha caves. An enormous seated Buddha has been carved from the cliff face. At 27m high and 1600 years old, it's an amazing thing to behold (though not the biggest in China by a long way) and some of the other carvings there are both old and beautiful, a bit like me. I took a half hour walk [View Full Entry]

By BossManBing
July 9th 2008

China - Kongtong Shan

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Kongtong Shan Temple
One of the temples perched on the cliff

I stay a couple of nights at Pingliang, possibly the world's most boring city, but visit Mount Kongtong, a Daoist monastery, perched precariously on the top of a cliff. It's quite a walk up the mountain, but absolutely worth it and looks just like you imagine China to look like, with little temples and Pagodas clinging to the tree-lined slopes. When you see these stunning views, it becomes immediately obvious why religious shrines and places of worship were sited here. [View Full Entry]

By CASheridan87
May 23rd 2008

And So It Begins...

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Writing this a day late, while I'm in Jiayuguan, but will do my best to remember what went on. Beijng: Woke up really early, as in 4:45, and was amazed how light it was out that early, quickly packed up my things, had breakfast, and embarresingly left a bag of milky-cornflakes on the table. I know, it sounds weird, but I had a bowl of cereal, didn't finish it (probably had to do with the fact that I was nervous about leaving) and decided to just put the leftover 'flakes in a bag, then pitch it on my way out the [View Full Entry]

By 5vor12
December 20th 2007

noch vier tage bis weihnachten?

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

frohe vorweihnachtstage euch allen! sitzen gerade in lanzhou, einer millionenstadt irgendwo in der noerdlichen mitte chinas. eine stadt die sich damit ruehmen kann in den neunziger jahren als region mit der hoechsten luftverschmutzung chinas gegolten zu haben. angesichts der nicht eben kleinen konkurrenz in diesem ranking eine zu beachtende leistung! heute soll alles besser sein. naja, die sonne scheint (vermutlich) taeglich, zumindest laesst sich am gelb-braunen himmel ein heller fleck ausmachen und gegen nachmittag kann man, wenn man ganz genau hinsieht, sogar die berge wahrnehmen die [View Full Entry]

By MattyV
December 6th 2007

Repost: Best laid plans of mice and men

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Water show1

Plans change, deal with it REPOST: I neglected to mention that the night before, in Xian, I went to a sound and light show at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and it was amazing. Then as we wandered back towards our hostel we came across a heaps of people doing exercises and dances, all following someone with an umbrella and waving fans to te beat of massive drums being played. It was really a good way to end a great day at the warriors. Had my first rough day today. I had booked a ticket to Lanzhou, nothing really there its [View Full Entry]

By Jabe
June 25th 2007

Something in the air

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

Shoe cleaners and menders

As we travelled from Xiahe to Lanzhou, the scenery changed from tree-covered mountains and sloping pasturelands to scrubby hills where brown was the dominant colour. The religious landscape also changed with many more skull caps, crescent moons, and minarets in evidence. I'd never thought of China as having much of a Muslim population, but apparently it wasn't only goods that came along the Silk Road - there are millions of Muslim Chinese, predominantly in the northwest of the country. Unfortunately the clear, crisp air of the mountains was also replaced with a polluted haze that was quite [View Full Entry]

By Viajerong Pinoy
June 10th 2007

IMPRESSIVE CAVES AT BINGLING SI

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

BINGLING SI

Spent a night to break the trip at Lanzhou, quite a big city, a bit smoggy. Had to go to Bank of China to use the ATM, found it and used the machine without any hassle. We dined out to a Korean restaurant next door to the hotel, it was very interesting and fun, there's a hot plate with coal underneath sunken in the middle of the table, you order your food and cook it yourself to your liking, we had veggies, different cuts of beef and squid, delicious! Only Susan and I had the squid, Anthony and Kit were [View Full Entry]

By cosimovaga
November 1st 2006

Back to "China"

Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou

RECOVERED

Back to "China" Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou By cosimovaga November 1st 2006 cosimo [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Asia » China » Gansu » Lanzhou