Tourist Attractions in Lanzhou: Lanzhou owes its historical significance to its geographical position. The spectacular scenery and relics around Lanzhou include the statue of the Yellow River Mother, Water Wheel Park, Five Springs Park, Gansu Provincial Museum, and Mt. Xinglong and Mt. Tulugou. These make Lanzhou well worth the trip. Lanzhou is a major transport terminal of Gansu province. Over 20 flights to major cities from Zhongchuan Airport, 70 km away from the town, provide easy access. There are 92 daily passenger trains which travel in all directions from the Lanzhou railway station. Lanzhou today is a key tourist city with complete infrastructure, many star-rated hotels, and tour operators in the city.

Pillar Industries and Economic Development: Lanzhou is the economic hub in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and is one of the country's important bases for producing energy and raw materials. The City's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 25.5 billion yuan in 1999. The proportion of its primary, secondary and tertiary industries was 6%, 55%, and 39% respectively. The city is a comprehensive industrial system including oil and petrochemicals, machinery, metallurgy, building material production, wool spinning, pharmacy, plastics, tanning, electronics, coal, and power. The city has, by now, developed 40 industrial sectors, involving more than 5,600 industrial enterprises. The city has approved 1,098 foreign-funded enterprises with a total investment of 1.43 billion US dollars.

Jiayuguan, Tianshui, Zhangye and Dunhuang are Well Known Tourist Attractions:

Jiayuguan is situated in the middle of the Hexi Corridor of the province of Guansu. It is the termination post of the Great Wall andthe western gateway to the Chinese empire. There are a several significant sights here including Jiayuguan Pass-an ancient fort which once marked China's western entrance, First Beacon Tower, and Over-hanging Great Wall. Jiayuguan is a quickly developing city as well as an economic development zone. The city government has designated two districts and one street as experimental zones for economic development. The city's main industry is metallurgy; Jiayuguan is the sole iron and steel base in the northwestern part of China.

Tianshui was the main stopping point on the Silk Road from Xi'an to Lanzhou. A trip to Tianshui, including excursions to Maijishan Grottoes, Immortals' Cliff, FuXi Temple, Jade Spring Taoist Place, Curtain Cave Grottoes, and Great Buddha Hill, is highly recommended.

Zhangye is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor. It has been the political, economic, cultural, and diplomatic center of northwest China throughout many dynasties. Many famous figures such as Envoy Zhang Qian, General Ban Chao, and Buddhist monks Fa Xian and Xuan Zang travelled to the western region via Zhangye. Even the Italian traveler Marco Polo lived there for about a year. Zhangye is one of 12 national grain bases of China, as well as being a beautiful city.

Dunhuang, at the extreme western point of the Hexi Corridor, was the crossroad for the northern and southern Silk Road routes, and is a major stop along the Chinese leg of the Silk Route today. Dunhuang is a famous city of historical and cultural significance and is currently a top tourist city in China. There are a number of interesting sights around it, such as the Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Sand Dunes, Crescent Moon Lake, Yangguan and Yumenguan Passes, and the modeled Shazhou Town of the Song Dynasty.