China's Hottest Foodie Town of the Year Hides Its Most Exquisite Cave Temples!

This year, Tianshui naturally claims its spot as one of China's most viral cities.

When you follow the aroma of spicy hotpot to this city, you’ll discover its enduring charm lies in its profound cultural heritage. Here echoes the "childhood of Huaxia" from the 8,000-year-old Dadiwan culture, the ancient legend of Fuxi "creating the world with a single stroke," the Qin-style poetry of "reeds lush, dew turned to frost" by the Western Han River, and the Three Kingdoms drama of "Wind Rises in Longxi." Even its name originates from the romantic phrase "Heavenly River Pours Water."

Tianshui, the "Little Jiangnan of Longshang" and the first stop in the Northwest, witnesses the dawn, foundation, and flourishing of Chinese civilization. Beyond its internet-famous cuisine, its status as one of China’s first national historical and cultural cities and its simple, tranquil small-town life are worth savoring.

If you take the high-speed train from Chang’an to retrace the Silk Road, crossing the Qinling Mountains into Gansu, Tianshui is your first stop. Heading west from Tianshui, you’ll pass through the loess-rich "Heart of Gansu"—Dingxi, the golden city of Lanzhou carved by the Yellow River, and onward to the Hexi Corridor, where the grandeur of the Northwest unfolds.

Tianshui is the most important gateway to the Northwest.

Tianshui itself sits at China’s geographical center and the convergence of cultural zones—Central Plains, Northwest, and Southwest. To the northwest lies the Silk Road; east across the Qinling Mountains is the Guanzhong Plain of "Eight Hundred Li of Qin Land"; south through the Qinba Mountains connects to the Chengdu Plain, the "Land of Abundance." It’s a microcosm of cultural fusion in Gansu.

The first stop in Tianshui—the Maijishan Grottoes—epitomizes this cultural blend. Located 45 km southeast of downtown, amid the lush greenery of the Western Qinling, a mountain rises like a farmer’s wheat stack, known as "Maiji Cliff" in the Western Wei Dynasty and now as "Maiji Mountain."

Led by the Three-Buddha Cave from the Later Qin period (16 Kingdoms) and the Seven-Buddha Pavilion carved by Li Yunxin of the Northern Zhou, the grottoes boast over 200 caves, 7,200 clay sculptures, and nearly 1,300 square meters of murals, earning the title "Oriental Sculpture Gallery." Among China’s four great grottoes, it predates the Yungang and Longmen Grottoes. Unlike Yungang’s grandeur or Longmen’s ornate halls, Maijishan is famed for its exquisite architectural and sculptural techniques.

On cliffs over 100 meters high, ancient craftsmen built 14 tiers of plank roads linking honeycomb-like caves. Walking through feels like navigating a "Super Mario" maze—a marvel of超前时代的建筑技术. The grandest cave, the "Flower-Scattering Pavilion" (Seven-Buddha Pavilion), is China’s largest cave模仿中式传统建筑. The Liang Dynasty literary giant Yu Xin praised it:

"Carving cliffs, threading caves, spanning ridges—entangled with stars, swirling with light."

From the "Eastern Smile" novice monk in Cave 133 to the whispering Bodhisattva and disciple in Cave 121, or the world-unique "thin-flesh relief" apsaras in Cave 4’s canopy—each famed sculpture见证中外文化流转 over millennia.

Over 1,600 years ago in the Later Qin, grottoes were first carved here, with statues bearing strong "Western Regions" traits—high noses, broad shoulders. By the Western/Northern Wei, they became gentle "elegant figures." Over centuries to the Song Dynasty, they grew solemn, reflecting Central Plains culture.

Beyond Maijishan, from Wushan to Maiji District, the Wei River—Tianshui’s mother river—forms a 100-km "grotto走廊": Maijishan, Daxiangshan, Shuilandong... Like stars on the Silk Road’s ribbon, they见证千年人事物象来往.

Witnessing the "Childhood" of Huaxia Civilization

If the "grotto alliance" led by Maijishan marks Tianshui’s spatial role linking the Central Plains and Northwest, the 8,000-year-old Dadiwan site records Huaxia’s dawn in time.

In 1973, a farmer in Shao Village, Qin’an, unearthed a "bob-haired doll"—later a treasure of Gansu Provincial Museum: the Painted Pottery Bottle with Human-Head-Shaped Mouth.

This national treasure, with its neat bangs, straight nose, and small mouth,见证 the earliest fusion of Huaxia culture (from the Yangshao culture near Mount Hua) with ancient Qiang culture.

Five years later, the nearby Dadiwan site was systematically excavated. Ranked among China’s top 100 archaeological finds, it led trends 8,000 years ago in culture, agriculture, and architectural "black tech."

Dadiwan began Tianshui’s 8,000-year story. As an economic and cultural hub in the land-power era, Tianshui remained at history’s center until the Tang-Song period.

The Qin people, traveling from Shandong, rose from the Western Han River valley (Tianshui-Lixian), crossed the Qinling, conquered the Guanzhong Plain, unified the Six States, and laid Huaxia’s foundational political-cultural-economic framework. China’s earliest two "pilot counties"—Gui and Ji (now in Qingshui and Gangu)—were established by Qin in Tianshui.

During the Han Dynasty, Tianshui became renowned for the deeds of numerous heroes. Ji Xin died to save Liu Bang and later became a "professional patron of city god temples." The "Flying General of Dragon City," Li Guang, never received the noble title he deserved, resonating with countless disheartened souls. Jiang Wei, who persisted in the Northern Expeditions, became the final crescendo in the grand saga of the Han and Three Kingdoms eras.

By the Tang and Song dynasties, Tianshui was even more celebrated. In the Tang era, it was said that "no place under heaven was as prosperous as Longyou," and even the imperial family sought kinship with the Longyou Li clan—Tianshui being a vital part of Longyou. The *History of Song* records, "Tianshui is the ancestral homeland of the imperial surname," so much so that later scholars like Chen Yinke and Wang Guowei referred to the Song Dynasty as the "Tianshui Dynasty."

With 8,000 years of cultural convergence and sedimentation, Tianshui is filled with nationally protected heritage sites. Paying respects at Fuxi Temple, climbing to Yuquan Temple for spiritual cultivation, or strolling through the "No.1 Folk Residence of Longshang"—the southern compound of the Hu Family Residence—are just ordinary daily activities for locals.

Typically, when we think of the Great Northwest, the first images that come to mind are endless yellow sands and rugged mountains. Yet Tianshui, a northwestern city, has long been known as the "Jiangnan of Longshang."

In 1935, Fan Changjiang, a pioneer of Chinese journalism, explored the northwest and later wrote in *China's Northwest Corner*: "When Gansu people speak of Tianshui, it’s like Jiangsu and Zhejiang people talking of Suzhou and Hangzhou." A local saying in Gansu goes: "Golden Zhangye, Silver Wuwei, but not even gold or silver can compare to Tianshui."

After all, in Tianshui, you encounter a land of rich diversity. The Xihan River from the Yangtze Basin and the Wei River from the Yellow River converge here, blending the best of northern and southern landscapes.

Northern Tianshui features loess-deposited ridges and hills, while its central part is carved by the Wei River valley. Further southeast, in the Qinling and Guanshan mountain ranges, you’ll find forests giving way to rolling grasslands. With layered landforms and diverse climates, each county under Tianshui boasts unique culture and specialties.

Gangu, famed across the northwest for its chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns; Qin'an, a fruit basket where peaches and apples grow larger than faces; Qingshui, known for mountain produce like walnuts; Zhangjiachuan, rich in ethnic traditions; Wushan, where martial arts thrive and hot springs invite relaxation... Thanks to such fertile land, Tianshui’s women are often strikingly beautiful, earning the nickname "Tianshui’s Fair (pei, local pronunciation) Dolls"—echoing the ancient ballad from the Xihan River region two millennia ago: "The fair one I adore, by the water’s shore."

Tianshui cuisine recently exploded in popularity with its spicy hot pot, locally called "mala fen" (spicy noodles), a testament to its role as a melting pot of northwest, central plains, and southwest flavors. It borrows the boiling method from Sichuan-Chongqing mala tang, with its soul lying in Shaanxi’s signature chili oil, while incorporating Gansu’s local treasures—Dingxi’s potato noodles, Gangu’s chilies, and Wudu’s Sichuan peppercorns...

Yet the complexity and fusion of local cuisine extend far beyond this humble bowl of spicy noodles.

On one hand, there’s a carb-loaded feast. A bowl of chewy, fragrant buckwheat "guagua" kicks off a Tianshui local’s "excellent" day, followed by dozens of other carb delights like "ranran," "laolao," and "xiaoxiao," each with distinct textures and flavors. Nestled between Gansu and Shaanxi—two carb-loving provinces—Tianshui masters the best of both.

On the other hand, there’s a meticulous approach to life. Every Tianshui household ferments its own "jiangshui" (pickled vegetable brine), treating it like perfumery, with each batch offering unique aromas. A proper chili oil requires flaxseed oil and a dozen spices, carefully blended.

Then there’s the festive "Three Classic Dishes" (clear stew, tenderloin, and assorted stew). Beef is simmered clear, small tenderloin pieces are dressed sweet-and-sour or hot-and-sour, and the assorted stew combines thin egg-wrapped meat slices, crispy pork skin, meatballs, and chicken broth. Though labor-intensive, it reflects the locals’ earnest craftsmanship.

After savoring these north-south fusion dishes, follow longtime residents through the old streets of Xiguan and Dongguan, exploring the ever-present cultural relics. Tianshui’s innate beauty and serene grace may well lie in this ancient city’s unhurried, unruffled way of life.