How Incredible is China's Most Northwestern City?
Lanzhou locals are perhaps the "least Gansu-like" people in Gansu.
Most Gansu people are as reserved and upright as the character “肃” (sù) in “Gansu”—but Lanzhou folks? They’re basically the comedians of the province. Take the Lanzhou-dubbed version of Tom and Jerry that almost every Gansu kid has seen: when Tom sings to the cat he likes, Lanzhou people dubbed it like this—
“Two goats are climbing the mountain; a girl is waving over there.
I wanna go, but the dog’s barking; if I don’t go, my heart’s itching.”
Even when scolding their kids, Lanzhou people blend humor with boldness:
“You little troublemaker, I’ll grab you by both ends and stomp on you till you pop like a firecracker!”
(You little troublemaker, I’ll grab you by both ends and stomp on you till you pop like a firecracker!)
Lanzhou dialect mixes in vocabulary from Gansu’s ethnic minorities and preserves the sounds and rhymes of ancient Chinese, giving it a naturally humorous tone. But when you talk with Lanzhou locals, they often speak a special kind of Mandarin (Jing-Lan accent). It’s a reflection of the city itself—multifaceted and blended.
“Traveling in Northwest China starts from Lanzhou.” To outsiders, Lanzhou carries a sense of drift. We often hear about her, but never truly know her. To Lanzhou people, Lanzhou is a bowl of noodles, a river, a bridge, a book—a hometown only understood after leaving.
The Yellow River flows through the city—it’s Lanzhou’s landmark.
But what never stops flowing isn’t just the Yellow River—it’s also the people of Lanzhou.
“Lanzhou, the endless Yellow River flows east;
Lanzhou, where the road ends is where the sea begins.”
—From DiKuAi’s song “Lanzhou, Lanzhou”
To understand Lanzhou, one must start by understanding its people.
Bands from Lanzhou never stop writing about the Yellow River, the Iron Bridge, wandering, and skyscrapers in foreign lands—very Northwestern, but not very “Gansu.” So is Lanzhou herself—a transportation hub carved out by the Yellow River, a natural metropolis. She enjoys the prosperity brought by transit and flow, and accepts her fate of constant drift.
Lanzhou is deeply favored by the Yellow River. By the time it reaches Lanzhou, the river has completed two-thirds of its upper course and is no longer so turbulent—yet it flows swiftly enough to avoid silting up and changing course frequently like it does downstream. In Lanzhou, the Yellow River even turns clear blue in spring and winter. Locals have deep feelings for the river—they even use it as a directional reference. Roads along the river are called “Riverside Roads”; the north side is “North of the Yellow River,” the south is “South of the Yellow River.”
This major Northwestern city, connected westward to Qinghai, north to the Hexi Corridor, and east to the Hetao Plain by the Yellow River, is a typical immigrant city. Going back a few generations, Lanzhou people have absorbed locals from all over Gansu, as well as builders from across the country, who became Lanzhou people—and then Gansu people.
The long, narrow terrain—with two mountains sandwiching the river—makes Lanzhou a very compact city.
Unlike Xi’an, which carries the aura of an ancient capital deeply rooted in Shaanxi, Lanzhou retains many traces of outsiders who became Lanzhou locals.
The pattern of two mountains sandwiching a river has scattered Lanzhou's districts into a linear, narrow shape, much like Gansu itself. In Lanzhou's most bustling Chengguan District, besides Xiguan Cross and Zhangye Road, there is also a street called "Yizhichuan" (A Boat). It was once a sail-shaped cemetery in the late Qing Dynasty for southern sojourners, symbolizing their return to their homeland in spirit. Their descendants have long since integrated into Lanzhou.
The Xiaoxihu Park in Qilihe District is a legacy of a late Qing governor from Zhejiang who was homesick. In the old factory compounds of Xigu District, the elderly basking in the sun speak with varied southern and northern accents, a footnote to the era when Lanzhou was built up last century.
Each district of Lanzhou has its own distinct characteristics and cannot be generalized.
Lanzhou people are accustomed to mobility and farewells, which has shaped their open-minded, humorous, and easy-going character. Outsiders often ask Lanzhou people if they ride camels when they go out, but Lanzhou people don’t mind:
"Yes, we not only ride camels but also have the Jade-Faced Camel Rider."
Just like the students of Lanzhou University, who jokingly claim to have a camel driver’s license and often mock themselves for attending the loneliest university. In reality, Lanzhou University is the "low-profile master" among the 985 Project universities, with history, physics, and geography being its standout王牌 programs. These disciplines directly continue the academic legacy of renowned scholars who came to Lanzhou from other universities. The century-old Jishitang Library is a landmark of Lanzhou University’s scholarly spirit.
The magazine "Reader" originated in Lanzhou and has deep ties to Lanzhou University. Lanzhou people from all over the country gave a magazine born in Gansu a broad-minded and inclusive vision, and through frequent exchanges between Lanzhou people and the rest of the country, the magazine achieved a miracle of nearly 10 million monthly circulation in an era without mobile phones or computers. This story itself embodies the spirit of Lanzhou.
The flow of people between the Yellow River and the loess land has汇聚ed into Lanzhou, a seemingly突兀 hub of science, education, and culture in the northwest. When you watch TV, hosts like Shui Junyi, Zhang Tengyue, and Li Xiuping, who became childhood memories for countless viewers, are from Lanzhou.
Gansu's best high school, the Northwest Normal University Affiliated High School, is also in Lanzhou, with a 985 university admission rate of nearly 60%. Behind this is the cultural spark left by the relocation of Peking University, Beijing Normal University, and its affiliated high school during the War of Resistance Against Japan, as well as a microcosm of students from all over Gansu converging on Lanzhou.
Top: Lanzhou University students conducting an experiment in 1982.
Bottom: Qin Dahe on an expedition on the Western Sichuan Plateau in 1981. Photo courtesy of Lanzhou University.
Other key high schools in Lanzhou often originated from子弟 schools of industrial and mining enterprises like "Lanzhou Refinery" and "Lanzhou Chemical Industry." Compared to Lanzhou University, students prefer to apply to schools in Beijing or Shanghai, or at least Chengdu or Xi’an. For them, this may not necessarily be about seeing more of the world but rather completing a migration spanning three generations, returning to the hometown their grandparents spoke of.
Due to Lanzhou’s mobility and its current relative decline, its status as a cultural and educational hub in the northwest has ironically led to the loss of generations of outstanding students. Not only do high school students want to leave, but only one-third of Lanzhou University graduates stay in Gansu.
Note: The Yellow River here is not yellow at this point.
Just as the Yellow River flows out of Lanzhou but its water does not belong to Lanzhou, the people brought by population mobility do not all stay in Lanzhou. Isn’t Lanzhou a microcosm of a "fragmented" Gansu? People from Tianshui and Qingyang go to Xi’an. Some from Longnan go to Xi’an, others to Mianyang or Chengdu. And Lanzhou people are scattered all over the country.
However, the sense of漂泊 and loss in Lanzhou is not unique to Lanzhou or even Gansu. Lanzhou transcends its role as a provincial capital, becoming a microcosm of the rise and fall of China’s heavy industrial cities, especially those in the northwest.
Lanzhou: The Crossroads Carved by the Yellow River
Lanzhou is located on the transition zone of the Tibetan Plateau and the western end of the Loess Plateau. It is not east enough to have geographical advantages like Xi’an and become a center of civilization; nor is it west enough to face the Western Regions directly like Dunhuang, welcoming and sending off caravans of monks and merchants on the Silk Road, forming the most colorful cultures. But Lanzhou has no need to envy its neighbors.
Zoom out your perspective, and you will understand:
Without the Yellow River, there would be no Lanzhou.
Because China's three major natural divisions and four temperature zones converge here, Lanzhou is a natural crossroads. With Lanzhou as the center, all provincial capitals except Harbin can be connected by highway within 2,500 kilometers, making it the "center of China."
Xujiashan Forest Park in Chengguan District, Lanzhou.
Due to its unique geographical location, Lanzhou is the gateway to the Hexi Corridor and the transition zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the Loess Plateau. It is the northern extension of the ancient Tang-Tibet Road and the intersection of today's high-speed rail Lan (Xi) Guang Corridor and the Land Bridge Corridor (Longhai-Lanxin Line). Its position as a pivotal hub seems to hint at Lanzhou's destiny.
You could say she is ancient. As early as the Han Dynasty, when Huo Qubing fought the Xiongnu in the north, the legend of Wuquan Mountain was born. At the same time, the relatively calm section of the Yellow River in Lanzhou was chosen as a ferry to support the Han army. The fortress guarding the ferry, Jincheng, became the precursor to the city of Lanzhou. During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Ying, the fourteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Su and brought a large number of immigrants from the southeast, giving Lanzhou people a character that is not entirely typical of Gansu ever since.
Lanzhou is a railway hub in Northwest China.
Lanzhou people identify with this ancientness and take pride in Gansu's rich history, but they do not become arrogant. Just like how Lanzhou people not only do not get angry over the whimsical文创 products like the "Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow," but instead appreciate this sense of humor.
But she is actually very modern. Today's Lanzhou is a microcosm of China's modernization. The Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty did not leave out Lanzhou. The first iron bridge over the Yellow River was not in Zhengzhou or Jinan, but was completed in Lanzhou in 1909. This landmark of the city is affectionately called "Zhongshan Bridge" by Lanzhou people, or simply "the Iron Bridge."
The Zhongshan Iron Bridge, with over a hundred years of history, still allows pedestrians to cross the river.
During the War of Resistance against Japan, in addition to the scientific and educational institutions mentioned above, a large amount of capital, factories, engineers, and refugees were relocated to Lanzhou. The urban area of Lanzhou expanded more than tenfold during the war, making it one of the most important industrial cities in the northwest rear.
In 1953, the Longhai Railway was fully connected, allowing trains to travel directly from Lanzhou to Lianyungang in Jiangsu today. With the railway connection, mineral resources such as the Yumen Oil Field were successfully exploited, and Lanzhou became an energy transit hub and an industrial center in the northwest rivaling Xi'an. During the First Five-Year Plan, 8 of the nation's 156 key projects were located in Lanzhou.
The railway, going against the flow of the river, brought supporting enterprises and skilled workers from all over the country to Lanzhou. Shanghai, as an industrial and commercial center, had particularly close ties with Lanzhou. Enterprises that moved to Lanzhou even included pastry shops and barbershops. The one-sided hairstyle from Shanghai and sweet sticky cakes became fashionable for a time.
Lanzhou's population rapidly expanded from hundreds of thousands to over a million, and its industries covered various heavy industrial categories such as refining, steel, and nuclear industry. For a time, Lanzhou was unrivaled in the northwest. For example, the nuclear fuel for China's first atomic bomb came from Lanzhou's Factory 504.
The large chimneys of various enterprises are the memory of several generations of people in Xigu, Lanzhou.
Mineral resources will eventually be exhausted, and advanced productivity can also become excess capacity. As China's economic structure changes, Lanzhou, located deep inland with a fragile environment and a relatively small population, naturally slowed down. Even building a road can take many years.
Thus, during the heavy industry era, outsiders came to Lanzhou against the flow of the Yellow River and became Lanzhou people. Today, many Lanzhou people are leaving along the flow of the Yellow River, becoming wanderers.
Railways accelerate urban development but can also take away population.
The intense life on the loess by the Yellow River.
Some people leave Lanzhou, this central station of the northwest, but others will come. Lanzhou's population is still growing. She remains the most intense smoke and the warmest light between the deserts and solitary smokes of the great northwest.
The lively atmosphere of Lanzhou's night markets is always infectious.
The fertile muddy water of the Yellow River "naturalized" the white melon from America and the Yellow River honey with Mexican ancestry. They then spread from Lanzhou along the Hexi Corridor, becoming the sweetest memory of Gansu for the world. Lilies usually taste bitter, but Lanzhou lilies are an exception. Lanzhou people turned medicinal lilies into plump, white vegetables.
Lanzhou connects the Hexi Corridor's melon and fruit region with the warm-temperate fruit region of southeastern Gansu, serving as a distribution hub for Northwestern fruits. It seems that any fruit irrigated by Lanzhou's bitter Yellow River water accumulates a startling sweetness.
Why are Lanzhou's snacks the best in the Northwest? Because they are rooted in local ingredients while also bearing traces of the diverse influences brought by people passing through Lanzhou.
Grilling skewers next to meat stalls and drinking by the Yellow River—Lanzhou is brimming with vibrant life.
Fig 1: Zhengning Road Night Market. Photo/Yan Su
Fig 2: People drinking tea and beer by the river. Photo/Yang Wenjie
Fig 3: Shandan Chao Bolá, a snack from Nanguan Night Market. Photo/Yan Su
A bowl of "Niuda" (beef noodle soup) epitomizes Lanzhou's geographical significance: one clear (beef broth), two white (white radish), three red (Tianshui Gangu chili), four green (garlic sprouts), five yellow (beef)—all ingredients sourced from the surrounding loess lands. In this same bowl, you can detect the influence of Henan-style noodles, the skill of Hui Muslim chefs, and the carb-loaded nature of Northwestern cuisine, reflecting Lanzhou's role as a "shield for the Central Plains, a link to the Western Regions, and a hub spanning thousands of miles."
Most traditional Lanzhou foods follow this pattern: rooted in Northwestern flavors while incorporating ingredients and tastes from all over. For example, Lanzhou Zao Rou (fermented pork) reveals its Jiangnan origins without even taking a bite; Sanpaotai and Eight-Treasure Tea, paired with Northwestern mutton, blend Lanzhou’s Yongdeng bitter roses with longans from Lingnan, 5,000 miles away.
Of course, Lanzhou cuisine can also be modern, like sweet fermented grain milk tea, even edging into post-apocalyptic aesthetics. For instance, the once-extinct 504 ice cream was a side business of a nuclear plant and a sweet memory for two generations of Lanzhou residents. The inside joke about using nuclear centrifuges to make ice cream is something only Lanzhou locals understand.
Sanpaotai is a staple in the teacups of Lanzhou people.
Whether it's fruits or oil refineries, the people of Lanzhou—gathered from all directions—have built a city that feels the least Gansu-like of anywhere in Gansu, all while experiencing the most intense Northwestern lifestyle.
The Yellow River carries Lanzhou's sediment all the way downstream, eventually depositing it as new land along the coast. Lanzhou people share a similar fate: they come from Lanzhou, rush through life's torrents, perhaps returning home from elsewhere to become Lanzhou residents again, or perhaps wandering the world and bringing "Lanzhou" with them to distant lands.
Uncredited images | Visual China Group
Header image | Visual China Group
Cover image | Visual China Group