Wuwei Travel Guide: Discover the Historical City of Liangzhou

Wuwei is a famous historical city in Gansu, China. Its location on the eastern side of Hexi Corridor made it an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. It was once named Liangzhou, has appeared in hundreds of ancient Chinese poems that praised its natural beauty. Wuwei City is now a popular destination on Silk Road tours for its rich culture and history.

Why Travel to Wuwei?

Ancient historical sites: Wuwei has a long and fascinating history due to its location. You’ll have the chance to see ancient tombs, temples, pagodas,and some of the best attractions on the Silk Road.
Natural beauty: Explore the earliest grottoes in China, Tiantishan Grottoes. Go for a hike in Binggou Danxia Scenic Area for the breathtaking Danxia landform. Apart from mountains, valleys, and rivers, you’ll also find desert parks when you travel to Wuwei.
Unique culinary delights: Local delicacies like lamb skewers, Liangzhou roast beef, and traditional noodles, will definitely be a highlight of your trip to Wuwei. They are an essential part of the local culture and identity.

Chinese: 武威 wǔ wēi

Location: Central Gansu

Population (urban area): 1,443,000

Top Wuwei Tourist Attractions

Tiantishan Grottoes

Tiantishan Grottoes are the earliest grottoes built in China, during East Jin and the 16 Kingdoms Period, over 1,600 years ago. There are 3 layers of grottoes with 17 shrines and over 100 statues of Buddha.

Leitai Tomb of Han Dynasty

Leitai Tomb is a large tomb complex from Han Dynasty. It is famous for the large number of relics and artifacts unearthed here. Among them, the Flying Horse of Gansu, or the Bronze Galloping Horse, is the most renowned.

Confucian Temple in Wuwei

Confucian Temple is a large architectural complex built in Ming Dynasty dedicated to Confucius. The highlights are its architecture, cultural heritage, and a collection of relics.

Baita Temple

Baita Temple is beautiful landmark in Wuwei, as well as a popular place of worship for Buddhist, Daoist, Confucianist followers. This ancient temple is unique in architecture, centered around a white pagoda.

Top Things to Do in Wuwei

Binggou Danxia Scenic Area

Binggou Danxia Scenic Area in Qilian Town, Tianzhu is famous for its grasslands, mountain lakes, springs, and forests. Visit this Tibetan County in Wuwei and find the heaven on earth. Take a hike among the forests. Walk about the boundless Indian aster grassland, the largest in the world. In the winter, the mountains will be covered in snow.

Xixia Museum

Wuwei Xixia Museum is a history museum of Western Xia Dynasty. It houses a large collection of relics and artifacts, showcasing aspects like agriculture, pottery, textile, transportation, trade, and so on.

Minqin Desert Park

Minqin county might not be well-known internationally but is definitely one of the best places to stop by for your Gansu Wuwei trip. There are desert activities in the day. And at night, it is a famous spot for star gazing. You can camp overnight in one of the tents. There is also a large desert sculpture exhibition. 132 sculptures scatter across the golden sand against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.

Flavors of Wuwei City

Wuwei cuisine is pretty typical of western China but with special touch of local traditions. Lamb skewers are a classic, with lamb meat marinated in a blend of spices and grilled till smoky. They are popular at night markets among locals and visitors.

If you’re not one for lamb, Liangzhou roast beef is a signature dish of Wuwei. It is renowned for its tenderness and rich flavors. The beef is carefully seasoned and slow cooked with broth. Noodles are an important culinary heritage of Wuwei. Lutian noodles are hand-pulled noodles made of wheat flour. They come in a savory broth with an array of toppings.

Best Time to Visit Wuwei

Gansu weather varies across seasons. The best time to travel to Wuwei is during spring and autumn. Spring, from April to June, is pleasant with blooming flowers and lush greens. Autumn, from September to November, has comfortable temperatures and beautiful leaves of the fall. Summers and winters can have extreme temperatures.

How to Get to and Around Wuwei

By Flight

The nearest airport to Wuwei city is Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport. From there, you can take a train to Wuwei or catch a bus for about 3 hours.

By Train

You can take a train from many cities across China to Wuwei Railway Station located in Chengguan Town, including Beijing, Urumqi, Dunhuang, Xi’an, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Lanzhou. The station is only about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the city center. You can take a taxi to your destination. Wuwei East Railway Station is further away (about 8 km) but has bullet trains.

By Bus

There are also buses to Wuwei from nearby cities like Lanzhou. It is cheap but not the most convenient mode of transportation.

Getting Around in Wuwei

Wuwei is not a large city, so it’s easy to get around by taxi with pretty low fares. There are also plenty of public bikes and scooters scattered around the city.