Gansu Tianshui travel guide, Tianshui attractions and delicacies all at once!

Tianshui is an amazing place! Wow. It is said to be the birthplace of Fuxi and Nuwa, known as the "Hometown of Emperor Xi"; the birthplace of Bagua, known as the "Capital of Yi Studies"; the birthplace of early Qin culture; and the earliest place to build a city or county in Chinese history. There is the "Maijishan Grottoes", one of the four major grottoes in China, and the only Fuxi Temple in China with a statue of Fuxi.

However, this incredible place does not have much presence among many cities in northwest provinces. But this is a place rich in fruits, unique niche food, and has a long history. After going to Tianshui, you will find that this is not only a city with a history of more than 8,000 years, but also a treasure house of delicious food.

 

about

Tianshui is a national historical and cultural city with four distinct seasons, pleasant climate and rich products. It is known as the "Little Jiangnan" in the northwest. At the same time, there are many cultural relics and historic sites in the territory, and there are 169 national and municipal key protected cultural relics. Among them, the Dadiwan site preserves a large number of early Neolithic Age and Yangshao cultural treasures; the Maijishan Grottoes, one of the four major grottoes in China, is known as the "Oriental" "Sculpture Hall" has more than 7,730 ancient Buddhas from different periods, and together with Daxiang Mountain, Shuilian Cave, Lhasao Temple, Muti Temple, etc., it forms the "Grotto Art Corridor" in the eastern section of the ancient Silk Road.

Tianshui is located in the southeast of Gansu Province, adjacent to the Guanzhong Plain. It is an important node city in the Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration. Tianshui was once named Shanggui, Chengji, and Qinzhou. It is said to be the birthplace of Fuxi and Nuwa, one of the important cradles of Chinese civilization, and is known as the "Hometown of Emperor Xi".

Tianshui City has jurisdiction over 2 districts and 5 counties, with a total area of ​​14,325 square kilometers and a total population of 3.829 million, including 3.3549 million permanent residents (2018).

Tianshui has a long history. It is the birthplace of the Qin people and early Qin culture. It has a written history of more than 3,000 years and a city construction history of more than 2,700 years. In 688 BC, the Qin State established Gui County and Ji County here, which is the first city construction in Chinese history. The earliest place in the county.

 

Attractions

"Maijishan Grottoes"

The Maiji Mountain Grottoes are located in Xiaolong Mountain, 30 kilometers southeast of Maiji District, Tianshui City. It is named "Maiji Mountain" because the mountain looks like a farmer's wheat stack. Together with Dunhuang, Longmen and Yungang, it is known as the four major grottoes in China.

The Maijishan Grottoes were first built in the Later Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms. After more than ten dynasties including the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, they were excavated and repaired for more than 1,600 years. The existing cave niches are now 221, 3938 pieces and 10632 statues of various types, and 979.54 square meters of murals.

Against the backdrop of the surrounding mountains, Maiji Mountain is an independent peak. Most of the caves and niches are excavated on cliffs with a height of 20-80 meters and a width of about 200 meters. The caves are connected by suspended planks. The highest position has 12 floors. There are many, so there is a folk saying of "twelve niche frames". 5A level scenic spot.

Generally, there are two routes to visit the grottoes:

Emergency Line 1: Entrance east gate, via 168 stone steps, Cave 3, Cave 4, Cave 5, overpass, Cave 98, Cave 191, and the west cliff exit.

Emergency Line 2: Entrance East Gate, via Cave 9, Cave 13, Cave 15, Cave 43 (Special Cave), Cave 44 (Special Cave), Central Passage, Cave 78 (Special Cave), Cave 74 (Special Cave) , Cave 94, Cave 191, and the west cliff exit.

Tickets: All 90 RMB, including the entire Maiji Mountain Scenic Area; round trip by sightseeing bus: 15 RMB; one way by sightseeing bus: 8 RMB

"Fuxi Temple"

Formerly known as Taihao Palace, commonly known as Renzong Temple, it was built in the 19th to 20th years of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1483-1484). It has been renovated nine times to form a large-scale building complex. It is the only one in China with a statue of Fuxi. Fuxi Temple. The courtyards of Fuxi Temple are complex and interconnected, with four courtyards leading into them, which are vast and deep. There are 10 ancient buildings in the temple including the theater building, archway, gate, Yimen, Xiantian Hall, Taiji Hall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and Laihe Hall; there are 6 new buildings including the court room, stele gallery, and exhibition hall. There are 76 rooms in total. In Tianshui, it is said that the sixteenth day of the first lunar month is the birthday of Fuxi. According to tradition, people have to go to Fuxi Temple to "chaorenzong". This is the Fuxi Temple Fair, which is grand and grand. On this day every year, Tianshui people worship Fuxi, the ancestor of humanities, look up to the simple, honest and kind face of the "human ancestor", recall the distant and glorious history of the Chinese nation, remember the great achievements of the ancestor of humanities who launched Chinese civilization, remember the kindness of the ancestor, and carry forward Fuxi. culture. 4A level scenic spot.

Ticket price: 40 yuan/person

"Hu's Folk Residence" (Tianshui Folk Museum)

Hu's residence is the private residence of Hu Laijin, a member of the Qinzhou Juren, Shanxi's deputy envoy, and Yanmen military commander in the Ming Dynasty. It was founded during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Hu's residence is a courtyard house, it is different from the Beijing courtyard house. There are eight existing buildings, one hanging flower gate and three screen walls. The main hall and courtyard of the main building were originally built in the Ming Dynasty, and the rest were renovated in the Qing Dynasty. It is the most complete Ming Dynasty residence in Tianshui City currently.

Tickets: free of charge

"Wushan Water Curtain Cave"

Located in the Bell Tower Mountain Canyon about 25 kilometers northeast of Wushan County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province, Shuiliandong is a natural rock cave about 50 meters high and more than 20 meters deep. There is a constant trickle in the cave all year round. On rainy days, the eaves of the cave flow down like a curtain of water. Therefore, Got its name. It now includes Lazao Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Xian Sheng Pond, and Shuilian Cave. It is a group of grottoes second only to the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui. It is also a Buddhist art resort on the southern route of the ancient "Silk Road" in the upper reaches of the Wei River. The scenic spot has the largest open-air cliff relief in Asia, the Great Buddha of Lhasa Temple. Currently, there are more than 100 statues from past dynasties, more than 2,000 square meters of murals, more than 10 buildings, 8 stupas, 10 inscriptions and inscriptions. 1 mummified head. It is a famous tourist attraction in Tianshui City. 4A level scenic spot.

Tickets: 30 yuan/person, sightseeing bus round trip 10 yuan/person

"Nanguo Temple"

Located 2 kilometers south of Tianshui City, it is named after it is located south of Tianshui City. It is a rare temple facing south and facing north. It is one of the eight scenic spots in Tianshui and is known as the "Nanshan Ancient Cypress". The temple has been built for more than a thousand years and has been a tourist attraction for poets and poets of all ages. Du Fu, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty in China, wrote more than 100 hymns when he lived in Qinzhou (today's Qinzhou) in 759 AD. Nanguo Temple is a large-scale temple. It is divided into three courtyards: West, Middle and East. The West courtyard is the main courtyard, with Buddha statues of different shapes. Most of the temples with different architectural styles are concentrated here, and each hall has a Buddha statue. There is a 2,500-year-old three-pronged cypress in the main hall. It is the third longest-lived ancient tree in China. The amazing thing is that there is a branch to the south of this tree with dark frosty skin, as dry as firewood, reaching into the sky, but the top is still young and full of branches and leaves; the branch to the northwest is withered; the branch to the north is skillfully placed on the branches of a locust tree. What is even more magical is that A black egg tree (hackberry) with a chest measuring 108 centimeters lives in the split dry trunk, dependent on the old tree. 4A level scenic spot.

Tickets: Normally 20 yuan.

"Tianshui City Museum"

Tianshui City Museum was established in 1979. It is a comprehensive historical museum at the prefectural and municipal levels. It currently has 34,504 collections of various types, including precious collections such as bronze lords of the Western Zhou Dynasty and hunting portrait tiles of the four gods of the Han Dynasty.

"Jade Spring View"

Yuquan Temple, commonly known as Chengbei Temple, also known as Chongning Temple, is located at the foot of Tianjing Mountain in the north of Qinzhou District, Tianshui City. It is about 1 kilometer away from the city center square, with Qingshan Mountain in the north and Zhoucheng in the south. Altitude 1230 meters. It got its name because there is a jade spring with crystal clear water and sweetness on the mountain. When Liang Gongbi, the emperor of Qinzhou in the Yuan Dynasty, recited the sentence "The northern suburbs of the mountain temple, there is a famous mountain with jade spring" when he built the temple.

Yuquan Temple covers an area of ​​more than 90,000 square meters, and most of the existing buildings were rebuilt during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The view is close to the city wall, rising along the mountain, and built along the ravines, cliffs and terraces. Inside the Yuquan Temple is the "Yuquan Fairy Cave", one of the eight scenic spots in Qinzhou, which is said to be the place where the immortals of Lu, Liang and Ma were buried. Every year on the ninth day of the first lunar month, there is the Yuquan Temple Fair, which the locals call "Chaoguan". It is now a 4A-level scenic spot.

Ticket: 20 yuan

"Gangu Elephant Mountain"

Gangu Daxiang Mountain is located on Wenqi Mountain at the western end of Qinling Mountains, 2.5 kilometers southwest of Gangu County, Tianshui City. From the stone steps at the foot of the mountain to the top, it has a total length of 1.5 kilometers and covers an area of ​​about 640 acres. It is one of the important cultural relics in southeastern Gansu Province on the ancient Silk Road that integrates grottoes and ancient buildings.

The Daxiangshan Grottoes are one of the eight scenic spots in Gangu. On both sides of the Daxiangshan Grottoes are long corridors, like a belt, built against the mountain. There are twenty-two cave niches in existence, most of which are nearly square in plan. There is a large round arched niche on the front wall, a high altar base, and a Zen cave for monks to practice. This is a special feature of the Elephant Mountain cave niche and is rare in the country.

The Gangu Buddha is a semicircular stone clay sculpture, 23.3 meters high, 9.5 meters wide at the shoulders, 5.8 meters high at the head, and 6 meters long at the knees. Its tall and majestic shape is breathtaking, and its cultural characteristics can be regarded as an artistic masterpiece that perfectly combines Western decorative sculptures and Chinese freehand sculptures.

According to research, the Buddhist statues in Gangu can be traced back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, and they have gone through four dynasties for more than 300 years.

Ticket: 30 yuan

"Fengshan Scenic Area"

Qin'an County Fengshan Scenic Area is located on Fengshan Mountain in the east of Qin'an County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province. It mainly consists of Fengshan Forest Park, Taishan Temple, and Qinglian Buddhist Hall. On December 31, 2015, the Gansu Provincial Tourism Attractions Quality Grade Assessment Committee organized on-site inspection scores, expert scores and public announcements. Ten scenic spots including Qin'an Fengshan Scenic Area in Tianshui City have reached the national 4A-level tourist attraction standards and are now approved.

"Zhangjiachuan Returning to Hometown Scenic Area"

Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County is the only Hui inhabited area in southeastern Gansu. However, the formation of the Hui inhabited area was mainly due to the failure of the Hui people in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in their anti-Qing struggle during the Tongzhi period of Muzong of the Qing Dynasty (1862-1874). After the officers and soldiers were resettled in Zhangjiachuan, a Hui settlement area was formed.

Tianshui Zhangjiachuan Returning Home Style Garden is the only garden building in China that integrates Hui culture and Islamic culture. It is also the only garden currently showing the "two major cultures" to the world through landscape form. From the conceptual layout to the overall structure, from the architectural form to the display content, the park buildings comprehensively display the splendid and colorful excellent traditional culture of the Hui people, embody the Islamic core values ​​of broad tolerance and peace, and serve as a basis for promoting and inheriting national culture, enhancing urban taste, and improving local Human settlements play an important role.

 

gourmet food

What can I say about Tianshui’s food? It has both the characteristics common to the northwest region and the unique features of Tianshui.

Guagua

To Tianshui people, Guagua is like beef noodles to Lanzhou people. It is known as "the best food in Qinzhou". It was first produced in the Western Han Dynasty and was made from the starch of buckwheat, a local specialty. It is famous for its fragrant, spicy, creamy and soft taste.

When it comes out of the pan, it looks like a big springy pudding. When eating, cut off a small piece with a knife, and then crush it directly with your hands. Then top it with soulful spicy oil and mix it with sesame sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic paste and other condiments. It tastes glutinous, spicy and soft. People in Tianshui eat guagua every day. The most numerous guagua shops and stalls on the street are not found anywhere else. "Quagua" is actually "Cookba" in Tianshui dialect, which is the nostalgia of Tianshui people.

"Always Remember Guagua"

Every city has a snack bar where locals go from snacking to eating, and Chang Jie has such an existence in Tianshui. This is the most famous time-honored Gua Gua store in Tianshui. It has been open for more than 40 years, and there are many people queuing up from morning to night every day. Please arrive early to eat Gua Gua here, as it is almost sold out by the afternoon.

There is also a hot lard box outside the store in the morning. Order a bowl of guagua with a lard box, plus a bowl of almond tea or poached egg soup. It's delicious.

Address: Store No. 1, Antique Pedestrian Street, Qingnian South Road, Qinzhou District

嘘嘘

It is potato flour, made from potato starch and soy sauce. After it is cooked, cut it into pieces. The seasonings are the same as Guagua. Chili oil, sesame paste, garlic water, vinegar and other seasonings are common combinations. It's just that the taste is different from Guagua's softness.

jelly

Liang Fen is like starting a super transformation form in Tianshui. Here, jelly is both a staple food and a snack. Buckwheat noodles, pea noodles, potato starch, different starches condense into different colors. Different cutting methods produce different flavors and names.

The long strip scraped off with a colander in a circular motion is called "Laolao", and the long strip scraped off with a knife along the edge is called "Zhiqiao". The eating methods are similar, but the taste is completely different. There is nothing unpalatable that I have tried.

At the morning market at the intersection of Qiaonan Road, there is a jelly stall that has been operating for more than 20 years, and many regular customers visit it every day.

dough

In addition to jelly, Tianshui also has a variety of equally dazzling dough and rolled dough.

lard box

The locals call it palace snacks. It was modified on the basis of the "Lard Pastry", a palace snack in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that in the early Qing Dynasty, as the Manchus immigrated to Tianshui, Gansu Province, lard boxes slowly spread in Tianshui.

The lard box is also Tianshui’s exclusive breakfast. When the flour touches the lard, the taste is really unbeatable! Walking on the streets in the early morning, I smelled the intoxicating aroma of burnt lard before I even saw it. When I walked to the stall, a frying pan was frying lard boxes, and a cooking pot was cooking poached egg soup.

A lard box, a bowl of poached egg soup, the aroma of oil, carbohydrates, protein, and soup can satisfy all your breakfast fantasies.

The lard box in Tianshui is a reason worth getting up early for.

Momo

The steamed buns in Tianshui are beyond imagination! Even a bald steamed bun with nothing added is better than countless people in the world. Tianshui steamed buns are served with Tianshui special cold dishes, which is endless.

In addition to soft steamed buns, Tianshui also has a variety of "fancy buns" that are baked, fried, and added with turmeric, almonds, and pastry. They are all placed together. If I don’t buy one when I pass by, I feel sorry for myself and such fragrant steamed buns.

pot catfish

Guo zou means tadpole in Tianshui dialect. Because this kind of pasta looks like a small fish, it is also called "noodle fish". Most of them are made from buckwheat and cornmeal. After being shaped and placed in water, they really look like tadpoles. The taste of pot catfish is similar to that of Sichuan cold shrimp, which can be "spicy", "sour" or "sweet". In the words of a friend from Tianshui: In the summer, two bowls of die are too beautiful.

slurry water surface

In the northwest, eating noodles is also a top priority. People in Tianshui will feel flustered if they don't eat noodles for a day. Their loyalty and love for each other are soaked in the bowls of slurry noodles, beef noodles, saozi noodles, braised noodles and rubbed fish noodles.

People in Tianshui not only love the spicy taste of Youlazi, but they also taste sour. The slurry noodles are made from fermented slurry of vegetables that have been pickled for three to five days. After cooking the noodles, a large spoonful of sauerkraut is added, which is so sour.

beef noodles

Lanzhou's beef noodles are the most delicious in the world. In Tianshui, 300km away from Lanzhou, the standard of beef noodles is also maintained quite high. After eating too much jelly and guagua, it is also very exciting to change your taste and have a bowl of beef noodle soup or beef noodles made exactly as you like.

People in the northwest love to eat garlic. One mouthful of noodles and one mouthful of garlic is the correct way to eat noodles.

flat food

Tianshui's flat food and wontons are similar in appearance, but the contents of the package are quite different. Bianshi is vegetarian, usually stuffed with vegetables and tofu, just like the big wontons in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. There is a soup method, but the locals prefer to mix it dry, add minced meat, shredded eggs, shredded kelp, and finally pour a big spoonful of spicy oil. This is a bowl of flat food that Tianshui people with a soul love.

"Happy Noodle House (Foolish Chef's Flat Food)"

The most famous local flat food restaurant is a bit difficult to find in an alley, but there is an endless stream of people coming here to look for food. I have been making only one bowl of flat food for more than ten years. It tastes great and the portion is huge.

Address: No. 11, Jiaotong Lane, Qinzhou District

Cai Jia Mo

In the northwest, where you can use steamed buns to sandwich everything, Tianshui's best choice for steamed buns is "vegetarian dishes." There are many vegetable steamed bun stalls on the streets of Tianshui. The steamed buns are all freshly baked. The freshly baked steamed buns are crispy on the outside and extremely soft on the inside.

Green peppers, shredded radish, shredded potatoes, shredded kelp, shredded mustard, pickles, etc. are arranged in a row, and you can add them as you like. The hot steamed buns are filled with refreshing vegetarian dishes, which is very satisfying after one bite.

Cooked Chopped Entrails Of Sheep

Haggis is a late-night snack that can be seen everywhere on the streets of Tianshui. A bowl of haggis with clear soup, some garlic sprouts, some chili, and a steamed bun is the most authentic way to eat it.

After a tiring day and night, the satisfying feeling warms your heart and stomach and ensures you a good night's sleep.

Malatang powder

Malatang is eaten all over the country, but the Malatang in Tianshui is particularly bold and served in big pots.

Malatang here is eaten as a meal. Unlike other places where the Malatang is soupy and watery, the Malatang in Tianshui is cooked first and then seasoned in a pot without soup. People in Tianshui usually add a thick vermicelli when eating Malatang. It feels like they add those side dishes just for the noodles.

As soon as we get off work, the business at the Malatang noodle stall is particularly good. On the hustle and bustle of the roadside, amidst the bustle of people, a large pot of delicious Malatang filled with spicy noodles and vegetables is the best. of healing.

Milk and egg fermented glutinous rice

I have eaten milk and egg glutinous rice in Lanzhou, Xi'an, Xining, and all over the northwest, but maybe you will eat the most delicious milk and egg glutinous rice on the roadside in Tianshui.

Boil milk, glutinous rice, raisins and other nuts together. After boiling, pour the egg liquid into it and sprinkle with sesame seeds. It will be fragrant and smooth.

Longchang Road in front of Tianshui Railway Station is simply a food street. Go west and get close to Anning Lane, where many vendors gather at night. Within just a few hundred meters, there are barbecue stalls, haggis stalls, spicy noodle stalls, barbecue stalls, vegetable steamed bun stalls, and fruit stalls. As soon as it gets dark, stall owners and people looking for food gather here consciously. There are many choices and the food is cheap. You can eat a full meal for 10 yuan, and you can have a feast for 50 yuan.

Of course, there are also fruits from Tianshui, such as cherries, apricots, Huaniu apples, etc.

 

Strategy

Play:

1. Tianshui—Fuxi Temple—Hu’s House—Maijishan Grottoes—Tianshui
   A classic one-day tour of Tianshui. It is recommended to start around 8:30. It takes about 1.5 hours to visit Fuxi Temple, then it takes almost 1 hour to see the Tianshui Museum, and then visit Hu Family House takes about 1 hour. After lunch, go to Maijishan Grottoes , which takes about 3.5 hours. Then return to Tianshui.
2. Tianshui—GanguDaXiangshan Grottoes—WushanShuiliandong Lashao Temple—Tianshui
   If you have enough time, you can take this route the next day. It takes about 1 hour to drive to Gangu Elephant Mountain and about 2.5 hours to visit. Then go to Wushan Shuiliandong for fun, which lasts about 2 hours. There are buses.