As a travel blogger focused on industrial heritage, Silk Road history, and Gobi aesthetics, I have tailor-made a "Yumen 3 Days 2 Nights · Oil Memory ×

as a travel experience for you: a deep, niche journey of 'Oil Memory × Devil City Wonders × Ancient Road Camel Bells' — all within a budget of 4000 RMB (per person). Don’t think of "Yumen" as just a place name! This city, born from the "Jade Road" and the "cradle of the petroleum industry," is the birthplace of China’s first oil well, the real stage of the "lonely smoke rising straight in the vast desert" from the poem "Envoy to the Frontier," and a millennium-old gateway to Dunhuang and the Western Regions. Here you will find the silent Laojunmiao oilfield ruins standing on the wasteland, the red-gold Danxia and Yadan landforms sculpted by wind and sand, and the oasis villages under the Qilian Mountains. In three days and two nights, you will step into a frontier city sealed by time, touch the heartbeat of the republic’s industry in front of abandoned drilling rigs, gaze at the Milky Way pouring over the deserted Gobi, feel the vastness where "spring breeze does not pass," and hear the echoes deep in the years. This is not just a trip; it is a pilgrimage to the spiritual homeland of Western China. --- 🌵【Yumen 3 Days 2 Nights · Oil Homeland × Red-Gold Danxia × Gobi Secret Realm | Budget 4000 RMB】 📍 Destination: Yumen City, Gansu (Old City + New City combined) 📅 Duration: 3 days 2 nights 💰 Total Budget: about 3,960 RMB 🌟 Suitable for: Photography enthusiasts / Industrial study groups / History lovers / Gobi explorers / Niche travelers 📅 Best Season: May to September (pleasant climate), best for Danxia light and shadow in spring and autumn > ⚠️ Friendly reminder: Yumen is divided into "New City" and "Old City," with scattered attractions. Carpooling is recommended; some areas have weak signals, so please download offline maps in advance. --- ✅ Itinerary (Classic combo: Industry + Land + Road + Customs) --- Day 1: Arrive in Yumen → Visit Laojunmiao Oilfield "China’s Petroleum Starting Point" → Overnight in Chijin Town - 🚄 Transportation suggestions: - Depart from Lanzhou: - High-speed train to Yumen Station (New City) - Lanzhou → Yumen: about 4.5 hours, ticket price 198 RMB - (Round trip total 396 RMB) - 🚕 Yumen Station → Old City (Taxi about 80 RMB or carpool 60 RMB/person) - 🏡 Accommodation: Stay in quality guesthouse or budget hotel in Chijin Town ≈ 420 RMB/night × 2 nights = 840 RMB > 💡 Blogger Tips: Recommended to stay in Chijin Town, close to the Danxia scenic area and cost-effective! - 🕰 Afternoon itinerary: - Laojunmiao Oilfield Scenic Area (China’s first oil well) - Drilled in 1939, birthplace of New China’s petroleum industry - Highlights: 1. Check in at the "No.1 Well Monument" and "Iron Man Wang Jinxi" statue🪖 2. Visit Yumen Oilfield Exhibition Hall to learn about the "Oil Battle" 3. Photograph abandoned drilling rigs with Gobi background for "industrial ruin aesthetics"📸 4. Listen to the guide tell stories of "camel oil transport" - Admission: Free (registration required for exhibition hall) - Visit duration: about 2 hours - 🌆 Evening: - Head to Chijin Town for check-in and dinner - 🍽 Dinner recommendations: - Chijin Donkey Meat Restaurant (local old brand) - Must-try TOP3: 1. Braised donkey meat 2. Handmade fish balls 3. Sweet embryo milk tea - Average cost about 70 RMB per person --- Day 2: Explore Chijin Gorge Danxia → Hike Petroleum River Canyon → Return to shoot Gobi sunset > ⭐️ Today’s keywords: Earth palette × Industrial river × Beauty of solitude ✅ Morning departure: - 🚌 Taxi or carpool to Chijin Danxia geological belt (unofficial scenic spot, niche secret) - 🏜 Chijin Danxia landform - Formed in the Jurassic period, colorful like burning flames🔥 - Highlights: 1. Walk through the canyon, see red sandstone layers stacked like pages 2. Photograph the unique view of "Chijin River cutting through Danxia"📸 3. Search for ancient plant fossil traces 4. If weather is clear, enjoy distant snow mountain views - Admission: None (wild scenic spot, be cautious) - Visit duration: about 3 hours ✅ Afternoon itinerary: - 🚶‍♂️ Hike Petroleum River canyon section - Former oilfield transport route, now an ecological restoration area - Along the river, see old railway bridges, abandoned pumping stations, and other relics - Shoot a theme of "industrial civilization coexisting with nature" - Visit duration: about 2 hours - 🌇 Evening on return: - Stop by the G312 National Highway Gobi beach to shoot the sunset - Recommended spot: open area + silhouette of power poles - Capture the poetic scene of "lonely smoke rising straight in the vast desert"🌅 - 🍜 Dinner: - Return to Yumen New City for dinner - Recommended: Lao Ma Noodle Shop (rich beef broth) - Average cost about 65 RMB per person --- Day 3: Visit Yumen Museum → Buy local specialties + Gobi souvenirs before departure > ⭐️ Today’s keywords: Historical sediment × Civilization marks × Harvest journey ✅ Morning itinerary: - 🚶‍♂️ Taxi to Yumen City Museum (new building, free admission) - 🏛 Yumen City Museum - Exquisitely displayed, systematically sorting Silk Road and petroleum dual threads - Highlights: 1. "Jade from Kunlun" exhibit: interpreting the origin of the "Jade Road" 2. Han dynasty bamboo slips and frontier document replicas 3. Petroleum industry development special exhibition 4. Western Region artifacts: Sogdian pottery figurines, bronze camel bells, etc. - Visit duration: about 1.5 hours - 🛍 Then head to Yumen agricultural specialty market - Recommended shopping list: - 🍇 Yumen goji berries, raisins, red dates - 🍯 Gobi honey melon dried fruit, cistanche powder, black goji berries - 🧋 Sweet embryo instant packs, apricot peel tea - 🎴 Petroleum-themed postcards, Danxia landform bookmarks, camel bell pendants - Budget suggestion: 400 RMB for a full haul ✅ Relaxed afternoon return: - ⏰ End trip before 13:00, taxi to Yumen Station for return --- 💰 Budget overview (per person) | Item | Cost | |------|------| | Round-trip high-speed train (Lanzhou↔Yumen) | 396 RMB | | Local transportation (bus + taxi + carpool) | 300 RMB | | Accommodation (2 nights quality hotel) | 840 RMB | | Tickets + experiences | 0 RMB (all free or low cost) | | Meals (3 days including specialty meals) | 495 RMB | | Emergency funds (water, snacks, medicine) | 200 RMB | | Souvenirs and gifts | 400 RMB | | Optional expenses (souvenirs, drinks) | 320 RMB | 🟰 Total: about 3,960 RMB (perfectly controlled under 4000) --- 📝 Travel Blogger Tips: 1. Safety reminders: - Chijin Danxia is undeveloped; do not go deep into the canyon - Gobi has large temperature differences; bring enough drinking water and sun protection 2. Dressing guide: - Large temperature difference between day and night; recommend onion-style layering - Wear anti-slip hiking shoes; some terrain is gravel slopes 3. Photography tips: - Danxia colors are most saturated in morning front light - Use polarizing filter to reduce glare and enhance texture - If conditions allow at night, try long exposure of the Milky Way (low light pollution) 4. Off-peak travel: - Avoid holidays - Almost no one on weekdays, suitable for quiet creation 5. Special recommended apps: - Download "One Phone Tour Gansu" for cultural and museum reservations - Use "Ovi Maps" to check wild scenic spot coordinates --- ✨ In one sentence summary: Yumen is a city that must be walked with "respect." It’s not on popular lists, but it hides China’s industrial origins and Silk Road soul. Three days can’t cover its depth, but enough to remember the fiery Danxia glance, the rich taste of donkey meat, and the guide’s words: "The wind that blows here once pushed the fate of a nation."