Gansu Wuwei｜The Forgotten Liangzhou, Where Grasslands, Snow Mountains, and Deserts Meet

To be honest, before setting foot on this land, I knew almost nothing about the name "Wuwei." It is not as famous as Dunhuang, nor as well-known as Lanzhou. But once you truly enter it, you discover that this small city, historically called "Liangzhou," hides such rich scenery—grasslands, snow mountains, and deserts intertwine here. The Kumarajiva Temple, Confucian Temple, and Tiantang Temple stand silently, where history and nature blend, making it a truly underrated travel destination. 🍂 Best Travel Season: We came during a crisp autumn holiday, with golden leaves and clear skies. However, locals say summer is the most beautiful season here, with endless green grasslands and clearly visible snow mountains. 🌟 Reasons to Recommend: Few people, beautiful scenery, no crowds, allowing you to truly calm down and enjoy the views. 🚗 Transportation: We chose to fly in and then rent a car for self-driving. There are also frequent high-speed trains between cities, making travel very convenient. 🍖 Food Recommendations: Be sure to try the local hand-pulled lamb; the meat is tender and not gamey. It was the most memorable meal of our trip. 🏨 Accommodation Suggestions: Wuwei offers many lodging options, affordable, clean, and comfortable. You can pick almost any place without much risk. 📸 Trip Highlights: 【Tianzhu: The Overlooked Treasure Town】 ▪️ Tianzhu Little Three Gorges: Along the way, you can see white yaks and sheep grazing leisurely, with picturesque scenery. Especially after entering the nature reserve, the scenery suddenly changes. Outside is still grassland, but inside it feels like stepping into another world, so beautiful it leaves you speechless. Your phone can’t capture even one percent of its shock. ▪️ Tiantang Temple: The temple is built against the mountain, majestic in scale. Come here to feel the peaceful atmosphere of Tibetan Buddhism; your soul will become calm. Spin the prayer wheels and listen to the bells ringing in the wind—that crisp sound is a rare experience. ▪️ Maya Snow Mountain: On the way to Wushaoling, there is a viewing platform called the "Snowy Great Wall," the best spot to admire Maya Snow Mountain. No need to climb hard; standing there you can take stunning snow mountain photos, truly the "best value for money." ▪️ Wushaoling: It takes about 40 minutes to reach the summit. The top is windy and cold in winter. Afternoon backlighting makes snow mountain photos less ideal, so morning visits are recommended. If you only want to photograph Maya Snow Mountain, the viewing platform on the road is enough; no need to climb to the top. But the summit is a check-in point at the junction of three major plateaus, and the endless grasslands along the hike are also very photogenic. 【Minqin: The Lonely City in the Desert】 ▪️ Tengger Desert: We visited the Desert Sculpture Park, which is closed in winter and almost deserted. On the county road, both sides are desolate Gobi desert, passing a huge dried salt lake along the way, with a desolate beauty. Renting a sandboard to play in the desert was especially fun, and we even found several uniquely shaped beautiful stones. 【Wuwei: The Starting Point of the Hexi Corridor】 ▪️ Confucian Temple: It takes about an hour to tour, offering deep insight into local cultural heritage. The scale is not very large; if you are not very interested in history and culture, it might feel a bit plain. ▪️ Western Xia Museum: Next to the Confucian Temple, it’s a good place to learn about Western Xia history and worth a visit. ▪️ Tiantianshan Grottoes: The mountain terrain along the way is very unique. Near Huangyang Reservoir, a real "Thousand-Mile Landscape Scroll" unfolds before your eyes, magnificent beyond words. Unfortunately, it was late when we passed by, so we couldn’t get off to take photos—the light dims after the afternoon. The roadside viewing platform is the best photo spot. The grottoes themselves are very impressive and can be seen in about an hour. We planned 6 days and 5 nights for this trip, but unfortunately, our child got sick midway, so we had to rest in the hotel for two days. The itinerary was quite tight, focusing only on Wuwei city and its surroundings. We didn’t have time to visit places like Kumarajiva Temple, Leitai, Haicang Temple, White Pagoda Temple, or Menyuan. If you have enough time, consider staying here a few more days. Slow down, and you can truly feel the charm of this small city.