Lanzhou Travel Guide
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Gansù Province, 665km (412 miles) W of Xi'an, 514km (319 miles) SW of Yínchuan
This was once the point where the Silk Routes crossed the Yellow River; however, whatever charms the old town possessed were buried long ago. In 1998, Lánzhou won the title of the planet's most polluted city by a considerable margin (Chinese towns filled 7 of the top 10 places). This dubious distinction led to humorous attempts to rectify the problem -- one entrepreneur got backing for a scheme to knock a hole in the surrounding mountains to "open the window" on Lánzhou's smog. Alas, after 18m (20 yd.) of leveling, and much talk of villas and technology parks, this grand dream of moving the mountain ended when planners discovered that Lánzhou was hemmed in, not by one mountain, but by 24km (15 miles) of mountains. Plans to convert the city's largest polluter -- a coal-fired power station -- to natural gas also fell through when the German partner found that the numbers didn't add up.
Lánzhou offers a glimpse of what lies further northwest, but there are few reasons to linger. The museum is worth a look, and the town is a comfortable base for trips south to Binglíng Sì, Xiàhé, and Lángmùsì. But your first action should be to book a ticket out of town.
