Zheyang Mountain Scenic Area

Travelers could take a coach from Lanzhou Coach Station (Address: No.286 Pingliang Road, Chengguan District) to Zhangxian County, which is 217 kms from Lanzhou (Coach Ticket: CNY28.00 for one way). Upon arrival in Zhangxian, hire a minibus to the Zheyang Mountain Scenic Area some 29 kms west of the county. Occupying an area of 36 kms, the scenic area consists of three sections including the West Brook (the primary zone), the East Brook and the Yimen Mountain. At the scenic spot, the steep cliff, deep gorge, ravine and waterfall can be seen everywhere and have formed particular landscape. (Admission fee: CNY10.00 per person)

Stay overnight in the Zhangxian County. (Recommended hotel: Zhangxian Jiaoyu/ Education Hotel; Address: Shangmao Street, Chengguan District; Telephone number: 0932-4862172)

The next morning, hire a minibus to visit the Guiqing Mountain Forest Park, which is 72 kms south of Zhangxian. The park covers an area of some 5333 acres and consists of two zones of the Guiqing Mountain and the Guiqing Gorge. Guiqing Moutain, 15 kms from south to north and 5 kms from east to west, ranges across 18 villages. There are almost 30 acres of planted firs with a thousand years of history. It is the most beautiful and natural spot on the Loess Plateau in the central area of Gansu Province. With a formation of limestone, Guiqing Mountain boasts a unique landscape of overlapping ridges, grotesque rocks and flourishing forests. (Admission fee: CNY20.00 per person) (Tips: The main route to Guiqing Mountain is as follows: county seat - Sizu - Shichuan - Caodihe - Maliandi - Lama Village - Guiqing forestry centre.)

Long March Memorial in Minxian County

Drive to the Minxian County after a full day's tour and stay one night in the county. (Recommended hotel: Minxian Zhengfu/ Government Hotel; Address No.112 Heping Road, Minyang District; Telephone number: 0932-7722456)

On the third day, hire a minibus to visit the Hadapu Old Town, which is 35 kms south of the Minxian county seat. Hadapu was praised as "the service station", the landmark and the turning point of the Long March in China's history. The Long March Memorial was built here in 1978 housing many rare historical relics. The former residences of Chairman Mao Zedong and Prime Minister Zhao Enlai can be visited here.

Take a coach from Minxian back to Lanzhou city. The whole journey is about 269 kms and the coach ticket costs around CNY52.00 per person. The best time to take this tour is summer and autumn.