Gansu (甘肃) · 12 places · 10 cities
12 places in Gansu, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Walled city (6), Old town (4), Old quarter of a city (2). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
2 places
Lanzhou (兰州)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Hekou Ancient Town (兰州河口古镇)A 600-year-old Yellow River port, the “first ferry of the upper Yellow River,” where merchants from Shanxi and Shaanxi built guild halls and warehouses in the Ming dynasty, with locals still eating beef noodles by the river.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Qingcheng Ancient Town (青城古镇)A 1,000-year-old Yellow River water town, once the “little Beijing of Gansu,” with 50+ Qing dynasty courtyard homes, a 300-year-old Confucian academy, and locals still growing tobacco and singing “Xiaoqu” opera in the alleys.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
2 places
Longnan (陇南)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Bikou Town (碧口镇)The “water wharf of Longnan”, a 1,000-year-old tea-horse trading town on the Bailong River, where Sichuan, Gansu, and Shaanxi merchants traded tea, salt, and horses, with old stone streets, a 200-year-old guild hall, and locals still drinking “Bikou tea” by the river.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Lixian Old Town (礼县老城)The actual birthplace of the Qin dynasty, a 3,000-year-old site where the Qin people rose to power, with the 2,800-year-old Dabuzi cemetery (the tombs of Qin’s early rulers), a 1,000-year-old Confucian academy, and locals still eating “Lixian noodles” in the old bazaar.Lived-in 68/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Baiyin (白银)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Yongtai Turtle City (永泰龟城)A 400-year-old Ming dynasty military fortress shaped like a golden turtle, described as the best-preserved ancient military city in China, with complete walls, 5 towers, a moat, and 100+ residents still living in mud-brick courtyard homes inside the walls, herding sheep in the surrounding desert.Lived-in 65/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Gannan (甘南)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Langmusi Town (郎木寺镇)A tiny Himalayan town split between two provinces and two monasteries, Sertri Monastery (Gansu) and Kirti Monastery (Sichuan) face each other across a stream. At 3,300m, 5,000 Tibetan nomads and monks live a 13th-century lifestyle: prostrating pilgrims, butter sculpture workshops, and nomads trading yak butter.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Jiuquan (酒泉)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Dunhuang Shazhou Night Market (敦煌沙州老城·沙州夜市)An oasis city on the Silk Road, a 2,100-year-old trading city where the Shazhou Night Market serves apricot skin tea and lamb skewers under the stars, with Mogao Caves just 25km away.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · well known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, busy |
1 place
Linxia (临夏)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Linxia Bafang Shisanxiang (临夏八坊十三巷)A living Hui neighbourhood, 5,000 Hui families who refused relocation, preserving 8 mosques and 13 alleys exactly as they were 600 years ago. Walk through mud-brick courtyards where grandmothers fry youxiang, men discuss scripture in tea houses, and 60 intangible heritage crafts (carved brick, embroidery, bronze) are still practiced in alley workshops.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Pingliang (平凉)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Jingchuan Old Town (泾川老城)A 2,000-year-old Silk Road Buddhist city, home to the 1,500-year-old Nanshan Grottoes (with a 20m seated Buddha), the only temple in China with verified Buddha relics (Dayun Temple, 694 AD), and locals still eating “Jingchuan noodles” in the old town.Lived-in 68/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Tianshui (天水)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Tianshui Xiguan Old City (天水西关古城·伏羲城·胡氏民居)The birthplace of Chinese civilization, a 2,700-year-old city where Fuxi (the mythical first ancestor of the Chinese people) is said to have been born.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Wuwei (武威)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Wuwei Liangzhou Old Town (武威凉州老城)The “Silver Wuwei”, a 2,100-year-old Silk Road city where the famous “Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow” (China’s tourism symbol) was unearthed, with a 1,500-year-old Confucian temple (listed as the largest in northwest China) and locals eating “three sets of carts” noodles.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Zhangye (张掖)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Zhangye Ganzhou Old Town (张掖甘州老城·大佛寺周边)The “Golden Zhangye”, a 2,100-year-old Silk Road oasis city with an indoor reclining Buddha listed as the world’s largest (34.5m, 1098 AD). The old town around Dafo Temple holds 50+ traditional alleys, a 400-year-old drum tower, and local residents eating beef noodles at dawn.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.