On the map, Lanzhou appears to lie very much in the middle of China - though this is a misleading impression. Culturally and politically it remains remote from the great cities of eastern China, despite being both the provincial capital and the largest industrial centre in the Northwest. Squeezed 1600 metres up into a narrow valley along the mighty Yellow River, it stretches out pencil-thin for nearly 30km. At the head of the Hexi Corridor, it was a vital stronghold along the Silk Road and was the principal crossing point of the river. For centuries it has been a transportation hub, first for caravans, then shallow boats and now rail lines. Not until the Communist era, however, did it become a large population centre as well, in response to the city's burgeoning industry. Now there are nearly three million people in Lanzhou, the vast majority of them Han Chinese.

Lanzhou is a pleasant place with an excellent museum , tasty food markets and busy downtown shopping areas. The Yellow River, running thick and chocolatey through the city against a backdrop of hills dim with mist and pollution, is one of China's classic sights, while the major historical and artistic attraction lies just beyond the city at the Bingling Si Buddhist Caves. Nearly all travellers on their way to or from Xinjiang will end up stopping in Lanzhou; it's worth staying the day.