This year's National Day, I originally planned to go to Tianshui, but plans always change. Since only my grandmother was left at home alone, I ultimately decided to take a short trip nearby and then return to take care of her. So, I changed my itinerary at the last minute and decided to go to Linxia.
Day 3 | Departing from Lanzhou New Area & Visiting Wetland Park#
I set off early in the morning to drop off my sister. After more than two hours of driving, we arrived at Zhongchuan Airport. Parking was tight at the airport, and it took us half an hour to find a spot. By the time my sister finished security, it was already half past eleven.
There isn't much to do in Lanzhou New Area. My brother-in-law recommended the shopping mall, Wetland Park, and Qinwangchuan Cultural and Creative Park. My wife liked the mall, but I wasn't interested; I had been to Qinwangchuan before and found it average. So, we decided to go to Wetland Park, even though the season wasn't quite right.
Wetland Park is large, and while the scenery is nice, it feels a bit desolate at this time of year. The tall reeds swaying in the wind reminded me of cornfields. There were hardly any people in the park, just a few, making us feel like we had the place to ourselves. After walking around, we felt there wasn't much novelty, so we discussed where to go next. My brother-in-law suggested that due to time constraints, we could go to Linxia since Tianshui was too far, and there were too many people, making it impossible to explore in detail.
Day 3 | First Experience at Liujiaxia Reservoir#
At three o'clock in the afternoon, we set off from the New Area directly to Linxia, first heading to Liujiaxia Reservoir.
Liujiaxia Reservoir is located upstream of the Yellow River and is China's first large hydropower project designed, constructed, and built by itself during the first five-year plan, completed in 1974. It is known as the "Pearl of the Plateau," not only for its spectacular scenery but also for its multifunctional capabilities in power generation, flood control, and irrigation.
We arrived at the reservoir around six o'clock, and it was my first time here. As a person from Gansu, I had never been to this magnificent place. In the dusk, the reservoir was tranquil and awe-inspiring, with shimmering water and distant plateau canyon scenery that filled me with reverence. As it was getting late, we didn't visit the nearby Bingling Temple; we just enjoyed the majestic view of the reservoir from the observation deck.
After a short rest, we continued our journey and arrived in Linxia Prefecture around eight o'clock, settled down, and prepared for the next day's itinerary.
Day 4 | Songming Rock & Flower Festival#
The next morning, we headed to Songming Rock.
Located in Hezheng County, it is one of the eight scenic spots of Hezhou, with an elevation of 2730 meters. Songming Rock is famous for its "Flower Festival," held from the 26th to the 28th of the fourth lunar month each year. During this time, local people and tourists gather here to enjoy the beautiful scenery while singing "Flower" folk songs, creating a lively atmosphere.
However, when we first arrived at Songming Rock, we made a funny mistake. We thought we had entered the scenic area, but after wandering around for a while, we found it was eerily quiet with hardly anyone around. Later, we realized we had mistakenly entered through the back door and parked at a dining area, wasting ten yuan on parking fees. Haha, it was a bit embarrassing.
At the official entrance of the scenic area, we found out that we needed to buy tickets. I followed my wife and her friend into the scenic area, only to be stopped by the staff: "Where's your ticket?" It was then that I realized we needed an entrance ticket, so I obediently went to buy a 45-yuan ticket. Although my wife saved me 90 yuan, it still left me a bit frustrated.
Once inside the scenic area, the hike up the mountain was quite exhausting, especially since the scenery along the way wasn't particularly special; the poplar trees on both sides looked especially solemn. Halfway up, I saw a sign and realized we had only walked halfway, and the highlights were still ahead. Gritting my teeth, I persevered and finally reached the top, but when I saw the temple there, I was too tired to continue. Had I known, I should have taken the sightseeing bus up.
After a short rest, we decided to take the sightseeing bus down the mountain, which cost ten yuan per person and was much more convenient.
Linxia Cuisine & Return Trip#
When we arrived in Linxia, how could we not try their specialty dish—hand-grabbed lamb? Due to time constraints, we locked onto "Ersha Hand-Grabbed" in Hezheng County through Meituan. After dinner, we hurried back home. We finally arrived home at eight-thirty in the evening, my eyes barely open, concluding this short trip to Linxia.
Although the trip wasn't long, the unique scenery and delicious food added a lot of color to this National Day.