Gansu Province, a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China, is abbreviated as “Gan” or “Long”, with Lanzhou as its capital. Located in northwest China, it connects Shaanxi to the east, reaches Xinjiang to the west, overlooks Sichuan and Qinghai to the south, controls Ningxia and Inner Mongolia to the north, and borders Mongolia at its northwestern end. As of September 2024, Gansu Province has 12 prefecture-level cities and 2 autonomous prefectures under its jurisdiction.
Gansu has a long and narrow terrain with complex and diverse landforms, and its terrain slopes from the southwest to the northeast. The climate includes four major types from south to north: subtropical monsoon climate, temperate monsoon climate, temperate continental arid climate, and alpine climate.
Gansu has a long history of development, dating back to the early Paleolithic Age. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the ancestors of the Qin people settled and originated in Gansu. In the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian made two diplomatic missions to the Western Regions, opening the Silk Road from Gansu. In the Yuan Dynasty, Gansu was established as a province for the first time.
Gansu is an important national ecological security barrier in the west, an energy base, and a strategic corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative, as approved by the State Council. Its economic pillar and distinctive feature is the secondary industry — industrial manufacturing. Rich in cultural heritage, Gansu is a birthplace of Chinese civilization, as well as a meeting point of agricultural civilization and nomadic civilization, and of Chinese civilization and world civilizations.
As of January 31, 2024, Gansu had a total of 469 A-level tourist attractions, including 7 national AAAAA-level scenic spots, 140 AAAA-level scenic spots, 255 AAA-level scenic spots, 66 AA-level scenic spots, and 1 A-level scenic spot. National key scenic areas include Maijishan Scenic Area, Kongtong Mountain Scenic Area, Mingsha Mountain–Crescent Spring Scenic Area, Guanshan Liantai Scenic Area, and others.
Among the 35 priority areas for biodiversity conservation designated in China, Gansu contains 7, with a total area of 140,400 square kilometers, accounting for 30.94% of the province’s total area. As of 2022, Gansu had a total of 233 nature reserves, covering approximately 14.603 million hectares, or 23.45% of the province’s land area. These include 2 national parks, 56 nature reserves (21 national and 35 provincial), 151 natural parks, and 24 scenic and historic areas.
Gansu is home to the following World Cultural Heritage sites:
The Great Wall (Gansu Section)
Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu
The Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor (5 sites in Gansu)