Category: Parks

WESTERN JOY PARADISE

05/11/2009

Xībù Huānlèyuán (西部欢乐园) is a mini theme park in Xīgù District (西固区), west Lanzhou. There are fairground rides (carousel, pirate ship, and so on), a roller-coaster, swimming pool, golf driving range, and a 'panorama tower'. It's pretty-much closed down in the winter months, so head there on a summer weekend.

Location: Map
Getting there: From Anning, take buses #3, then #80 (route). From the city centre, take buses #26 or #127 (which departs from the train station, route)
Cost: Entrance to the park is free. There is a ticket office where you can buy books of tickets for the rides, or you can pay at the rides individually (Y5-30)

More on Lanzhou's parks here and here.

LANZHOU TWINNED WITH CHORLEY

18/06/2009

I came across this Friendship Tree (友谊树 yǒuyī shù) in the Children's Park (儿童公园 értóng gōngyuán), on the south side of the Huáng Hé Dàqiáo bridge (黄河大桥). Map. It was planted to commemorate the twinning of Lanzhou and Chorley (in Lancashire, UK).

CHENGYU PARK

17/06/2009

Chinese: 成语公园 Chéngyǔ Gōngyuán
Address: 北滨河路，安宁区 Běi Bīnhé Lù, Anníng Qū, opposite the Water Treatment Plant (see photo below)
Map: Here

Chéngyǔ (成语) are Chinese idioms, often made up of 4 characters, usually the moral of an old story. This park, on the north bank of the Yellow River, in Anning District, has a set of statues on display that depict these stories.

司马光砸缸 (sīmǎguāng zágāng) A child who is intelligent and brave

RETIRED OFFICIALS PARK

03/06/2009

If you are particularly interested in seeing some outdoor performances, you should head 1.5 km downstream of Zhongshan Bridge to the Retired Officials Park (老干部公园 Lǎogànbù Gōngyuǎn) west of the Huánghé Dàqiáo Bridge (黄河大桥). Click the photos to open up a map.

This isn't the real name of the park (no one I asked seems to know it), but I've named it after the 'Retired Officials Activity Centre' (老干部活动中心 lǎogànbù huódòng zhōngxīn) next door.

In the afternoons it is usually buzzing with music performances of traditional local opera, ballroom dancing lessons, and games of Chinese chess or cards. There are masseuses, boiled egg sellers, newspaper vendors, as well as plenty of tables and chairs where you can sit, drink tea, and take it all in.

Here is a recording of some of the musicians performing in the park:

Sculpture at the east gate

LANZHOU WETLAND PARK

08/11/2008

Or to give it it's full name: Lanzhou Yellow River Silver Beach Wetland Park.
兰州黄河银滩湿地公园 (Lánzhōu Huánghé Yíntān Shīdì Gōngyuán).

The park is on the north bank of the Yellow River, directly below the Yíntān Huánghé Dàqiío Bridge (银滩黄河大桥) in Ānníng Qū (安宁区) and stretches for about 1.5km.

Most of the birds had gone for Winter, but it felt more like Spring sometimes, walking alongside the flowers, bees and butterflies...

HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE

07/09/2008

There was an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in China earlier in the year.

This public information sign carries the slogan "Scientific knowledge can actively control and prevent hand, foot and mouth disease."

XI HU PARK

07/09/2008

Chinese: 西湖公园 (Xī Hú Gōngyuán)
Getting there: Most buses from the city centre to Xī Zhàn (西站) stop on the south edge of the park. The main entrance is on the east edge, between Xījīn Dōnglù (西津东路) and Nán Bīnhé Lù (南滨河路)
Entrance: free

Wuquan Shan Park

03/09/2008

Chinese: 五泉山公园 (Wŭquán Shàn Gōngyuán)
Location: South end of Jīngchāng Lù (金昌路)
Buses to 五泉广场 Wŭquán Guăngchăng: 2, 12, 18, 124, 149 (note: loads of buses stop at the 五泉山 Wŭquán Shàn stop, leaving you with a 10 minute walk south to get to the park. 五泉广场 Wŭquán Guăngchăng stop is much closer).
Entrance: 6 yuan

The best park in Lanzhou. You could easily spend a good 2-3 hours exploring the vast, tree-covered grounds on the lower-part of the hillside below Lanshan.

As well as the '5 springs,' trickling away in various places, there are Buddhist temples, a Sun Yat-sen memorial museum, tea houses, fairground and a zoo.

LANZHOU WATERWHEEL GARDEN

19/08/2008

Chinese: 兰州水车博览园 (Lánzhōu Shuĭchē Bólăn Yuán)
Location: On the southbank of the Yellow River, 1 km east of the Huáng Hé Dàqiáo bridge (黄河大桥). Map here.
Bus: #135 from the Xiguan Crossing (西关什字, Xīguān Shízì)
Cost: 10 yuan

The display of water wheels here is much more extensive then the ones near the White Cloud Temple (白云观 Báiyún Guān). As well as several pairs of riverside wheels, there are also working models of various water-powered devices that farmers used for milling, and a culture park.

BONSAI PARK

04/07/2008

We found ourselves on Nánchāng Lù (南昌路) (map) with plenty of time on our hands, and decided to have a walk around the Bonsai Park (金城盆景园, Jīnchéng Pénjĭng Yuán). It was a hot afternoon, better suited to just sitting under a tree (which seemed to be the popular choice among the park-goers), but we did a full circuit. When we finally did stop to rest, there was a woodpecker hammering away on the tree above us.

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