THE SILK ROAD TOUR - continued

Day 8 -  5th June 2012 (evening)

Qinghai Lake  -  Lanzhou, another long journey over mountainous terrains and passed through many tunnels of unusual length.  By the time we reached Lanzhou it was evening. We visited three tourist spots.

-The Mother River Statue

This sculpture is the best of its kind in China. The whole sculpture contains that of a mother and a baby. The mother with long hair, slim figure, lying on the undulate water looks happy and kind. On her breast hold a small kid who bear naive smile. The sculpture connotes that the Yellow River has nourished generations of Chinese. The statue presently is one of the most attractive sculptures nationwide which manifest the mother river of the Chinese nation-  the Yellow River. 

-Waterwheel Garden

Waterwheel Garden, built in 1994, is located in the

Binhe Middle Road

(Binhe Zhong Lu) in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. The garden covers an area of 1.45 hectares (3.58 acres) and is comprised of two waterwheels, a cofferdam, the recreation area and a house of water mill. In the garden, two huge waterwheels with striking appearances stand uprightly on the south bank of the Yellow River. They are modeled on the antique waterwheel, having quadrate buckets and a diameter of 16.5 meters (54.1 feet). In high water periods, they are driven by flowing water from the river; in low water periods, they are driven by water gathered by cofferdam. Owing to the two waterwheels and an advantaged position, the Waterwheel Teahouse attracts a lot of tourists. Here, visitors can appreciate the revolving waterwheels while enjoying a cup of tea. Moreover, the photo studio, stores and the house of water mill in the garden provide further entertainment and convenience for visitors.

In the garden, tourists can experience crossing the river on a sheepskin raft, which is the most primeval ferrying tool in the northwest region of the Yellow River. A visit to the Waterwheel Garden will provide an insight into the irrigation tools of ancient times.

Sheepskin raft



- Huanghe Bridge

Zhongshan Bridge, also called the first bridge over the Yellow River, lies at the foot of Bai Ta Mountain and in front of Jin Cheng Pass in Lanzhou city, the capital of Gansu Province.

In the year 1907, under the proposal of local officers in Lanzhou and Gansu and the help of a Germany businessman, the Qing Government began to build this first iron bridge over the upper reaches of the Yellow River. All materials, even the rivets, were transported from Germany to China using ships, trains, carts and any other means possible. The bridge was completed in two years, and named 'Lanzhou Iron Bridge over the Yellow River'. In 1942, to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the bridge was re-named Zhongshan Bridge (Zhongshan is the Chinese name of Dr. Sun Yat-sen).

to be continued