Lanzhou: Kushui and Shuimo Danxia, August 2026

Most tourists coming to Gansu province generally flock to Zhangye and the famous Dunhuang Grottoes.  For me, the highlight of my trip is the Maijishan Grottoes as well as the danxia and rice terraces around Lanzhou.  While southern China is sweltering hot during the summer, northwest China is a bit more pleasant with temperatures falling to the teens overnight.  My trip started in Lanzhou which is the historic gateway to the Silk Road and usually chosen as a transfer city to access Zhangye and Dunhuang.  I stayed at the Hyatt Regency in the heart of the city overlooking the Yellow River.

 

Off the plane and straight to Kushui Danxia 苦水丹霞, also known as Shuiying Danxia 水映丹霞, located about an hour outside of Lanzhou city.  It is a lesser-known scenic area characterized by colorful danxia reflecting on the turquoise water.  It tells a story of beauty and desolation.  This area is undeveloped, less crowded, and free of charge.  I was told that the area is usually deserted except for a few occassional photographers like myself.  I have not yet been to Zhangye Danxia Landform, but some say Kushui is equally stunning, mainly because there is water, and 10 times less crowded and hence more pristine.  The mountains here are predominately characterized by a mix of red, ochre, and brownish-orange hues, interspersed with orange, yellow, grayish-blue, and white colors.  The red sandstone mountains are eroded and weathered over time resulting in uniquely shaped ravines and its “pork belly” texture is best captured at dusk.  The core area of Kushui Danxia is called “Dazhamaling 大扎玛岭” meaning “big red stone ridge” in Tibetan.  Normally, one can drive into the area and go pretty deep into the mountains.  However, because there was a flash flood from the heavy rain in another scenic area (actually quite far away) that killed over 20 people, all scenic areas in the province became closed, even this one which technically isn’t even an official scenic area.  The locals blocked the road leading into Kushui Danxia and I went in on foot with my driver.  The driver knew there is a small fishing pond and farmhouse inside and claimed we were heading their to visit the owner.  That is how I sneaked in and managed to take some beautiful photos.  Pity I wasn’t able to go very far on foot.

Kushui Danxia 苦水丹霞

Kushui Danxia 苦水丹霞

About 40 minutes from Lanzhou is the more well-known Lanzhou Shuimo Danxia Scenic Area 兰州水墨丹霞 (Inkwask Danxia) with red cliffs and secluded valleys resembling an ink-wash landscape painting.  According to geologists, Shuimo Danxia landform was developed from the Cretaceous to the Tertiary period, about 150 million years ago when the area was still an ocean.  The hot climate oxidized the iron in the lake sediments into ferric oxide, forming red sedimentary rocks.  When the lake later receded, the sea became land.  With the Himalayan orogeny and the uplift of tectonic plates, the red mudstone and shale that had been deposited were gradually weathered and eroded by water, forming the landscape of today’s ink-wash Danxia landform.  The colors of the mountains are not intense, but rather delicate and elegant, like an ink-wash painting and hence the name “Ink-wash Danxia.”   The Danxia landform covers an area of 600 sq km, equivalent to the land area of Singapore.  The planned construction area of the scenic area is 400 sq km, with a core tourist area of 20 sq km in the first phase, which is the largest landform of is kind discovered in China.  It is one of the newer scenic areas only opened to the public at end of 2021.  There are 7 viewing platforms offering panoramic views of the colorful hills.  Especially popular photo spots are Ruyi Bridge, Butterfly Cliff, and Wishing Valley where the majestic desert and the canyon intertwine.  There are escalators to save your legs.  There is also the option to get the SVIP service for an extra RMB298 with separate lines and transfers in smaller vans vs large buses, as well as dedicated rest area with snacks and drinks.  Some stops are only serviced by the SVIP vans and people who didn’t get the service will have to reach them on foot.

Lanzhou Shuimo Danxia Scenic Area 兰州水墨丹霞

First stop on the SVIP route is the Danding Lansheng Viewing Platform 丹顶揽胜, at 1,959 meters above sea level, which is the highest point of the scenic area.  Going to the top first so that the majority of the visit will be downhill.  One can see all the colorful hills, cliffs, and valleys across the scenic area from here.  Upon alighting the van, there is a short uphill walk before reaching some escalators that take you to the top.

From Danding Lansheng Viewing Platform 丹顶揽胜 you can see the red Ruyi Bridge 如意橋

Danding Lansheng Viewing Platform 丹顶揽胜

Nine-Colored Viewing Platform 九色丹青

Across the street from the Nine-Colored Viewing Platform 九色丹青 is where you pick up the small “train” that takes you to the performance area and the hot air balloon platform.  I was quite tired by then and skipped these stops and continued to the Silk Road Glow 丝路霞光 stop.

At 1,861 meters above sea level is the Silk Road Sunset Glow Viewing Platform 丝路霞光, which as its name suggests is best photographed at sunset.  The layers of colors such as red, yellow, orange, green, brown, white, and gray are interwoven into the continuous mountain ranges here.

After 2 days of beautiful red “pork belly” danxia, I am ready for a change of scenery.  I continued to the east of Lanzhou to see the verdant terraced fields sprawling down the mountains.  Stay tuned!

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