Jiuquan Travel Guide

Seat of the city government: Municipal Square (Shizheng Guangchang), New City Proper, Jiuquan City

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0937-2682507
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184

Bank of China Jiuquan Branch: N0.90, East Street, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City

China Post Jiuquan Branch: No.1, North Street, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City

Location: Situated in the northwest of Gansu Province, Jiuquan neighbors Zhangye in the east within the province. It is also bordered by Qinghai Province in the south, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the west and Inner Mongolia and Mongolia in the north.

History: Since extremely long ago, this area had been inhabited by nomads of several ancient ethnic minorities in northwestern China. It was until the early ages of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) that vast land west of the Yellow River including Jiuquan was entirely put into the regnal territory. The famous Silk Road stretched through the city and it had been the vital pass linking Central China with Central Asia and Europe.

Physical Features: Basically, the terrain of Jiuquan is higher in the south, lower in the north and slopes downward from southwest to northeast. Offshoots of the Qilian Mountains occupy the south part of the city. The central land of Jiuquan distributes basins, and the Gobi area is mainly distributed in its north.

Climatic Features: Enjoying a continental desert climate in temperate zone, the city is dry and seldom rainy throughout the year. The winter is chilly and summer is hot, the spring is arid. Wind blowing with sands often happens in spring and autumn. Temperature difference varies greatly during a day. It has slim rainfall during the whole year, mainly falling during July to October.

When to Go: May to October is the best season to visit Jiuquan.

Special Local Products: luminous jade cup, pile blanket, water pipe tobacco, black melon seeds

Scenic Spots:
Dunhuang: Dunhuang is a historic and distinguished town of great importance on the ancient Silk Road, and reaches its zenith in the Tang Dynasty (681-907). In its western area, there is a geopark for spectacular Yadan landform. China's precious art treasury, Mogao Cave makes Dunhuang well know to the world. Dunhaung is regarded as a shining pearl on the Silk Road left with brilliant culture by human and grand sceneries by nature. In addition, the Echoing-Sand Mountain and the Crescent Lake are also famous attraction in this area.
Dunhuang Yadan National Geology Park: Commonly referred to as the 'devil city', the park is 85 kilometers (53 miles) from the noted Yumen Pass. Hills and mounds of Yadan Landform are distributed on a 25 kilometers (16 miles) dry riverbed.
Other Scenic Spots: Western Han Relics, Yangguan Pass

Tourist Tips:
Jiuquan Dingxin Airport is located in Dingxin Town of Jinta County, operating three flights a week to Beijing. Jiuquan Bus Station offers buses in the morning to the airport. Furthermore, the Jiayuguan Airport is only 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Jiuquan. It has opened flights to Beijing, Xian, Lanzhou, Urumqi and Dunhuang. It is half hour's drive from Jiayuguan to Jiuquan and about six hours' drive to Dunhuang. Additionally, Dunhuang Airport is another important airport of Jiuquan.

Jiuquan Bus Station is located in No.47, Xiguan Road, Suzhou District. There are several buses daily to Dunhuang, Zhangye and Wuwei. It is about four hours' drive from Jiuquan to Zhangye and another three hours' drive to Wuwei.