Experience the best of Tianshui

Tianshui lies in the Wei River valley in the south-east of Gansu province, among the loess hills where the Silk Road entered the province. The city is linked with Fuxi, the mythical first ruler of China, and a temple built for him in the Ming era stands in the old town, with courtyards of old trees and halls decorated with painted beams.

Maijishan, a haystack-shaped mountain south-east of the city, has caves and niches cut into its cliffs from the fourth century to the Ming dynasty, holding thousands of clay and stone Buddhist statues reached by walkways clinging to the rock. The grottoes belong to the UNESCO Silk Roads listing. The hills around are green by the standards of Gansu.

Tianshui's tables are those of the north-west: noodles in a hot, sour broth, flatbreads, lamb and vegetables from the river valley, and the district's apples are sold far beyond Gansu. The valley is milder and wetter than the rest of Gansu, with a green spring.