China Guide
The Northwest
Bingling Si Caves
Price: ¥50–160
The excursion from Lanzhou to the Buddhist caves of Bingling Si is a highlight of Gansu province and enough in itself to merit a stay in Lanzhou. Not only does it offer a glimpse of the spectacular Buddhist cave art that filtered through to this region along the Silk Road, but also it's a powerful introduction to the Yellow River. The caves are carved into a canyon southwest of the Liujia Xia Reservoir on the Yellow River, and can only be reached by boat.
Cut into sheer cliff, amid stunning scenery above a tributary of the river, the caves number 183 in all. They are among the earliest significant Buddhist monuments in China – started in the Western Jin and subsequently extended by the Northern Wei, the Tang, Song and Ming. Since their inaccessibility spared the caves the attentions of foreign "collectors" in the nineteenth century and the Red Guards in the twentieth, most of the cave sculpture is in good condition, and some impressive restoration work is in progress on the wall paintings. The centrepiece sculpture, approached along a dizzying network of stairs and ramps, is a huge 27-metre seated Buddha (Cave 172), probably carved under the Tang.
The most convenient way to see the caves is on a tour from Lanzhou (¥350–500 per person), which typically takes up to twelve hours and includes less than two hours at the caves, though the scenery en route makes it worthwhile. From Lanzhou, the first stage is a two-hour bus ride through impressively fertile fields to the massive Liujia Xia Hydroelectric Dam. A ferry then takes three hours to reach the caves and offers excellent views en route of fishermen busy at work and peasants cultivating wheat, sunflowers and rice on the dark, steep banks.
To travel independently to the reservoir, takes a bus from the west bus station to Liujia Xia in Yongjing, 75km southwest of Lanzhou, then a speedboat for a return trip (about 2–3hr one way; ¥80 per person) or motorboat (around ¥400) to the caves. The last public bus back to Lanzhou leaves around 5pm.