Lanzhou - History

Lanzhou is almost in the centre of China. Founded 2200 years ago, Lanzhou was called the "Gold City" after gold was discovered here.

It is another city which owes its historical significance to its geographical location. Its strategic location at the foot of the corridor, and on a crossing point for the Yellow River, meant that traffic along the Silk Road naturally passed through here.

The city was  developed into the seat of power for the surrounding area during Han dynasty. During 1666, Gansu was made a separate province and Lanzhou was made its capital.

During the Sino-Japan war, Lanzhou was used as the distribution centre for all ammunition and supplies shipped in to China from Soviet Union. It was severely punished by Japanese bombing because of it.

After communists took over the country, Lanzhou was developed into a major industrial city. The discovery of oil in the nearby desert gave Lanzhou a major role in China's petrochemical industry.