Jiuquan Attractions

The Park of the Wine Spring (Jiuquan Gongyuan) lies in the east of Jiuquan and surrounds the legendary old spring which gave the town its present name. The source water of this spring is provided by a small lake. The park is a charming place with its pretty pavilions, bridges and lavishly decorated covered galleries.

The symbol of Jiuquan, the three-story pavilion, was built on top of an old gate in the 19th C.

The Monastery of the Great Buddha (Dafo Si) was built in 1098 and is situated in the town center of Zhangye, 150km/93mi to the southeast of Jiuquan. It contains a 34m/112ft high Buddha made of variegated clay and with a wooden center. The monastery's wall frescos are of particular interest and are inspired by Taoist writings and old fairy tales.

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center was founded in 1958 and has been the site of more launches than any other location in China. The Center is a part of Dongfeng space city featuring test flight facilities and a space museum.

15km/9mi southwest of Jiuquan rises the Mountain of Wenshushan, which was the location of an important Buddhist center from the 4th C. Several temples and caves have still been preserved, of particular interest being the Thousand Buddha Grotto (Qianfo Dong), the Ten Thousand Buddha Grotto (Wanfo Dong), the Old Buddha Grotto (Gufo Dong) and the Guanyin Grotto (Guanyin Dong).

The Tomb of Dingjiazha Gumu, with wall paintings of great importance from a historical point of view, lies in the desert 3km/2mi west of Jiuquan. It is thought that the deceased was a nobleman who lived some 1600 years ago. One wall of the vault, which is completely decorated with frescos, is still well preserved. In the upper section there is a representation of the sky with sun, moon and two deities, who are surrounded by birds, flying horses, stags and toads, etc. At the bottom, on the other hand, the earthly world is depicted with hunting and pasture scenes, banqueters and concerts, etc.