10 Days in Pingliang
Ten days east of Lanzhou — Kongtong's peaks, Jingchuan's temple treasure and 509 grottoes, Chongxin's ancient locust, Zhuanglang's terraces, Huating's shrine, and a neighbour day at Xumishan.
Quick Answer
Is 10 days enough for Pingliang?
10 days lets you go beyond Pingliang's core into neighborhoods, food markets, and one or two day trips at a relaxed pace.
Source: NihaoVisit Pingliang guide
10-day Pingliang itinerary at a glance
Use our full Pingliang travel guide as the base and adapt it to 10 days. Keep the city's three signature attractions as the backbone; fill the rest with neighborhood walks, food markets, and an easy day trip.
Arrival on the Loess edge
Land easy — willow ponds from the 1870s western march, a beef-noodle lunch with local vinegar, and the old town's evening lanes.
- pingliang liuhu park
Kongtong — the front hill
Up the stone Stairway to Heaven on the 2,123-metre mountain, 5A since 2007, through Thunder Peak to the Emperor City's Taoist halls; Han records from over 2,000 years ago note imperial climbs here.
- pingliang kongtong mountain
Kongtong — rear valleys & the lake
Rear-valley paths and the Tanzheng lake below the dam, a morning martial-arts demonstration, and the museum's bronzes to close.
- pingliang kongtong mountain
Kongtong old town slow day
A no-climbing day — noodles and guokui bread in the old town, tea under the mountain, and an early night before the Jingchuan run.
- pingliang kongtong ancient town
Jingchuan — temple treasure
Seventy kilometres southeast, the Great Cloud Temple protects fourteen relics in five nested layers of stone, bronze, silver and gold, found in 1964; Hui hill's Royal Mother Palace and its Northern Wei grottoes finish the day. Overnight in Jingchuan.
- pingliang daiyun temple
- pingliang wangmu palace
South Grottoes & back to town
The 509 main hall lines up seven standing Buddhas of about six metres in one vault — the southern twin of the famous Northern Grottoes over in Qingyang — then the road back to Pingliang.
- pingliang south grottoes
Chongxin — springs & the ancient locust
Longquan temple's springs and pines first, then Chongxin's celebrated locust tree, some 3,200 years old and wide enough to shade a courtyard party — among the oldest in the province.
- pingliang longquan temple
- pingliang ancient locust tree
Zhuanglang — terraced hills
West into Zhuanglang county, where close to a million mu of terraces climb the loess in stepped geometry — a half-century of digging by hand, now green with potatoes, corn and apple rows.
- pingliang zhuanglang terraces
Yunya temple & Huating shrine
The Yunya gorge's cliff shrines in the morning, then over the Guanshan range to the Lotus Platform scenic area, the meadow bowls and fir woods that crowned Qin imperial rites.
- pingliang yunya temple
- pingliang lianhua platform
Neighbouring Ningxia — Xumishan & departure
An honestly labelled neighbouring-province day — three hours northwest, Xumishan's roughly 162 niches of Northern Wei to Tang carving, the 20-metre Tang Buddha crowning them — then back for the evening train.
- pingliang guyuan xumishan
Budget for 10 days in Pingliang
| Tier | Per day | 10 days total |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | USD $50–$80 | USD $500–$800 |
| Mid-range | USD $100–$200 | USD $1,000–$2,000 |
| Luxury | USD $300+ | USD $3,000+ |
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Frequently asked questions
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See also: Pingliang travel guide, China visa 2026, China trip cost.