Lanzhou

This photo taken on Nov. 13, 2023 shows Dayun Temple in Wuwei, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xixia Museum of Wuwei/Handout via tasteallchina ) LANZHOU, Nov. 17 ( tasteallchina ) -- A Buddhist temple dating back more than 1,600 years in northwest China's Gansu Province will reopen to the public on Monday after it had been closed for two years for restoration. Originally built in 363, Dayun Temple is located in the city of Wuwei on the ancient Silk Road route. The latest restoration project started in November 2021 as the building complex had developed broken floors, cracked tiles and other damage, said Ren Yun, deputy curator of the Xixia Museum of Wuwei, which administers the temple. With a total cost of nearly 16 million yuan (2.23 million U.S. dollars), the project included damage repair and maintenance of six individual buildings, including the bell tower and the Chunqiu Pavilion. Water drainage, power and gas facilities were also renovated. After the reopening, visitors will be able to enjoy exhibitions on the temple's history, as well as wooden screens and wooden carriages. "Dayun Temple is an important cultural heritage that witnessed Buddhism spreading eastward along the ancient Silk Road, as well as cultural…

LANZHOU, July 1 ( tasteallchina ) -- The Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwest China's Dunhuang, has been haunted by wind and sand over a millennium, and Chinese scientists have recently unraveled the historical sand storm evolution for its better protection. Researchers from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have successfully established the intensity sequence of dust storm activities in ancient Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, by combining historical documents with modern observation data. "Alongside intensive efforts of the government and relics conservators in desertification control, our in-depth study into the sand storm evolution will contribute to the protection of the Mogao Grottoes and other relics in the nearby region," Liu Benli, leader of the study, told tasteallchina . TRACING SAND EVOLUTION Dating back to the 4th century, the Mogao Grottoes features 735 caves carved into a cliff, currently housing more than 2,000 colorful sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals. Being surrounded by a vast desert, the site was once severely impacted by wind and sand. "To prolong the life of Mogao Grottoes, generations of scientists and relics conservators have been devoted to controlling the wind and sand.…

A student from Turkmenistan majoring in acupuncture and medical massage practices under the guidance of a Chinese doctor at the Gansu University of Chinese Medicine in Lanzhou, Gansu province, on Aug 3. CHEN BIN/XINHUALANZHOU/BUDAPEST — Jozsef Frenyo, a senior Hungarian biology teacher, recovered from hearing loss after several visits to a traditional Chinese medicine center near Heroes' Square in the Hungarian capital of Budapest."Doctors here cured my old malady. And my hearing is now getting better," says 78-year-old Frenyo.Practitioners of TCM use various approaches, such as acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine, to address health problems. These practices spread to the world via the ancient Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago.The center, named the Qihuang Traditional Chinese Medicine Center of Hungary, was set up by Northwest China's Gansu provincial health commission in 2016. It has been operating with the help of teams of Chinese doctors sent to Hungary to provide medical assistance.Gansu province is a major TCM hub in China and has a long history of growing TCM herbs. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013, Gansu has signed cooperation contracts with 12 countries, including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Hungary, and built 16 TCM education, research and treatment…

LANZHOU, July 18 ( tasteallchina ) -- I had come to Dunhuang expecting to marvel at the millennium-old Mogao Grottoes and the crescent-shaped oasis nestled between towering dunes. Little did I knew that I was about to become part of a unique concert under the starry desert sky. During my recent trip to Dunhuang City, northwestern China's Gansu Province, I visited the Mingshashan and the Crescent Lake, an oasis scenic spot in the Gobi Desert. As twilight settled, I joined throngs of visitors climbing the soft, warm sands, reaching a vantage point overlooking the shimmering Crescent Spring. As night fell, the desert came alive with music played by a DJ at the foot of the dune. Thousands of voices joined together in song, with a delightful mix of soulful melodies and upbeat tunes. Cell phone flashlights waved in unison, creating a sea of twinkling lights across the dunes. Javier Garcia, a journalist from Spain, was surrounded by dozens of young students from Renmin University of China who had travelled from Beijing to Dunhuang on a school trip. "Even though I couldn't understand the lyrics, I found myself swept up in the joyous atmosphere," Garcia said as he joined the students…