Many people like to find local food when traveling in different places, and experience the daily life of the locals from the food, while Wendy likes to experience the local special transportation, riding on a variety of interesting transportation, not only can visit the scenery along the line, but also I can dig out the local folk customs. When I came back to Lanzhou, Gansu, I experienced sheepskin rafting on the Yellow River.
What is a sheepskin raft?
A sheepskin raft is made of a combination of many inflated sheepskin sacs, and "kill it a sheep, peel it a piece of skin, blow it a breath, sun it for a month, wipe it with oil" this slogan is quite expressive. Out of this kind of sheepskin sac making process called "hunting off", a small raft is composed of more than 10 sheepskin sacs, and a large raft can have more than 600 sheepskin sacs.
In 2006, the sheepskin raft was officially listed as an intangible cultural heritage list by Gansu Province. The material culture depends on human maintenance to avoid damage, while the intangible culture has to rely on the input of young generations to pass on. Perhaps the latter is more difficult, while the sheepskin The inheritance of the raft, whether it is the development of the crafting technology or the experience of the raft, really requires the input of a new generation of young people.
Extended reading.Basic knowledge of sheepskin raft:Vichypedia.Baidu Encyclopedia.Interactive Encyclopedia
Rafting experience
Sheepskin rafts, an ancient means of transportation, have a history of 1500 years. They can carry people and goods. They are popular in the Yellow River basins in Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia, and have always been most popular in Lanzhou.From a modern perspective, sheepskin rafts can be said to be very environmentally friendly, with environmentally friendly materials, and no fuel is used as a power source, but they can only go down the current, not upstream. The place to board the raft is mostly in the upper reaches.
At present, there are two companies, Lanzhou Hongda Travel Service and Lanzhou Shuntai Water Tour, operating sheepskin rafting sightseeing services on the banks of the Yellow River in Lanzhou. The former is located near the sculpture of the mother of the Yellow River, and the latter is located near the water square of the Yellow River cableway.After eating Ma Zilu beef noodles at noon, we went to visit the statue of Mother of the Yellow River, and then went to the dock of Lanzhou Hongda to experience the floating of the Yellow River.
▲ From the Yellow River Mother Bus Stop on Nanbinhe East Road, turn into the river and you can see the Yellow River Mother sculpture from a distance.
▲ Lanzhou has three treasures: auspicious gourd, beef noodles, and sheepskin raft warships.
Next to the sculpture of the Yellow River Mother, there are many vendors selling souvenirs. You can buy an auspicious gourd as a souvenir.
▲ Lanzhou carved gourd materials are divided into three types: Asian waist gourd, egg gourd, and lump gourd. The latter two are Lanzhou specialties.
The egg gourd is small and exquisite in size, while the pimple gourd has many protruding pimple on the surface. After carving and drawing, it is quite distinctive.
▲ The Yellow River Mother Sculpture can be said to be a landmark in Lanzhou, often crowded with tourists taking pictures.
▲ The Yellow River Mother Sculpture was created by Gansu sculptor He E. It uses the image of the mother to metaphor the Yellow River. It also has the image style of the Virgin and Child in Western churches.
▲ The sheepskin rafting sightseeing service at the Yellow River Mother Wharf is operated by Lanzhou Hongda Tourism Company.
▲ Schematic diagram of the drifting route erected next to the pier, but the actual operating route and charges should be subject to the announcement on the pier.
▲ The route and charging standard of sheepskin rafts and yachts. Of course, the first choice for tourists is sheepskin rafts.
▲ The toll counter has detailed many instructions for boarding, and the focus is probably on safety.
▲ Because the itinerary is relatively fast, we chose to drift to Zhongshan Bridge this time, and then take a speedboat back.
▲ Each sheepskin raft is composed of three rows of sheepskin sacs, which is quite light and can be easily lifted by one person.
▲ Remember to follow the instructions of the staff, put on a life jacket and then board the raft in order.
▲A sheepskin raft can take four passengers, and the passengers can sit back to back, and everyone has a wide field of vision.
▲ Just getting on the raft, I always feel a little uneasy, but it's actually quite stable.
▲ It is said that the sheepskin raft can only operate for about 3 months per year. When the climate and water conditions are suitable, the raft can operate stably on the Yellow River.
▲ The sheepskin rafts provided for tourists to ride on mostly run in the waters of the Yellow River where the waters are like peace.
▲ Look at our group, take pictures and selfies leisurely!
▲ The experience and skills of the rafter at the helm also need to be passed on by the younger generation!
▲ From the gaps in the sheepskin sac, you can see the Yellow River flowing quietly.
▲ Lanzhou, where tourism is gradually developing, has more and more sophisticated means of transportation. There are high-altitude cable cars across the Yellow River!
▲ When the sheepskin raft is drifting, the most exciting time is probably the rippling water caused by the speedboat passing by!
▲ After observing the water of the Yellow River from close range, the Yellow River in Lanzhou was turbid, but there was little garbage and no peculiar smell.
▲ Sitting on a sheepskin raft, being in the middle of the Yellow River, enjoying the scenery on both sides of the bank, you have a special flavor.
▲ The sheepskin raft can only go down the river, and when it reaches the shore, you have to wait for the speedboat to come back to the dock.
▲ In front of the raft is the Zhongshan Iron Bridge. After getting off the raft, you can also walk to visit it.
▲ The so-called "people on the raft in the water. People on the raft in the water".When the sheepskin raft floated down the current, it was a speedboat, not a manpower, when it was carried back upstream!
Suggested itinerary
Lanzhou is the only provincial city where the Yellow River passes through the city. Most of the main tourist attractions are located on the banks of the Yellow River, concentrated in the Yellow River basin, which is about 4.5 kilometers long. If you want to arrange a day trip to Lanzhou, you can walk along the banks of the Yellow River. In addition, there are taxis, buses, bicycles, speedboats, cable cars and sheepskin rafts along the coast. I believe that free travel should not be a big problem.
- Suggest a day trip itinerary.Option XNUMX: Hotel→Breakfast→Taxi→Lanzhou Waterwheel Park→Yellow River Mother Sculpture→Sheepskin Raft Yellow River Rafting (Yellow River Mother Wharf – Zhongshan Bridge)→Lunch→Baitashan Park→Zhongshan Iron Bridge→Yellow River Cableway→Taxi→Zhengning Road Snack Night Market →Return
- Suggest a day trip itinerary.Option XNUMX: Hotel→Breakfast→Taxi→Waterwheel Expo Park→Musical Fountain→Bicycle→Lunch→Yellow River Mother Sculpture→Sheepskin Rafting Yellow River Rafting (Yellow River Mother Wharf – Zhongshan Bridge)→Baitashan Park→Zhongshan Iron Bridge→Taxi→Zhengning Road Snack Night Market→Return
Finally, I will send a short video for everyone to have a little experience!
◎ Sheepskin raft on the Yellow River rafting.Embarkation point
– Location: Qilihe District (Yellow River Mother Wharf), Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China
– Tel: 13893449484
-Price:
.Mother of the Yellow River – Zhongshan Bridge: RMB 80/person
.Mother of the Yellow River-Musical Fountain: 160 RMB/person
.Mother of the Yellow River-Waterwheel Expo Park: 240 RMB/person
– Operating unit: Lanzhou Hongda Travel Service Co., Ltd.
◎ This article is about participating in the "Dunhuang Tour."Silk Journey" invited to write articles◎
