庆阳市

Why this place

Qingyang is on the loess plateau in eastern Gansu, and it has some of the most dramatic loess landforms in China — deep ravines, earth bridges and caves, cut into the soft yellow soil over millennia. It is also where the Zhou dynasty's ancestors are said to have farmed.

What to see

• The loess landforms and the 'earth forest' at the surrounding sites
• The Zhou ancestral sites and the Beishiku Temple grottoes
• The Yellow River and the old county towns of the plateau

What to eat

• Loess plateau cooking: millet, buckwheat and lamb
• Qingyang is known for its 'huangmi' (broomcorn millet) and its 'yangrou' soup

Best time

May–October