White Pagoda Hill


Located to the north of the city, on the far bank of the Yellow River, the White Pagoda Hill Park is a large, quiet
area that was first established in 1958, rising 1,700 meters above sea level and covering an area of three
million square meters.

The White Pagoda Hill Park occupies an area of more than 8,000 square meters. There are three clusters
of ancient buildings standing on top of the mountain. The legendary ‘Three Guarding Treasures of the
mountain” are said to be the elephant skinned drum, the bronze bell and the Chinese redbud tree which
unfortunately has already extinct.

Popularly known as the Zhongshan Iron Bridge or the Yellow River Iron Bridge, it is located at the foot of Baitashan Hill and the middle section of
Binhe Road in Lanzhou. It is the oldest bridge in Lanzhou and the first bridge ever built across the Yellow River. The bridge is 233.33 meters long
and 7.5 meters wide. It is a five-arch bridge resting on five piers.

The hill took its name from the white pagoda in Baitasi (White Pagoda Temple) on its summit. The pagoda was built to commemorate a Tibetan
lama of the Sa-skya-pa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism who died in Lanzhou on his way to Mongolia for an audience with Genghis Khan. This temple
was first constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD). And then the temple was rebuilt and expanded in the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing
(1644-1911 AD) Dynasties.

Baitasi boasted three treasures-a drum made of elephant skin, a bronze bell, and a shiny-leafed yellow horn. The tree
was planted by Yunxuan, abbot of Ci'ensi (Temple of Grace) but died for lack of water long ago. The other two treasures
are still extant.

Nowadays the center point of the temple is an octangular 17-meter high building with seven-storey White Pagoda, is a
solid brick structure and is the only external part that betrays its name. There are a few more sights that are worth visiting
here. The Buddhist halls to both the east and west in the temple are of beautiful Chinese architecture.

There are a few more sights that are worth visiting here. The Buddhist halls to both the east and west in the temple are
of beautiful Chinese architecture. The forest itself is a pleasant stroll, and a visit to the peripheries will turn up the odd
pavilion, mosque, teahouse or tout.