With its relative inaccessibility, Bǐnglíng Sì is one of the few Buddhist grottoes in China to have survived the tumultuous 20th century unscathed. Which is a good thing, as during a period spanning 1600 years, sculptors dangling from ropes carved 183 niches and sculptures into the porous rock of steep canyon walls. Today the cliffs are isolated by the waters of the Liújiāxiá Reservoir (劉家峽水庫; Liújiāxiá Shuǐkù ) on the Yellow River and hemmed in by a ring of dramatic rock citadels. The cave art can’t compare to Dūnhuáng, but the setting, few tourists and the remarkable terraced landscapes you pass getting here make Bǐnglíng Sì an unmissable day trip from Lánzhōu.
The star is the 27m-high seated statue of Maitreya , the future Buddha, but some of the smaller, sway-hipped Bodhisattvas and guardians, bearing an obvious Indian influence, are equally exquisite.
As you loop around past the Maitreya cave, consider hiking 2.5km further up the impressive canyon to a small Tibetan monastery . There might also be jeeps running the route.
You can visit Bǐnglíng Sì as a day trip from Lánzhōu or en route to Línxià. Take a boat or taxi from the town of Liújiāxiá. Frequent buses from Lánzhōu’s west bus station (¥20, 2½ hours) run to Liújiāxiá and will drop you off a short walk from the boat ticket office (1km before Liújiāxiá itself) or at the town’s main bus station, where you can hire a taxi. Try to catch the earliest buses possible from Lánzhōu (starting at 7am) to avoid getting stuck on the way back. The last return bus to Lánzhōu leaves at 6.30pm.
A covered speedboat (seating up to eight people) costs ¥700 for the one-hour journey. The boat ticket office is good at hooking up independent travellers with small groups; expect to pay around ¥150 per person in this case.
Surprisingly, the much more scenic route to the caves is by taxi (¥250 return). Out of Liújiāxiá, the road runs high into the rugged hills above the reservoir, and for 90 minutes you will twist and turn, dip and rise through a wonderland of potato-growing terraces laddering and layering every slope, mound, outcrop and ravine. The final descent to the green-blue reservoir, with its craggy backdrop, is sublime.
If heading to Línxià after the caves, there are frequent buses from the station at Liújiāxiá.
