All Silk Roads lead to Xian, China's capital during some 2,000 years of its history and the cosmopolitan center of East-West trade during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
After leaving Lanzhou, though, it would be a shame to head straight for Xian, as most tourists do. This would mean bypassing Maijishan, one of the four major Buddhist sites in China. Maijishan may be less famous than Dunhuang, Yunkang and Luoyang, but it boasts 194 caves, 1,300 sq. meters of murals, 7,000 statues and some of the most beguiling smiles in Buddhist art. The site can easily be reached by stopping at Tianshui Station for a few hours and taking a short drive out of town.
Maijishan, the "haystack mountain," appears suddenly, a dome-shaped rocky outcrop rising dramatically to a height of 1,742 meters. As early as the 4th century, caves were carved out of its sheer stone face. It is hard to imagine how the sculptors managed to work 80 meters above ground level and create masterpieces we can only reach today by steep iron ladders and perilous catwalks.