Lanzhou, capital city of Northwest China's Gansu province, is located in the transition zone between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau. At an altitude of about 1,520 meters, it is a major city, industrial base, and comprehensive communication hub for Northwest China and a crucial part of the Silk Road Economic Belt. 

The city administrates the five districts of Chengguan, Qilihe, Xigu, Anning and Honggu, as well as the three counties of Yongdeng, Yuzhong and Gaolan. Lanzhou has one national new area – the Lanzhou New Area, and two national development zones, namely the Lanzhou National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and the Lanzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. 

Lanzhou covers a total area of 13,100 square kilometers and an urban area of 1,631.6 square kilometers.

As a temperate continental climate city, it serves as an ideal summer retreat with an average annual temperature of 10.9℃. The city enjoys 2,446 sunshine hours yearly, a frost-free period of 172 days, and receives 327 mm of precipitation on average.  

Lanzhou has served as a vital transportation hub and strategic garrison since antiquity. In 138 BC, Zhang Qian, the imperial envoy of China's Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) embarked on his journey west, forging the Silk Road — an ancient trade network connecting the East and West.  

As a pivotal transit hub on this route, Lanzhou played a decisive role in facilitating the exchange of silk, Buddhism, and technologies between China and Central Asia.  

Lanzhou is the only provincial capital where the Yellow River's main channel flows through the urban center. It is home to a large number of memorable attractions, such as the ancient Lanzhou Waterwheel Park, Zhongshan Iron Bridge (built 1909), Mother River Sculpture, and Yellow River Culture Tour Route. 

Lanzhou was reaffirmed as a "National Civilized City" in 2025, maintaining this prestigious title since its initial award in 2020. The city's successful air pollution control model has been promoted nationwide, and it previously received the "Award for Today's Transformative Step 2015" at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21). In 2024, Lanzhou achieved an excellent air quality rate of 82.2%, demonstrating continued environmental progress.

Lanzhou is a "crossroads" of Northwest China. It is one of nine logistics regions, among the top 10 logistics channels, and one of 21 national logistics node cities. Lanzhou has the densest railway network in the northwest area and is a strategic channel of the China-Europe Railway Express (Central Corridor), supporting China's opening up to Central and Western Asia. 

The Lanzhouxi Railway Station is Western China's largest passenger transport hub. Lanzhou railway is the world's longest high-speed railway with one-step construction, and forms a rapid transportation link between Lanzhou and Central, East and Southwest China, and has become a strategic pivot connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, a key aviation hub in Northwest China, operated over 140 passenger routes connecting more than 90 cities during the 2024 winter-spring flight season.

In March 2025, the newly completed Terminal 3 (T3) of the airport's third-phase expansion project commenced operations. All domestic and international flights (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan routes) were transferred to T3, while the original T1 and T2 terminals were temporarily closed. The upgraded airport is projected to handle 38 million passengers, 300,000 metric tons of cargo, and 300,000 aircraft movements annually.

As a national pioneer in efforts to create a modern industrial civilization, Lanzhou stands as a vital national industrial base, home to multiple large and medium-sized enterprises renowned for achieving "China's first" and "nation's largest" industrial milestones. 

The city has solidified its position as a leading petrochemical hub, biopharmaceutical center, and advanced equipment manufacturing base, with flagship state-owned enterprises driving innovation across these strategic sectors.

As of 2024, Lanzhou boasts 586 industrial enterprises above designated size spanning 33 major industry categories and 99 sub-categories, reflecting significant growth in both its industrial economic strength and market competitiveness.

Lanzhou has solidified its position as China's vital scientific research and education hub, hosting both the Lanzhou National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and the Lanzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. 

The city's innovation ecosystem achieved major milestones with the 2014 establishment of the Lanzhou-Baiyin Science and Technology Innovation Reform Pilot Zone, approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, followed by its designation as a National Innovative City in 2019.

In a remarkable demonstration of progress, Lanzhou's 2024 R&D intensity reached 2.43% of its GDP, while its comprehensive sci-tech advancement index scored 82.6 points. These achievements propelled Lanzhou to number 80 in the Global Top 100 Technology Clusters, underscoring its vibrant innovation ecosystem.

Lanzhou is home to 139 research institutes, over 1,200 scientific institutions, 31 universities, one national laboratory (the Heavy Ion Accelerator), 12 national key laboratories, seven State laboratories, 10 national enterprise technology centers, and three national engineering research centers. It is also home to 42 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Lanzhou serves as a vital gateway connecting China with the outside world. As a core node city on the Silk Road Economic Belt, it functions as the nation's strategic "bridgehead" for opening-up to the west and south. 

The city has developed comprehensive open platforms including an international airport, a dry port, a comprehensive bonded zone, and a cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, with regular international freight train services operating routinely. 

Having transformed from an inland location to a frontline hub for national opening-up, Lanzhou significantly expanded its international ties in 2024 by establishing sister-city relationships with Samarkand (Uzbekistan), East Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Isfahan (Iran), continuously growing its global network of partnerships.

Lanzhou, with over 2,200 years of history, boasts a rich cultural heritage including 10 national-level protected sites (featuring sections of the Great Wall), 40 provincial-level sites, and 109 municipal/county-level historical sites. 

The city's 29 nationally registered museums and memorial halls house nearly 19,000 artifacts, while preserving valuable traditions like the Taiping Drum and traditional Yellow River water wheel craftsmanship. 

As a key participant in both the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yellow River Basin's ecological protection strategy, contemporary Lanzhou has achieved balanced economic growth with a 5% GDP increase in 2024, while maintaining its cultural legacy and social stability through strategic urban development programs.