China News Service, Lanzhou, November 9th (Li Qiaoyan, Ma Bowen) In early winter in Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province, the fires were booming in the rural farmhouses, and the aroma of stir-fried local chicken wafted far along the road; in front of the hand-grabbed mutton restaurant in Maogou Village, Dongxiang, Linxia Prefecture, there was an endless stream of self-driving cars with foreign license plates.
In 2026, this small northwest city that was once locked by mountains will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its founding. Linxia, which didn't even have a decent dirt road 70 years ago, is now covered by county-level expressways and hardened roads in natural villages. A bowl of hand-caught mutton has gone from "not being able to climb over the mountain" to "diners chasing the highway", and a tens of billions-level gourmet industry cluster has developed along the road.
From "the local flavor can't come out" to "diners rush over", from "it's hard to see each other after crossing the mountain" to "you don't want to leave once you're here", a bowl of local delicacies hides many surprises.
Aerial photography shows the Liujiaxia Bridge in Dongxiang County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province. (File photo) Photo provided by Linxia Prefecture Bureau of Culture and Tourism
Traffic disruption: From "difficult to travel" to "global access"
Linxia is located in the transition zone between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with mountains and ravines crisscrossing it. It was once at the "end of the road network" for a long time due to traffic congestion. At the beginning of the state's founding, there were only sporadic simple dirt roads in the whole state. People traveled by foot. Agricultural products could not be transported out and tourists could not come in. "On sunny days, you are covered with dirt and on rainy days, you are covered with mud." This is the biggest shortcoming that restricts development.
In 2010, the Kanglin Expressway was opened to traffic, ending the local history of no expressways. Linxia was included in Lanzhou's one-hour economic circle, significantly reducing logistics costs. The Linda Expressway, which will be opened to traffic in 2023, will add another development artery. This channel will open up the travel bottleneck in the southwest mountainous area and become a "lifeline" for rescue during the 6.2-magnitude Jishishan earthquake.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Linxia Transportation implemented a total of 2,589 key projects with a total investment of 372.1 billion yuan, and the county-county expressway goal was fully realized. At the same time as the main arteries were connected, the rural "capillaries" were simultaneously unblocked. A total of 7.869 billion yuan was invested to build 3,635 kilometers of rural roads. The total mileage of rural roads reached 6,655 kilometers, and 10,324 natural village groups were fully covered by hardened roads.
Zhang Sixiang, a nectarine grower in Linxia County, said that now that the roads have been paved and widened, purchasers are actively coming to visit, and it has become normal for tourists to drive and pick by themselves.
Dongxiang native Ma Xiaowei integrates the traffic changes in his hometown into a bowl of noodles to create "Lane Beef Noodles", allowing diners to experience the local development process from rugged to open on the tip of their tongues.
The picture shows Linxia gourmet hot pot. (File photo) Photo courtesy of Linxia Media Center
Food out of the industry: the jump from "street stall" to "tens of billions"
When roads are open, all industries will prosper. In Linxia, the first thing that floats out of the mountains along the road network is the smell of Hezhou fireworks.
Stir-fried grass chicken, hand-caught mutton... are all examples of Lutong's success. Maogou Village in Dongxiang County is one of the birthplaces of hand-caught mutton. When Ma Rubiao, secretary of the village’s party branch, opened his first farmhouse in the early years, it had only five bungalows and sold two sheep a week. After the road was opened to traffic, there was an endless stream of diners, and the daily sales increased to 15 sheep. Farmhouses sprang up along the highway, forming a special food belt.
Zheqiao Village, located in a traffic chokepoint, attracts diners with its stir-fried local chicken. Today, 146 farmhouses have been developed, receiving more than 1.2 million tourists annually, with a turnover exceeding 120 million yuan. More than 1,200 villagers have secured their "jobs" at their doorsteps. Both places have embarked on a standardized development path from scattered operations to establishing associations and registering brands.
Linxia Food, which was once mainly street restaurants and small-scale operations, has grown into a tens-billion-level characteristic industry cluster in the past 70 years, becoming one of the local "five tens-billion-level industries." The local creation of the "Top Ten Famous Dishes" and "Top Ten Snacks" series categories has given Hezhou flavors a clear "taste coordinate".
In recent years, the local industrial chain has continued to extend upstream and downstream. Upstream, the influence of specialty food brands such as Dongxiang tribute sheep, Hezheng red matsutake, and Kangle steak has increased. In the midstream, 42 supply chain and food processing companies have been introduced and cultivated, and multiple central kitchens have been operated. Guanghe lamb has been selected as the designated ingredient for national competitions. Downstream, the "Hezhou Taste" regional public brand was launched, with 1,765 brand stores built and 52 catering chain brands cultivated.
Along the Linxia County section of the Taizi Mountain Tourism Channel. (File photo) Photo courtesy of Linxia Zhourong Media Center
Integration of culture and tourism: Upgrading from “single-point check-in” to “global immersion”
Food keeps tourists’ stomachs, and landscapes keep tourists’ hearts. As the transportation network connects the landscape and culture, Linxia cultural tourism has moved from "single point check-in" to "global immersion".
Linxia’s tourism focuses on ecology. The unique ecology of a clear river flowing westward in the upper reaches of the Yellow River is one of the cores of Linxia's cultural tourism. The 286-kilometer long tourist corridor along Taizi Mountain connects the scenic spots of four counties (cities). The tourist attractions around the Liujiaxia Reservoir Area integrate Gaoxia Pinghu, Danxia landforms, thousand-year-old grottoes, Yellow River customs and red memories to create a composite ecological tourism corridor.
For this purpose, the local government has launched more than 10 self-driving routes to connect diversified landscapes and business formats along the routes, and promote the revitalization of rural resources: Kangle Hekou Village has innovated the "collective + farmer" model and revitalized idle ponds to create fishing gardens; Kangle mushrooms, beef and other agricultural products are in short supply due to tourism exhibitions.
Differentiated business formats along major tourism corridors continue to be enriched. Hezheng Paleontological Fossil Scenic Area uses naked-eye 3D screens and AR technology to create an immersive experience and develop cultural creation and research projects; Linxia County Guantangou Scenic Area creates a mountain cultural tourism system that can be visited in all seasons; Lianhua Lake Scenic Area was upgraded from a ferry to a national AAA tourist attraction; Qianjia Village in Beiyuan Town used sightseeing roads to develop internet celebrity businesses, and 28 farmhouses developed together...
In Linxia, the deep integration of scenery and taste can be seen everywhere, and the "Cultural Tourism +" article is becoming more and more intensive. It continues to broaden the boundaries of integration into fields such as sports, study, and intangible cultural heritage, releasing new vitality for the development of the entire region. (over)
