Shopping In Gansu
What to buy in Gansu?
The traditional specialties of fame are carved jade wine cup, carpets modeled after ancient ones, three-red apples, angelica, almond, benne, Bailan melon and lily, etc. Some of the rare animals found in Gansu include giant panda, golden monkey, red deer, snow rooster and wild donkey. Here lists what to buy and major specialities in Gansu.
No.1: Linxia Hand-made Carpet
Linxia handmade carpet, a specialty of Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province.The craft of handmade carpet was introduced to China from the Western Regions through the Silk Road one thousand years ago. The handmade carpets from Linxia, Gansu province, are well-received nationwide for their high-quality and firm texture. The tapestry of the carpets is unique in the way it explains the beauty of life through artistic taste and cultural connections.
Linxia carpet is made of high-quality wool after dyeing with natural materials and manufactured all by hand. The creation covers a wide range of processes, including spinning, dyeing, painting, weaving, shearing, washing and straightening.The carpets are exported to the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the Middle East. There are also faithful customers in China.
No.2: Jiuquan Luminous Cup
The Jiuquan Luminous Cup is a specialty of Jiuquan city, Gansu province.The Jiuquan Luminous Cup is a renowned and expensive alcohol-drinking vessel made of a variety of jades in the region, so named because it sparkles when filled with alcohol and placed under the moonlight.The luminous jade cups can endure very high and cold temperatures, and still preserve their natural splendor. They are popular souvenirs among tourists from China and abroad.
No.3: Gansu Hand-made Hemp Shoes
In Gansu province, hemp shoes, which used to be a must for local farmers, have made their way to the fashion world.Hemp is widely 
grown in China's northwest regions, especially in Gansu, where locals make rope with hemp fibers or weave hemp strands into sandals.
At the foot of the barren hills of Gangu county stand a cluster of workshops. An array of colorful hemp shoes displayed on shiny glass shelves looks out of place against the shops' dusty surroundings.
From slippers and sandals to sneakers, the handmade hemp shoes seem even stranger when Wang Yingwu, a workshop manager, said they were originally designed in Italy, France and Japan, even though many of the local craftsmen know little about these countries.
No.4: Bonan Knife
The Bonan knife is indispensible to the Bonan ethnic group, an ethnic group from Gansu province. As a carrier of Bonan’s historical culture, the Bonan knife’s forging technique is listed in the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Bonan knife production processes include designing, modeling and polishing which gives its own special style. There are up to 80 traditional production processes for the Bonan knife. A pure hand-made Bonan knife is exquisite and durable.Ma Weiwei, a master Bonan knife-maker, is one of the two national Bonan knife forging technique inheritors in China The Bonan knives are popular in Northwest China provinces. Moreover, they are exported to foreign countries such as Japan, India and Saudi Arabia.
More Specialities in Gansu
No.1: Qingyang Apricof
Qingyang apricot, a specialty of Qingyang city, Gansu province. Apricots have a cultivation history of more than 1,000 years in Qingyang city, Gansu province. All the counties and districts grow it, especially Ning county and Zhenyuan county. The Qingyang apricot has bright and thin peel and it is big and juicy. The dry apricot is rich and sugary while the almonds are both sweet and bitter. The sweet almonds have a variety of fragrances and are rich in nutrition. The bitter almonds contain many kinds of nutritional ingredients, which can eliminate phlegm, help lungs, and relieve coughs and asthma. They are very popular among domestic and foreign consumers.
No.2: Wudu Peper
Longnan city’s Wudu district of Gansu province has a history of more than 2,000 years in growing pepper. In an area of 603 million square meters, it has an annual output of 10.2 million kilograms, which tops all the counties in China. The Wudu pepper is sold nationally. The Little Sheep Catering Chain Co, one of the best known hotpot chains in China, is a faithful customer of Wudu pepper. All the pepper in its hotpots comes from the district.
No.3 : Tianshui Huaniu apples
Huaniu apple made in Tianshui City of Gansu Province, a specialty of Gansu’s Tianshui city, began growing in 1925. It is a national product from the region.
The apples are recommended by many experts from China and abroad as another leading apple brand that could compare with the Red Delicious apples of the United States and Japan’s Fuji apples, since they are crisp, juicy and have a pleasing fragrance and good flavor. It is also the first Chinese apple that has a trademark on the international market.
No.4: Kushui Roses
Kuishui roses, a specialty of Kushui township, Gansu province. The capital of Northwest China's Gansu province, Lanzhou has a long history of rose planting. And Yongdeng county’s Kushui township grows China's best roses. The Kushui roses are delicate and charming with a desirable fragrance. They have a variety of uses, including tea, wine, sauce, snacks, candies, and the rose oil, or attar, are precious spices for making cigarettes, soap, perfume and cosmetics.Roses are good medicine for activating blood and relieving liver. More than half of the country’s output of roses and rose oil come from Lanzhou's Yongdeng county. The oil extraction rate of Kuishui roses reaches more than 4/10,000, higher than the average level of the country. Yongdeng is also known as China's “land of roses”.
No. 5: Longxi Astragalus
Longxi astragalus, a specialty of Longxi county, Gansu province. Gansu’s Longxi county, known as a land of herbal medicines with a long history, is home to more than 100 traditional Chinese medicines. All the medical herbs from Longxi, including codonopsis, astragalus, and radix bupleuri, enjoy great popularity among domestic and foreign purchasers. The county is growing into a center of medical herb production, sales, growing and information services in Northwest China. The cold weather and damp climate in the county provide perfect conditions for growing this herbal medicine, which is warm-natured and has a sweet flavor. It is a good gift for families and friends.
No.6: Linxia carved gourd
It is a specialty of Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province. Linxia carved gourd is famous for its dainty size and delicate handcraft, which combines calligraphy, painting and carvings of figures, landscapes, flowers and animals. They all embody the creator's ingenuity in design and carving skills.
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