Jingtai, Gansu: Bordering Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, Historically a Contested Region

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Mango Travel Diary: When people in Gansu talk about foodies, they often think of its capital, Lanzhou, because you can see Lanzhou noodles everywhere in the country; people who love travel might think of Zhangye, because there are beautiful Seven-Color Danxia formations there; art lovers might think of Dunhuang, because there are the world-renowned Mogao Caves; and history lovers might think of the Hexi Corridor, because it was the place where young general Huo Qiaobing achieved victory and fame.

At the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor, where it borders Mongolia, Ningxia, and the Alxa Right Banner of Inner Mongolia, the location is of great importance, it has been a contested place for soldiers, with frequent wars, the Ming Dynasty built a large-scale military stronghold here, from an aerial view, it looks like a turtle drinking water, so it's called Turtle City.

This Turtle City is located in Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province. Perhaps many people haven't heard of Jingtai County, and I only found out after traveling to Gansu. Jingtai County borders Zhongwei in Ningxia and Alxa Right Banner in Inner Mongolia, it belonged to several dynasties in the past.

During the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties (circa 771 BC), Jingtai was the residence of the Xiongnu; during the Spring and Warring States period to the Qin Dynasty, it belonged to the Monthu people; the Qin Dynasty defeated the Han Dynasty in the late Han Dynasty and the early Han Dynasty, Jingtai returned to the Han Dynasty's territory; during the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Tang Dezong's second year (764 AD), the Tibetan people took advantage of the Anshi Rebellion to occupy Jingtai for 86 years until Emperor Xuanzong's third year (849 AD) they were finally recovered. During the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty, due to the residence of the Tibetan minority and the Han minority, Jingtai County did not form a clear administrative jurisdiction. During the Song Yuan Dynasty, Jingtai became the territory of the Western Xia, after the Western Xia was invaded by Genghis Khan, Jingtai became the territory of the Mongolian people.

After the Ming and Yuan dynasties collapsed, Jingtai belonged to the Ming Dynasty, but there were still frequent wars and changes in ownership, so Jingtai built a long wall and military strongholds during the Ming Dynasty to resist the minority tribes to the north. Because of frequent wars and changes in ownership, there are very few historical materials left in Jingtai, so they can only piece them together from the materials left by the dynasties that once occupied it.

Nowadays, Jingtai is mainly populated by Han Chinese, mostly descendants of soldiers garrisoned in Shanxi's Big Tree and Shaanxi's Big Willow trees during the Ming Dynasty. Because of the Ming Dynasty's military (military garrison system), they were soldiers during times of war and farmers when there was peace.

Due to its special geographical features, Jingtai has become a filming location for many Western movies, such as 'Myth' starring Jet Li and Karen Mok, 'A Spoonful of Courage' starring Bin Bin Chen and Qinnan Jiang, 'Beautiful Big Feet' starring Niping Fei and Yayan Sun, and 'Battle of Zhamatai Town' starring Honglei Zhang and Lin Ziling, all of which were filmed in Jingtai for shooting and scenery. The picture shows Yellow River stone formations, one of the filming locations for 'Myth'.

The Yellow River stone formations are larger and more magnificent than the Kunming stone formations in Yunnan, standing at the top of the mountain, you can have a feeling of 'seeing all the small mountains,' this place is on the banks of the Yellow River, besides you can ride donkeys to explore the stone gorge, you can also experience the unique sheepskin raft experience on the Yellow River side.

The picture shows Turtle City, because it looks like a turtle, it's also called a living military stronghold, it's one of the most representative and well-preserved Ming Dynasty military castles on the Silk Road, including the Great Wall, watchtowers, artillery positions, city walls, (bucket cities), and river gates, it's said to have housed 2000 soldiers and 500 cavalry. Entering the city, there seems to be a desolate atmosphere, a Northwest-style of solemn and desolate sorrow, making you feel like traveling back to the ancient war years.

The picture shows Five Buddha Along Temple, there are stone caves in the temple, there are five large Buddha statues and thousands of small Buddha statues in the caves, so it's also called Thousand Buddha Temple, it was built around the Northern Wei Dynasty, now there are Buddha statues from the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and Qing Dynasties, Five Buddha Along Temple is backed by mountains and faces the river, in front of the temple is the rushing Yellow River.

There are also West Fan Kilns, the Great Dunhuang Film and Television City, and Shu Lu Shan National Forest Park, etc. Jingtai is not well-known, but there are many attractions for sightseeing and tourism.

The picture shows Five Buddha Tofu, it's a local specialty in Jingtai, unlike tofu made with hot springs and gypsum, it's made with acidic water, making the tofu flavorful, chewy, and with plenty of bean flavor, which can linger in the mouth for a long time. Besides Five Buddha Tofu, Jingtai's lamb, beef, watermelon, etc. are all very delicious, a very delicious small county in Northwest China.

Although I only stayed in Jingtai for a short few days, I was deeply impressed by this place, as if it's a lost pearl buried in the long river of history, as long as you wipe it clean, it will bloom with dazzling brilliance.

I am Mango, a solo wanderer in China, welcome to follow Mango Travel Diary, sharing travel experiences every day.