The otherworldliness of Tianfu Sand Palace

（CRI Online）  15:40, July 17, 2013  

In Gansu Province's city of Lanzhou, chaos and traffic congestion can be a true test of one's patience; thankfully, the city's outskirts boast some fantastic getaways. The dream-like Tianfu Sand Palace is one slightly more remote location (roughly two hours out of Lanzhou), that is well worth making the trek out for.

Construction has seriously marred two of the area's entrances, and a freeway is set to tragically blast its way along the length of the park. But even from the edges of the site, otherworldly treasures can be glimpsed: rust-orange rock formations sometimes shyly poke out of lush basin walls and sometimes proudly thrust upwards toward the sky.

In a sense, this so-called park area isn't much of a park at all, but simply an undeveloped expanse of land. There are no vendors selling snacks or beverages or hats. There are no signs. There are no bathrooms. There isn't even a parking lot.