Wuwei Railway Station

Station name and what to look for

Match the Chinese characters on your ticket to the characters above. English translations of Chinese station names vary between booking sites, but the Chinese name is the same everywhere.

About the station

Wuwei, historically Liangzhou, is one of the older Silk Road cities in Gansu and a stop on the conventional corridor between Lanzhou and Zhangye. The station serves the town directly and is a straightforward, uncomplicated arrival.

The reason to stop is the Lei Tai Han Tomb and the Wuwei Confucian Temple, both in or near town, plus the bronze galloping horse that was excavated nearby and became a Chinese national symbol — the original is in the provincial museum in Lanzhou, but the story belongs here.

Note that Wuwei has more than one station. Wuwei South (武威南) is a separate freight-oriented station further out and is not where passenger services to the city centre stop.

Getting to and from Wuwei

The town centre is a short bus or taxi ride from the station. Wuwei is small enough that most hotels are within walking distance of the main sights once you are in town.

For onward travel along the corridor, conventional trains continue toward Zhangye and Jiayuguan, and toward Lanzhou in the other direction.

What catches travellers out here

• Do not confuse Wuwei with Wuwei South. The naming is genuinely confusing and the two are not close together.
• Wuwei is a genuine local city rather than a tourist town, so English is less widely spoken than in Xi’an or Chengdu. Having your hotel name written in Chinese helps.

Other station guides in Gansu

Before you travel

Tickets are issued against your passport and there is no paper ticket to collect for most domestic services. Read the booking guide if this is your first Chinese train, or the seat class guide if you are choosing between a hard sleeper and a soft sleeper. For the station itself, the general station guide explains how gates and boarding work at any Chinese station.