Linxia Culture

Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (临夏回族自治州), historically known as Hezhou (河州), lies where the Loess Plateau meets the northeastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. For centuries it stood on routes linking the Central Plains with Qinghai, Tibet and Central Asia, making it a meeting place for Yellow River civilization, prehistoric painted-pottery cultures, Buddhism, Islam, caravan commerce and the traditions of Hui, Dongxiang, Bonan, Salar, Han and other communities.

Today Linxia has an unusually concentrated cultural heritage system. Current official statistics record 829 immovable cultural heritage sites, one World Heritage component, seven Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, 24 provincial-level protected sites, 11 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, 53 provincial-level ICH projects and 164 prefecture-level projects. Hua’er folk songs are also inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, while the Bingling Cave-Temple Complex forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Silk Roads property. Linxia itself became a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2024, linking geological history with archaeology, ethnic culture and the Yellow River landscape.

The Cultural Foundations of Linxia

Yellow River, Prehistoric and Painted-Pottery Culture

Human settlement in the Linxia Basin reaches deep into prehistory. Archaeological sites distributed along the Yellow River, Tao River, Daxia River and their tributaries preserve remains of the Majiayao, Banshan, Machang and Qijia cultures, making Linxia one of northwestern China’s most important areas for studying the transition from Neolithic farming communities toward early bronze-age society.

Guanghe County is especially significant because Qijiaping Site (齐家坪遗址) is the type-site from which Qijia Culture (齐家文化) takes its name. Linxia Prefecture has recorded more than 400 sites associated with Qijia culture, while the specialized Qijia Culture Museum in Guanghe presents pottery, jade and early metalworking traditions.

In Dongxiang Autonomous County, Linjia Site (林家遗址) preserves a major Majiayao-period settlement. More than 3,000 artifacts were excavated there, including an early bronze knife popularly known as the “First Bronze Knife of China.” The site is now a nationally protected cultural relic and an important destination for archaeological study and painted-pottery education.

Silk Road and Buddhist Culture

Linxia’s position between the Central Plains and the Tibetan Plateau made it a major passage on ancient east–west and north–south communication routes. The most important surviving monument is the Bingling Cave-Temple Complex (炳灵寺石窟) in Yongjing County.

Carving at Bingling developed over more than a millennium, with particularly important work beginning during the Western Qin period. The caves preserve Buddhist sculpture, murals, inscriptions and monumental cliff images reflecting cultural contacts along the Silk Roads. In 2014, Bingling was inscribed as one component of the UNESCO World Heritage property Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an–Tianshan Corridor.

Hezhou, Trade and Multiethnic Urban Culture

Historic Hezhou developed as a regional market linking agricultural areas of Gansu with pastoral regions of Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau. Tea, livestock, leather, wool, grain and handicrafts moved through the city, creating the commercial culture that gave Linxia its historic reputation as an inland trading center.

This history is particularly visible in Bafang Shisanxiang – Eight Lanes and Thirteen Alleys (八坊十三巷), where residential courtyards, craft workshops, food businesses and mosque-centered neighborhoods preserve the spatial memory of old Hezhou. Rather than being an open-air museum, the district remains closely connected with everyday community life.

History and Culture by County and City

National-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage in Linxia

As of 2026, Linxia officially records 11 national-level representative intangible cultural heritage projects, alongside 53 provincial and 164 prefecture-level projects. The heritage system covers folk song, narrative performance, festivals, metalworking, architecture and traditional wool crafts.

The wider Hua’er (花儿) singing tradition was inscribed by UNESCO in 2009. It is shared by nine ethnic groups across Gansu, Qinghai and other parts of north-central China and is characterized by an extensive repertoire of melodic patterns and improvised lyrics. Linxia is one of its most important living centers.

Traditional Villages and Historic Neighborhoods

Muchang Village and Bafang Shisanxiang

Muchang Village (木场村) in Linxia City is included in China’s Traditional Villages system and incorporates much of the historic Bafang neighborhood. The village preserves traditional courtyard houses and a street pattern historically organized around mosque-centered community neighborhoods. The national Traditional Village Digital Museum records the survival of traditional courtyards, old residences and the distinctive commercial and residential organization of the Bafang community.

The wider Bafang Shisanxiang district is also a provincial historic-cultural neighborhood, a national 4A attraction and one of China’s first national tourism and leisure blocks. Its restoration was carried out while retaining the original neighborhood structure and resident population, allowing it to remain a lived-in cultural quarter rather than being completely converted into a commercial scenic zone.

Yaoshui Village

Yaoshui Village (舀水村) in Daban Town, Dongxiang Autonomous County, was included in the fifth group of China Traditional Villages. Its setting beside the Tao River preserves the relationship between Dongxiang settlement, mountain terrain, historical transport routes and Muslim trading culture.

For cultural travelers, traditional villages should be approached as living communities. Private houses, family courtyards and religious spaces should not be entered simply because they appear historic.

Linxia Muslim Culture

Muslim culture is one of Linxia’s most visible cultural features, especially in Linxia City, Guanghe, Dongxiang and Jishishan, but it should be understood as part of a broader multiethnic cultural landscape rather than as a single uniform tradition.

The Hui, Dongxiang, Bonan and Salar communities have each developed distinctive histories, languages or dialects, clothing, crafts, food traditions and social customs. Islamic religious practice connects many of these communities, while local architecture also reflects centuries of exchange with Chinese building traditions.

Mosque-Centered Neighborhoods

The traditional jiaofang (教坊) system created neighborhoods in which community life developed around a mosque. Bafang Shisanxiang preserves the clearest urban example, with the historic pattern often summarized as living around the mosque and trading around the neighborhood. Chinese courtyard planning, grey-brick walls, carved screens, timber structures and Islamic decorative elements coexist within the same streetscape.

Visitors should remember that mosques are active places of worship. Access to prayer halls may be limited, especially during services. Dress modestly, keep voices low, ask before photographing people or interiors, and follow instructions from mosque staff.

Halal Food as Living Heritage

Food is one of the easiest ways to experience Linxia’s Muslim culture. Dongxiang hand-grabbed lamb, Hezhou buns, oil-fried pastries, sweet fermented grain, beef and lamb noodles, covered-bowl tea and banquet traditions reflect both Islamic dietary practice and the agricultural-pastoral exchange between the Loess Plateau and Tibetan Plateau margins.

Linxia has increasingly treated culinary skills as intangible heritage: current local heritage lists include traditional meat preparation, banquet dishes and regional cooking techniques alongside music and craftsmanship.

Traditional Crafts Worth Experiencing

Linxia Brick Carving: One of the most recognizable arts of the region. Flowers, birds, landscapes, geometric compositions and auspicious motifs are carved into grey bricks for courtyard walls, gateways and screen walls. Modern workshops now produce smaller decorative pieces suitable for cultural experiences and souvenirs.

Bonan Waist-Knife Craftsmanship: Developed in Bonan communities of Jishishan, this involves forging, pattern welding, shaping, polishing and making decorated handles and sheaths. It remains both a functional craft and a major symbol of Bonan identity.

Dongxiang Felt Making: Wool is beaten, layered, dampened, rolled and repeatedly worked into dense felt. The craft reflects a long relationship between Dongxiang communities and pastoral production.

Woodcarving, Painted Decoration and Gourd Carving: These crafts are widely represented in Linxia City and the surrounding counties, particularly in restored courtyard architecture and contemporary cultural-creative products. The 2026 prefecture-wide heritage festival continued to feature brick carving, Bonan knives, Dongxiang embroidery, woodcarving and carved gourds as major visitor experiences.