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About Liujiaxia Reservoir
The contrast between narrow passages and broader water makes this a landscape to explore from a chosen shoreline or boat route, not a single viewpoint. The dam explains how the lake was formed, while an excursion toward Bingling connects the water with Buddhist cliff art. Water levels and sailing conditions can change the experience.
Since the reservoir was impounded in 1968, sediment has settled at its upper end: by the end of 2000 it had lost 1.533 billion cubic metres of storage capacity, a 26.9 percent loss. The Yellow and Daxia rivers deposit sediment as a delta at the reservoir's upper end, while sediment from the Tao River (洮河) has advanced toward the dam; a sediment-diversion tunnel on the left bank was built from 2006 to route it past the dam.
The reservoir helps control flooding downstream at Lanzhou, where a natural hundred-year flood peak would reach 8,080 cubic metres per second against the city's safe discharge capacity of 6,500. In September 1981 the upper Yellow River's largest recorded flood produced a peak flow of 7,090 cubic metres per second at Lanzhou; regulation by the reservoir and a cofferdam under construction at Longyangxia (龙羊峡) cut the peak to 5,600 and delayed it by five to six days, protecting the area and the Baotou-Lanzhou railway.
The reservoir usually does not freeze in winter, but in early 2008 unusually cold weather froze over half its surface, requiring measures to protect the power station's turbines from floating ice. Vehicle ferries cross the reservoir between docks in Linxia County (Lianhua Tai) and Yongjing County, and boats to Bingling Temple run from docks including one at Liujiaxia Town.
What to look for
- The reservoir’s branching bays where tributary valleys meet the Yellow River.
- The contrast between the dam-end basin and the cliff landscape toward Bingling.
Background & history
The Liujiaxia Reservoir (simplified Chinese: 刘家峡水库; traditional Chinese: 劉家峽水庫; pinyin: Liújiāxiá Shuǐkù) is a reservoir in China's Gansu Province, formed by the Liujiaxia Dam on the Yellow River. It occupies over 130 km2 (50 mi2), and is located entirely within Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. The reservoir's shores belong to the prefecture's Yongjing County (the narrow northern part, and the north shore of the wide southern part), Dongxiang Autonomous County (eastern part of the south shore), Linxia County (western part of the south shore), and Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County (the small westernmost section of the south shore). The Daxia River and the Tao River flow into the reservoirs, forming wide bays. The water level in Liujiaxia Reservoir is usually reported as 1,735 m (5,692 ft) above the sea level, but in practice it varies significantly, in accordance with the water flow and human needs.
Excerpt from Wikipedia: Liujiaxia Reservoir · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.
Location & getting there
Getting to Liujiaxia Reservoir
For the dam end and tourist departures, travel to Liujiaxia Town in Yongjing County and confirm the operator’s exact reservoir dock. A reservoir map pin does not identify a landing; choose the sailing or shoreline destination before arranging the road transfer.
Combine your visit
A suggested order for the documented features and stops.
-
Liujiaxia dam-end shoreline
Begin with the reservoir’s engineered setting from an accessible public viewing area.
-
Bingling Temple炳灵寺
Add a separately arranged boat or road excursion for the canyon and cave art.
This is an editorial sequence. Check access and any road or boat transfers; it does not establish a walking route, common ticket or guaranteed same-day connection.
Find Liujiaxia Reservoir
刘家峡水库 · 临夏州
The pin marks the area, not the entrance.
More places nearby
Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.
Bingling Temple炳灵寺
30 km awayBingling Temple’s caves and carved figures line a canyon near the head of Liujiaxia Reservoir. The great Maitreya Buddha rises beside much smaller niches, so the cliff can be read at both monumental and intimate scales. Murals…
View guide →Gansu Bamboo Slips Museum甘肃简牍博物馆
38 km awayGansu Bamboo Slips Museum makes small written objects speak about large networks and ordinary lives. Wood and bamboo records preserve accounts, correspondence and administrative traces from the northwestern frontier. The…
View guide →Gansu Provincial Museum甘肃省博物馆
41 km awayGansu Provincial Museum connects the province’s archaeological past through painted pottery, Silk Road finds and Buddhist art. The bronze galloping horse from Wuwei’s Leitai tomb is its best-known object, but the patterned…
View guide →Sources & visit information
The linked encyclopedia sources support background and place descriptions. Current opening hours, ticket prices, booking rules and transport schedules have not been independently verified for this guide. Confirm them with the venue or operator before travelling.
- Liujiaxia Reservoir ↗
- Chinese Wikipedia: 刘家峡水电站 (revision 86601807, 2025-03-28) ↗
- English Wikipedia: Liujiaxia Reservoir (revision 1366340848, 2026-07-27) ↗
Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “Liujiaxia Reservoir” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1366340848.
Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "刘家峡水电站", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 86601807.
Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Liujiaxia Reservoir", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1366340848.