The province of Gansu in northwestern China borders on the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia, as well as on the provinces of Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Qinghai. Since 1949, the capital is Lanzhou (3.2 million inhabitants). In the west, the Qilian Mountains, covered with woods and snow, reach an altitude of 5500 m. The Gobi and Alashan deserts are located in the east and the north. South of the Huang H…