Yellow River Sheepskin Raft Rafting Center

The Yellow River Sheepskin Raft Rafting Centre offers visitors to Lanzhou the opportunity to experience one of the most distinctive traditional forms of river transport in northwestern China: the sheepskin raft. For centuries, these rafts were the principal means by which people and goods were carried across and along the upper Yellow River, and the technique of their construction and use represents an important piece of the intangible cultural heritage of the Gansu region. The rafting centre preserves this tradition in a form accessible to visitors.

The construction of a sheepskin raft is unusual and distinctive. Whole sheepskins, carefully prepared and sealed, are inflated and used as flotation units, lashed together within a light wooden frame to form a buoyant raft. The resulting craft is light, flexible, and well adapted to the shallow, fast-flowing, and obstacle-strewn waters of the upper Yellow River. The rafts were historically used both for ferrying across the river and for downstream transport of goods, with the raftsmen dismantling the rafts at their destination and carrying the skins back overland for reuse.

At the rafting centre, visitors can take short trips on a traditional sheepskin raft, accompanied by experienced raftsmen. The experience offers a direct encounter with a piece of living heritage: the rafts are built and operated using the traditional techniques, and the raftsmen are themselves practitioners of the skills involved. The trip also provides a particular view of the Yellow River, from the waterline of a small, low-slung craft, which is quite different from the views available from the bridge, the waterfront, or the high-rise buildings of central Lanzhou.

For international visitors, the sheepskin raft trip is best treated as a brief, atmospheric activity rather than a full sightseeing programme. Allow roughly an hour, including briefing and the trip itself. The rafting centre is located along the Lanzhou Yellow River waterfront, and the visit combines naturally with a walk along the Binhe Road promenade, the Iron Bridge, and other central Lanzhou attractions. Spring, summer, and autumn are the most comfortable times for the trip; winter conditions on the river can be harsh, and operations are typically reduced or suspended during the coldest months.