Located 45 kilometers southeast of Tianshui City (tiān shuǐ shì 天水市) in Gansu Province (gān sù shěng 甘肃省), Maiji Mountain (mài jī shān 麦积山) rises up abruptly 142 meters from the landscape. The people named the mountain 'Maiji' because it resembles a stack of wheat straw (mai meaning wheat, and ji meaning stack). Maiji Mountain is 150 meters tall, and it was named for its shape. According to historical records, the Maiji Grottoes (mài jī shān shí kū 麦积山石窟) were excavated during the Hou Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdom Period. The Maiji Mountain Grottoes have a long history.

Situated in the south of the Dongguan Street, the Dongguan Mosque (dōng guān qīng zhēn dà sì 东关清真大寺) is one of the largest mosques in northwest China.  First built in 1379 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the mosque enjoys a long history of more than 600 years and still remains the most well preserved ancient building. Architecture of the mosque combines traditional Chinese style and the local features, with grand appearance and delicate, dazzlingly inside ornaments. The mosque has a prayer hall which can hold up to 3,000 people. Now this mosque serves as an educational center and institution of higher learning for Islamism, and also is the leading mosque in Qinghai.

The city of Tianshui (tiān shuǐ 天水) is located in the northeastern part of Gansu province. It is the second largest city in the province, and is about 338 kilometers from Lanzhou City, Gansu's capital. Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River (wèi hé 渭河), through which much of trade occurred between China and the west. It has a total area of 14,300 square kilometers, and a population of approximately 3,500,000. About 300,000 people live in the Tianshui urban area. Established during the time of Emperor Wu Di, Tianshui County has had a 2000 year history.

The Kunlun Mountains (kūn lún shān 昆仑山) has been known as the Forefather of Mountains in China. The name of the mountain can be found in many Chinese classics, such as The Classics of Mountains and Rivers, Commentary on the Waterways Classics, and Canonization of the Gods (or Gods and Heroes). As legend has it, the goddess of Kunlun is Queen Mother of the West. The adobe of immortals in many ancient books is said to be the Heihai, or the Black Sea (hēi hǎi 黑海) - the source of the Kunlun River (kūn lún hé 昆仑河), 4,300 meters above sea level, with an area of 60 square kilometers. The river region is an ideal home to birds and wild animals, such as wild donkeys, sheep, and brown bears. There are precious murals in Yeniugou (yě niú gōu 野牛沟), or Wild Bull Ditch. Textual research shows that this is where Taoist rites were performed during the late Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).