Lanzhou Aston

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Lanzhou Aston
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Lanzhou is the political, economic, and cultural center of Gansu and the capital of the province. The city is located at an altitude of 1600 meters in a high mountain valley along the southern bank of the Yellow River. The surrounding region is geologically spectacular and incredible ethnically diverse.

Total urban population is around 2 million people and represents a microcosm of Western China. This is a diverse community of Hui, Han, Tibetan, Bonan, and Xinjiang peoples. The general atmosphere this helps gives the city is astonishing as many of these people continue to wear traditional dress, create traditional handicraft, and prepare regional food.

The climate in Lanzhou is one of four seasons. Spring and fall provide warm days and cool nights. Summer can be very hot, but without the humidity of coastal cities. The winters are short and can be quite cold with temperatures dipping below freezing. Overall, the climate is dry in all seasons given the aridity of the surrounding deserts.

Lanzhou has a great selection of traditional Chinese restaurants, hotpot and barbecue. There is a heavy influence of Central Asia flavors to be found in the cuisine and a great number of shops sell very traditional Islamic dishes. From the east, the influence of Shaanxi’s noodle and sauce dishes are easily apparent. Local street food and small family restaurants abound throughout the city and are fantastically cheap. Lanzhou’s most famous delicacy is their legendary Beef Noodles, a dish widely known throughout China. There are numerous restaurants that serve Western food and several KFC outlets around town for when some tastes from home are in order.

Local attractions include two mountains, Five Springs Mountain, and White Tower Mountain. Both are accessible by cable cars, chair lifts, or stair paths. These can also be climbed more traditionally by the more adventurous. Within a few hours of Lanzhou there are many attractions, including the Bing Ling Temple and Xing Long Mountain. The surrounding countryside provides fantastic opportunities for exploration into a variety of cultures. Completely ethnic Tibetan and Hui areas are less than 2 hours in any direction from the city and sit among truly sensational landscapes. The western border of Gansu Province marks the beginning of the Tibetan Plateau where elevations rise to thousands of meters and local culture changes completely.

Lanzhou has an excellent public transportation system featuring clean and quiet modern buses. Taxis are also readily available and very cheap. The surrounding region is serviced well by bus and rail, and Lanzhou is the main transportation hub. Xining and Xiahe are each about 3 hours away. Yinchuan and Xian are easily reached on convenient overnight trains that you board in the evening and drop you off early in the morning. Lanzhou also has a modern airport with flights to major destinations throughout the country.

School

Lanzhou Aston recently opened in summer 2006 and is located on Nanchang Road, just east of the Weiyuan crossing in the Cheng Guan district. Currently, our staff team includes eleven Chinese - four front desk and seven teachers - and two Western staff in management and teaching roles.

Lanzhou Aston opened its doors in July of 2006 and by mid-November of 2007 for the regular fall term enrollment has more than tripled. Because the school is new, student numbers are growing quickly as word of the gets out to people in Lanzhou through promotional events and advertising. Because of the high level of quality in English education we have brought to the community, we expect to continue the Aston trend and attain leadership in ESL in our city in the next 2 years.

Teachers coming to Lanzhou Aston will find a modern and professional atmosphere with all of the resources needed to plan and teach effective lessons in the Aston method. All of our classrooms are spacious and well equipped while the Teachers’ Lounge is roomy and comfortable with a large south-facing window looking out over the city.

Apartments

Lanzhou Aston provides two apartments to house Western staff. The first apartment is a new, modern, and spacious two-bedroom flat in the Xingong Cheng district – known in Lanzhou as one of the more upmarket residential complexes.

The second is also a two-bedroom apartment. It is spacious and modern in every way and located just minutes walk from the school. Lanzhou Aston is committed to providing our Western staff with comfortable accommodation and has taken extra steps to ensure quality in this regard.

Videos & Web Resources

Watch School Video

Teacher Testimonial "Charlene"

Teacher Testimonial "Derek"

"Lanzhou" on Flickr

"Lanzhou" on YouTube

"Lanzhou" on Picasa

Lanzhou City Guide

Top reasons to pick Lanzhou Aston

• Lanzhou’s premier English Training School.
• Located at an altitude of 1600 meters in a high mountain valley along the southern bank of the
• Yellow River, the surrounding region is geologically spectacular and ethnically diverse.
• A provincial capital with a population of 2 million.
• A diverse community of Hui, Han, Tibetan, Bonan and Xinjiang people.
• A state-of-the-art school design.
• Famous Lanzhou noodles.
• Tibetan Xining and Xiahe are only a day trip away.
• Apartments in up market residential complexes.
• Xian (8hrs) Xining (4hrs) Yinchuan (7hrs)