Tianshui Maijishan Airport

机About this airport

Tianshui Maijishan Airport serves Tianshui, the second largest city of Gansu province in northwestern China. The airport takes its name from the site it primarily enables: the Maiji Mountain (Maijishan) Buddhist grottoes — one of the four great Buddhist cave complexes of China alongside Mogao (Dunhuang), Yungang (Datong) and Longmen (Luoyang). The Maiji Mountain complex has 194 surviving caves with over 7,200 clay and stone Buddhist sculptures and 1,000 square metres of murals, carved from the conglomerate cliffs of a dramatically isolated rocky hill in the Qinling Mountains from the 5th century onwards.

Routes from THQ connect to a limited number of domestic destinations [VERIFY: current routes — May 2026]. Tianshui is also on the Baoji-Lanzhou railway, and high-speed train access from Xi'an (approximately 1.5 hours) is practical for many visitors.

The Maiji Mountain complex is accessible on foot via cliff-face stairs and walkways that give a somewhat vertiginous experience. The sculptures and paintings cover a remarkable range of periods and styles from Northern Wei through Tang to Ming. The quality of the clay sculptures — particularly the Tang examples — is considered to be among the finest in China.

Tianshui city itself has significant Fuxi Temple (associated with one of China's mythological founding emperors) and a surviving section of historic street. The surrounding Qinling and Longnan mountain areas have significant forest ecosystems and hiking potential.