The old Yellow River rafts by mke1963
Along the Yellow River, a very common method of crossing the river was by using rafts made from the inflated skins of sheep or pigs. The legs and neck of the skin of the unfortunate animal are sewn up and inflated with air, then nine to twelve of them are tied together to form a raft. Some of them are attached underneath a basic wooden frame, but I have seen them being used without a frame.To the west of Zhongshan Bridge, by the cable car building, it is possible to go for a ride on one of these rafts, although it is barely representative of the real thing, which is propelled by a man swimming half in the water, kicking with his legs. The river ride in Lanzhou, though, uses paddles. Still it is fun to watch, although it is worth remembering that this river is particularly heavily polluted and one of China?s largets oil and petrochemical complexes lies at the western end of town.
Just a few metres away there are rides in speedboats up and down the river. Probably a better bet from a health perspective.