Lying in the southeast of Gansu Province, the city of Tianshui is the second largest city in and the city directly under the province. Today, the city has become a major city that focuses on tourism and processing, and the center of economy, culture and commerce, and the transportation pivot in the southeast of Gansu.

Tianshui is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese people. In ancient times, the legendary emperor Fuxi and Nuwa were born here. Today throngs of people still flock to the Fuxi Temple, in the western section of the city, to commemorate him. Hence, Tianshui has become the Holy Land where overseas Chinese come to trace and worship their ancestors.

The city was for centuries an important town on the Silk Road, being the first stop in Gansu for travelers and merchants to various parts of northwestern China and beyond. It is now a national level historical and cultural city. The time-honored history fostered the Fuxi Culture, Dadiwan Culture, the Pre-Qin Culture, the Three Kingdoms Culture and Grottoes Culture, and turned out many historical celebrities. The Maji Mountain ("Wheat-stack Mountain") Scenic Area is one of the 44 national scenic areas published in the first batch by the State Council. Besides, there are many historic sites about Du Fu, the poem saga, Li Guang, celebrated general, Zhuge Kongming, a famous militarist, and so on. Tianshui is rich in tourism resources and noble cultural taste, with altogether 69 cultural relics sites under the county level protection or above.