I spent a week in Gansu last summer. I would guess the Labrang Monasteries are the must see place in Xiahe, Gansu.  The town is in a Tibetan Autonomous District and as such there are many who cannot or will not speak puthong hua.

I did find it to be REALLY cold (Xiahe) especially at night last summer, so I can only imagine that it will be even colder now.

I did have a bit of culture shock, in that a really LARGE number of locals, adults and children alike, will openly poop in public. The main street is kept rather clean, but the smaller ones are rife with human feces. So, do beware of that!

Lanzhou, has a LOT of mosques. Some are quite simple but others are quite large. I really enjoyed visiting them. Just remember to take off your shoes before entering. I also recommend not taking photos inside the mosque as some could perceive it as disrespectful.

I also tried a drink called "Barley Wine". It is 20RMB a can (Laowai price, I assume). Kinda strong for a canned drink, not sure I liked it or not, but was glad to taste something different from the regular beer and bai jiu. I would definitely give it a try, if only for the novelty of it.