In the 8th century, an anonymous poet of the Tang dynasty places General Geshu Han and the Chinese army in Lintao, battling the Tibetans.

[3] Poet Li Bai references Lintao in his poem, "Ballads of Four Seasons: Winter.

It is known to have been home to hundreds of foreign merchants at the time, some of whom may have been the ancestors of today's Hui people of Gansu.

It borders with Lanzhou in the northeast, with Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in the west, and with other parts of Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and south.

China National Highway 212 and the Lanhai Expressway (G75) cross the county from the north to the south, on its way from Lanzhou to south-eastern Gansu.