Located in the northwest of Gansu and the middle of Hexi Corridor, Zhangye (literally meaning “to extend arms”) was named after a Chinese old saying which goes like that “Extend the arm of the country, lead the way to Western Realm”. Zhangye is a key town of the Silk Road, the major thoroughfare of New Eurasian Land Bridge and national historical and cultural city. Hei River, the second largest river running through Zhangye makes Zhangye the commodity grain base of Gansu Province. So it’s not strange that Zhangye has been entitled as “Golden Zhangye” from ancient times.
Zhangye owns two national natural reserves, one is the city located in the wetland which is a combination of “green mountains blue sky and clear water” and excellent for living, traveling and study. Another is natural scenery spots including national wetland protection unit, Ganquan Park, Desert Park, Hei River Village etc. The following part shows the TOP amazing attractions in Zhangye.
Situated in the north foothill of Qilian Mountain and occupying an area of 510 kilometers square, Zhangye Danxia Geopark (also known as “Rainbow Mountains”) is the unique composition of Danxia Landform and colorful upland. The natural but magic beauty about this place is so surreal and peaceful that it lifts your spirits.
Matisi Temple is one famed Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist temple gathering grotto art, Buddhist culture as well as Yugu nationality folk custom. With kilometers of trails leading high ridges, it shows a wonderful viewpoint to overlook the Hexi Corridor. Mati Monastery is quite solemn and imposing and makes people acclaim as the wonder.
Dafo Temple, or the Great Buddha Temple, originally built in 1098 contains a 35m-long sleeping Buddha and surrounded by clay Arhat and murals which can dating back to Qing Dynasty. The whole Temple is divided into Main Hall, Scripture Library and Wooden Pagoda. The main Hall is one of the rare wooden structure from this time still exist today.
10 km away from Zhangye National Geopark lies Binggou Danxia Geopark in Sunan County. Different from the former one, Binggou Danxia Geopark is known for its vividly shaped rocks and landforms rather than its color. Here, you can see many interesting rocks like camels, palace, couples, toads, etc.
Located in the northeast of Zhangye, about 60 km to the downtown area, Pingshanhu Grand Canyon is a wild and primitive wonderland for hikers, geologists, and photographers. The reddish rocks are shaped variously and some visitors even compare it to Colorado Grand Canyon in US.
Muta Temple, with a history dating back to the Northern Zhou Dynasty, is a 32.8 m-high tower. This octahedral tower has nine stories with decorative design in the doors and windows of each story. Climbing up to the peak of this tower, you can have a panorama view of Zhangye city standing peacefully in the front of Qilian Mountain.
The rainbow mountains offers great scenery in Zhangye, which attracts lots of visitors and photographers to capture their beauty. Especially during the sunset and sunrise at Zhangye National Geopark and Binggou Danxia Geopark, you can take amazing pictures which can not find anywhere else in the world.
If you are a hiking lover, Zhangye is definitely a nice place for you, at which you could spend half a day hiking around different view platforms at Zhangye National Geopark to enjoy the rainbow mountains. If you would like to explore and hike more, Binggou Danxia Geopark and Pingshanhu Grand Canyon are also amazing destinations.
Located in Zhangye Danxia Town, near Zhangye National Geopark, Danxiakou Grand Theater offers amazing sand dance show, which tells the stories about the Silk Road and its history in the Sui Dynasty with beautiful exotic costumes, lovely dance, breath-taking acrobatics. The stunning feature of the show is how it applies sand on the stage to show the desert land and sandstorms.
If you are interested in Buddhism culture and architectures, you can visit the largest reclining Buddha Sculpture at Dafo Temple, and go the city center to appreciate Muta Pagoda have get atop of it to have an panoramic view of Zhangye City. Also, you can go future to Mati Temple to enjoy the amazing grottoes and murals there.
Zhangye is a multi-ethnic city. At present, there are over 20 ethnic minorities in the city, including Yugu people, Tibetan and Hui people. There are many ethnic groups living at the foot of Qilian Mountain. If you go to the Mati temple, you may have a chance to meet Yugu people, watching their performances and tasting their local food.
Zhangye experiences a cold desert climate, characterized by warm summers and long, cold winters that are extremely dry, with snowfall being quite rare. The monthly average temperature varies significantly throughout the year, ranging from around -9.2 °C in January to about 21.5 °C in July. Annual precipitation is low, averaging only 130 mm, most of which falls during the months from May to September.
Due to these weather conditions, the best time to visit Zhangye is during the summer and autumn months, typically from June to September. During this period, temperatures are more comfortable for sightseeing, but visitors should be prepared for significant temperature differences between day and night. Warm clothing is recommended for the evenings, while sunblock and sand-proof gear are essential for daytime activities, given the area’s intense sunlight and occasional dust.
Zhangye Ganzhou Airport is about 25 km away from Zhangye City. There are flights connecting Zhangye with Xian, Xining, Lanzhou and Dunhuang. But the schedules are not very often, so you need to book a flight on line in advance if you want to travel Zhangye by air.
>> Learn More Zhangye Airport and Flights
There are frequent high speed trains connecting Lanzhou, Xining, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang and Xinjiang. Taking a high-speed train, you can reach to Zhangye within 3 hours from Lanzhou and less than 2 hours from Xining. Some ordinary trains are also available.
>> Learn More about Zhangye Railway Stations
There is a convenient highway system connecting Zhangye with other hot tourist destinations in Gansu,such as Dunhuang, Xining, and Lanzhou. Xiguan Bus Station is the biggest station in Zhangye and you can take buses to the different cities in Gansu. Grabing a taxi in the city is easy and convenient.
As a tourist city, Zhangye is equipped with sufficient great hotels and small hostels. Here we selected several hotels for you according to the good service and best scenic locations.
Zhangye Hotel is a five-star hotel located in Binhe New District and is just 10 minute-drive way from Zhangye Railway Station of Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway. It is a garden-like hotel mixed with modern architectural art, professional service means, and cultural elements of Silk Road. Here you will appreciate a pleasing view of lakes &mountains, green grassland as well as flying waterfall and rare birds. You can completely have fun and release yourself in this hotel.
Hua Chen International Hotel is a four-star hotel located in downtown area and close to Giant Buddha Temple. With a gorgeous appearance of modern style and elaborately designed insider decoration manifesting fashion and elegance, it became one symbolic building of Zhangye. This hotel is equipped with different kinds of rooms like president suite, luxurious suite, business suite, standard room and so on. Accommodation, catering, coffeehouse, bookstore, flower shop and gym are all available.
Zhangye Danxia Hotel , a four-star hotel, is also located in the prosperous downtown area and close to Giant Buddha Temple. It earns the reputation of the most cost-effective hotel in Zhangye with new facilities, excellent service, and perfect environment. They offer different kinds of dishes to cater for different tastes of people from different countries and districts. Very near to the Central Plaza, you can enjoy some wonderful performance at night.Top help you learn better about Zhangye's location, attractions, etc, we have collected following tourist maps which are latest, downloadable and printable.
Besides Zhangye, there are some other destinations in Gansu well worth your visit. Transfer to the following destinations and explore Gansu natural and cultural sites - Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Jiuquan. Discover now!
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