Top 10 Famous Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing in Zhangye

Zhangye embodies both the grandeur of ancient battles and the enthusiasm of the vast desert, as well as the charm of the jiangnan and the rugged beauty of the frontier. Snowy mountains rise over grasslands, and deserts lie beside green waters. Following are the Zhangye top 10 attractions.

Top 1: Zhangye Colorful Danxia

Zhangye Colorful Danxia landform, located at the north foot of Qilian Mountain and in the middle of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, formed approximately 2 million years ago and spans an area of over 510 square kilometers, making it the second largest after China's Chishui Danxia. It is one of the most well-developed and diverse Danxia in terms of landform shapes in China, and the only highly composite area of Danxia landform and colorful hilly landscape in China, with its colorful hills being the most vibrant and extensive in the country.

Zhangye Colorful Danxia is primarily composed of red gravel, sandstone, and mudstone, distributed along both sides of the Liyuan River and its tributaries. It is divided into two major groups, north and south, separated by the Zhangye Oasis Basin. The northern group is relatively flat, characterized by monocline ridges with clear mountain textures and patterns, while the southern group is famous for its intricate strata, steep cliffs, vertical joints, and vibrant colors. Thousands of cliffs and mountain peaks display vivid shades of crimson and reddish-brown, setting off each other and showcasing its own beauty. The unique formations and bright hues make the Qilian Mountains appear as if they are carved with striking peaks and vibrant, multicolored ridges.

• Address: Nantai village, Nijiaying town, Linze County, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 07:00 AM – 07:00 PM
• Tour Length: 2-4 hours

Top 2: Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon

The Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon is located about 56 kilometers from the city center of Zhangye. It is the closest comprehensive tourist attraction to a city in China, integrating natural wonders, canyon exploration, geological research, ethnic customs, and self-driving off-road adventures. The entire scenic area covers 100 square kilometers and ranges in altitude from 1,500 to 2,550 meters. Formed over billions of years through crustal uplift and natural processes such as wind erosion, water erosion, and chemical weathering, it is one of the three major Danxia landform scenic areas in Zhangye.

The Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon features towering peaks, deep ravines, and a various strange rocks and steep cliff pillars. From the canyon floor to the top, various rock layers from different geological periods are clearly visible, with distinct colors and patterns, masterpieces of nature over billions of years. The canyon is deep and mysterious, with unique peak forests. The vibrant, multicolored mountains have been sculpted into breathtaking landscapes by the nature like awe-inspiring scrolls of mountain and water scenery. A bottomless giant gorge, showcasing unparalleled rugged magnificence.

• Address: Pingshan Lake Mongolian township, Ganzhou district, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 07:30 AM – 06:30 PM
• Tour Length: 2-5 hours

Top 3: Mati Temple Grottoes

Mati Temple, located 65 kilometers north of Zhangye, is a tourist area that combines cave art, Qilian Mountains scenery, and Tibetan custom. Nestled at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, Mati Temple boasts cave art comparable to that of Dunhuang and is the highest-altitude grotto complex in China. Therefore, it’s more fitting to call it a grotto complex rather than a temple.

The grottoes were first built during the Northern Liang period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, with over 1,600 years of history. The site consists of seven parts: Shengguo Temple, Puguang Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Golden Pagoda Temple, and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Guanyin Caves. The Thousand Buddha Cave contains more than 500 cliffside Buddha statues, making it grand in scale. The Golden Pagoda Temple features ancient, elegant flying apsaras in large reliefs, unique in China. Puguang Temple’s Thirty-three Heavens Cave, with five layers and twenty-one caves arranged in a pagoda shape, includes inner and outer Buddha halls and corridors, with 49 niches in total.

• Address: Mati Tibetan Township, Yugur Autonomous County of Sunan, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 08:00 AM – 06:00 PM
• Tour Length: 2-3 hours

Top 4: Zhangye Dafo Temple

The Zhangye Dafo Temple, is originally named Kassapa Tathāgata Temple, also known as the "Sleeping Buddha Temple" for it houses a statue of Shakyamuni in Nirvana. It was constructed began in 1098, covering an area of over 30,000 square meters. According to legend, a monk named Wei Mei, while traveling, heard heavenly music and followed the sound to this spot, where he discovered a jade Sleeping Buddha, so decided to build a temple here.

The Zhangye Dafo Temple is an important site along the ancient Silk Road, and is a landmark building of the historical city of Golden Zhangye, serves as a Buddhist art museum, integrating architecture, sculpture, murals, carvings, scriptures, and cultural relics. The main structure, the Giant Buddha Hall, is an outstanding example of Western Xia architectural art, consisting of two levels, with a symmetrical layout and a varied spatial composition, giving a sense of unrestraint and solemnity, while feeling genuine and ethereal. On the east and west walls of the hall are large murals depicting scenes from Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods, that the compositions are complex yet harmonious, with the figures vividly brought to life on the walls.

• Address: Dafosi Lane, Minzhu West Street, Ganzhou District, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 08:30 AM – 05:00 PM
• Tour Length: 1-2 hours

Top 5: Qilian Mountains

The Qilian Mountains are one of the major mountain ranges in China. They consist of several parallel mountain chains running from northwest to southeast, along with wide valleys. The range stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers, with an elevation between 4,000 and 6,000 meters, and contains 3,306 glaciers, covering an area of about 2,062 square kilometers. More than half of the Qilian Mountain range lies within Zhangye's borders and is also known as the Zhangye Southern Mountains.

Above the 4,000-meter snow line in the Qilian Mountains, it is covered by snow and ice year-round, where the numerous snow-capped peaks and glaciers form a massive "solid reservoir", which nourishes the important water sources of Gansu and sustains the oases of the northwest. The Qilian Mountains are rich in grass and water, and the scenery is beautiful. Traveling along the mountain range from southeast to northwest, the surrounding landscape gradually transitions from forests to grasslands, and finally to the barren Gobi desert. From the idyllic countryside to the pastoral songs of the grasslands, and then to the desolate wilderness beyond the Great Wall, the journey evokes a sense of grandeur.

• Address: border of northeast of Qinghai and western of Gansu
• Open Hours: 00:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Tour Length: 3-12 hours

Top 6: Yanzhi Mountain

Yanzhi Mountain is a famous mountain in Gansu, located at the junction of Gan and Liang, in the narrow waist of the Hexi Corridor. It stretches about 34 kilometers from east to west and is approximately 20 kilometers wide from north to south, forming part of the Qilian Mountains.

Yanzhi Mountain is rich in water and grass, historically serving as an excellent natural pasture, and a vital water source conservation area, with a forest park established in the region. The terrain of Yanzhi Mountain is rugged, with towering peaks and strategic significance, making it a key military site throughout history, long been known as the "Throat of Gan and Liang". The grassland on the southern slopes have been official horse pastures since the Han Dynasty. During Emperor Wu of Han's reign, General Huo Qubing led an army of 10,000 cavalry through Yanzhi Mountain to fight the Xiongnu, achieving a victory with over 8,000 heads taken.

The natural scenery of Yanzhi Mountain is beautiful, with vast pine forests atop and deep ravines below. The cliffs rise steeply on both sides of the canyons, with strange rocks scattered throughout. Therefore it has become a popular tourist destination for summer retreats and vacations.

• Address: 45 km southeast of Shandan County, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 08:00 AM – 05:30 PM
• Tour Length: 3-5 hours

Top 7: Shandan Army Horse Farm

The Shandan Army Horse Farm was established in 121 BC by the Western Han General Huo Qubing, located in the central part of the Hexi Corridor and at the foot of the Lenglong Ridge in the Qilian Mountains, spanning the vast Dama Ying Grassland and crossing both Gansu and Qinghai provinces. Covering an area of 3.2954 million acres, it is the oldest royal cavalry farm in the world, as once the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world.

Shandan Army Horse Farm is famous not only for breeding fine steeds but also for its enchanting grassland scenery. As you step into this vast expanse of grassland, the gentle breeze, the whinnying of the horses, the drifting white clouds, the lush green grass, and the endless fields of golden rapeseed flowers spread out before you. In the distance, the snow-capped peaks of the Qilian Mountains rise sharply like swords piercing the sky. The beauty and tranquility of the landscape leave one feeling invigorated and at peace.

• Address: Damayin Grassland, Shandan County, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 08:00 AM – 07:00 PM
• Tour Length: 1-4 hours

Top 8: Biandukou

The Biandukou Ecological Leisure Tourism Area, also known as the Biandukou Scenic Area, is located in the heart of the Qilian Mountains, covering a total area of 60 square kilometers, with the elevation of the scenic area is around 2,800 meters.

On both sides of the Biandukou Canyon, there are towering peaks, steep cliffs, bizarre rocks, and endless ridges. In flatter areas, mountain streams wind through the landscape like a silver chain embedded in the mountains. From a high vantage point, the snow-capped peaks loom in the distance, while nearby, the mountains rise in layers, covered with lush green grass. Colorful wildflowers are scattered across the grass, swaying gently in the breeze. Every July, the vast expanse of rapeseed flowers blooms in full glory, with hundreds of thousands of acres of golden flowers stretching endlessly. As the wind passes, the golden sea of flowers ripples, a fragrance blowing that invigorates the senses and leaves one feeling refreshed and at peace.

• Address: 28 km north of Minle County, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM
• Tour Length: 2-3 hours

Top 9: Zhangye National Wetland Park

On the vast expanse of China, there is a place renowned for its "natural wonders" and "cultural beauty"—the Zhangye National Wetland Park. Located in the heart of the ancient Silk Road, this wetland park is a rare treasure in the northwest region.

The landscape of Zhangye National Wetland Park is dominated by reed marshes, with several clear, winding rivers crisscrossing the area. In the center of the riverbeds are several emerald-green lakes, surrounded by lush reed beds. In addition to the reeds, the park is home to a variety of trees, creating an elegant wetland landscape that is unique and rare in the rugged, arid northwest. Walking along the wooden boardwalks, one is filled with a sense of tranquility and joy, enjoying the serene beauty of this natural oasis.

• Address: 312 National Road, Ganzhou District, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 06:00 AM – 08:00 PM
• Tour Length: 1-4 hours

Top 10: Alien Valley

The Alien Valley Interstellar Themed Geopark is an important part of the Zhangye National Geopark, covering a total area of 17.34 square kilometers. The area is known for its bizarre and striking rock formations, which create a powerful visual impact. In some places, there is not a single blade of grass, evoking a sense of mystery and desolation, as if walking on an alien planet.

The canyon of Alien Valley is both mysterious and ethereal, with narrow passages flanked by towering stone walls that seem to pierce the sky, giving a strong sense of oppression. The wind howls through the canyon, resembling a distant call from another world. The vastness and grandeur of the landscape, with its vibrant and colorful hues, make it a rare and stunning geological wonder.

• Address: Silver Village, Yugur Autonomous County of Sunan, Zhangye
• Open Hours: 07:30 AM – 07:30 PM
• Tour Length: 1-3 hours

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