CITY · GANSU
Zhangye
张掖 · Zhāngyè
Overview
Hexi Corridor city famous for the multicoloured Danxia rainbow mountains (UNESCO) and the 11th-century Giant Buddha Temple housing the largest reclining Buddha in China.
Zhangye was a major Han-dynasty garrison and one of the four founding cities of the Hexi Corridor. The city's contemporary fame rests on the Zhangye Danxia geopark — multi-coloured sedimentary sandstone formations 40 km west of the city that became internationally photogenic from the 2010s onward. UNESCO-listed in 2010 as part of China Danxia. Sunrise and sunset transform the colour saturation.
The Giant Buddha Temple (Dafosi, 1098 CE) houses a 35-metre reclining Buddha — the largest indoor reclining Buddha in China. Marco Polo is reputed to have stayed in Zhangye for a year. The Mati Temple Grottoes (350-1300 CE), 65 km south, contain Buddhist cliff carvings on a substantial scale.
What to see
- Zhangye Danxia geopark (UNESCO) — rainbow mountains
- Giant Buddha Temple (1098 CE)
- Mati Temple Grottoes
- Bingou (Ice Gorge) Danxia
What to eat
- Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles
- Hexi Corridor lamb
Getting there
Zhangye Ganzhou (YZY) airport. HSR Lanzhou 3h, Dunhuang 2h, Xining 4h.
Getting around
Bus + tour vehicle for the Danxia.
Where to stay
Central Zhangye for the Buddha Temple; near the Danxia entrance for sunrise.
We list neighbourhoods, not specific hotels — we don't endorse hotels.
When to go
May–October.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥220 |
| Mid-range | ¥500 |
| Comfortable | ¥1100 |
Itineraries visiting Zhangye
- Gansu and Ningxia — Yinchuan, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang, 7 days
7d · Seven days across two northwest provinces — the Hui Muslim city of Yinchuan, Yellow River Lanzhou, the Danxia rainbow hills, Jiayuguan Fort and the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang.
- Silk Road — Xi'an, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang
10d · The Hexi Corridor: Xi'an east-to-west by HSR through the Buddhist cave-temples and Silk Road forts.
- Silk Road — Xi'an to Kashgar, 14 days
14d · The full Hexi Corridor route from Xi'an west through Lanzhou, Dunhuang and the Taklamakan edge to Turpan and Kashgar — the historical Silk Road across northwest China.
- First-timer China — 21 days with northwest Silk Road extension
21d · Three weeks across China: the classic eastern cities, a Yunnan highland loop, and a Silk Road extension through Gansu into the northwest — covering the range of what China actually contains.
Food of Northwestern China
- Biangbiang Noodlesbiáng biáng 面
Wide, hand-pulled, belt-shaped Shaanxi noodles. The 'biang' character is the most complex in the Chinese language.
- Big Plate Chicken大盘鸡
A large-portioned Xinjiang braised chicken dish with potatoes, peppers and thick hand-pulled belt noodles.
- Hand-Grasped Lamb手抓羊肉
Large bone-in lamb pieces boiled in spiced water and eaten by hand — a communal dish of Inner Mongolia and the northwest.
- Laghman (Hand-Pulled Noodles with Lamb)拉条子
Uyghur hand-pulled wheat noodles with a lamb-and-vegetable sauce of tomato, pepper and onion.
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