Zhangye Travel Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lesser known town in northwest China, but traditionally, Zhangye is regarded as a golden city on the Silk Road. It is a place having a good prairie and it was a military base in ancient China. An ancient Chinese poet once said, "If you don't see the great view the snowy Qilian Mountain (in Gansu Province), you will think you're in the lower reach of the Yangtze River !"

Zhangye is also a city rich in tourism resources, you can see many magnificent, old Buddhist monasteries and a lot of historical buildings, as well as natural parks and strange landscapes. In the city's museum, displays some of the most valuable Buddhist scriptures from the Ming Dynasty. The 600-volume Mahapraj Aparami Ta Sutra is carefully written by golden ink, it has ultimate artistic value too.

 

People

Total population in Zhangye is about 1.23 million, mainly Han Chinese, with Hui, Mongol and some other ethnic groups.

 

Transportation

Although Zhangye isn't big, it's quite an easy access city. The National Expressways Nos. 312 and 227 are run through the town. The Zhangye Railway Station is 7km to the northeast of the city's center. It is not a big train station, and the train routes are mainly going to the cities and town in Gansu Province. Three long distance bus stations : East, West and South of the city, services are available to various places in the province.

 

Geography

Zhangye is 450km northwest of Lanzhou and 150km southeast of Jiayuguan. It is a middle point of China's Hexi Corridor. The famous Qilian Mountain is located in the south and the scenic Heihe (Black) River is flowing through the city.

 

Climate

Cold winter and hot summer with dry and windy weather throughout the year and less precipitation, because Zhangye is quite near the arid desert zone.