Zhangye Buddhist Temple

The Giant Buddha Temple is a landmark building of the historical and cultural city of Zhangye, known as the 'Famous Monastery on the Frontier, a Holy Land of Buddhism'. Inside the temple, there is the largest Western Xia Buddhist hall in China, the Giant Buddha Hall, the largest indoor clay reclining Buddha in Asia, and the most complete first edition of the 'Great Ming Tripitaka, Northern Canon' in the country, with a collection of over 10,000 precious cultural relics. In 1995, it became a patriotic education base in Gansu Province, in 1996 it was listed as the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and in 2018 it was selected as one of the 'Magical Northwest Top 100 Scenic Spots'.

Zhangye, this city, no one will ask you whether you love it or not, only people will ask you why you love it. The colorful colors, brilliant ethnic groups, inclusive religions, ancient history, galloping horses, young heroes, there are many reasons to fall in love with Zhangye, and it seems that no reason is needed. Zhangye is located in the transition zone from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Inner Mongolia Plateau, and has gathered all the natural landscapes that people can imagine, such as glaciers, snow mountains, forests, grasslands, rivers, lakes, Danxia, wetlands, deserts, Gobi, mountains, and canyons. It can be called a world geomorphological landscape garden. Zhangye was originally a place where ethnic minorities lived. In history, it was a necessary place for the Western Regions to enter the Central Plains. It was also a strategic point for a strong dynasty to achieve unification and strength. Various ethnic groups blend here, and the ethnic culture is brilliant and colorful. As a 4,000-year-old civilization ancient city, Zhangye's history is old enough. The ancient history adds a bit of heaviness to this city. Rich historical relics have also become our carrier to look back at the past. 🚙Transportation The scenic spots in Zhangye are far apart, public transportation is not convenient, it is recommended to drive or charter. 📜Itinerary details D1️⃣: Zhangye Museum➡️Xilai Temple➡️Dafo Temple➡️Muta Temple ✅Zhangye Museum (2h) The first stop is at the Zhangye Museum, overlooking the 4,000-year-old civilization ancient city and entering the important town of the ancient Silk Road. Follow the footsteps of the commentator, step by step into the museum, in the exquisite cultural relics such as bronzes, pottery, coins, porcelain, etc., look back at the 4,000-year-old civilization ancient city, the important town of the ancient Silk Road. ✅Xilai Temple (1h) Feel the incense after the reconstruction in the Xilai Temple, which was built in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. ✅Dafo Temple (2h) Check in the only religious hall of the Western Xia minority in China, the largest indoor reclining Buddha Nirvana statue in China, and the murals of Journey to the West, which are 200 years earlier than the book. ✅Muta Temple (1h) Take a walk outside the Muta Temple in the evening and see the life of the locals outside the ancient building. D2️⃣: Biandukou➡️Binhe Jiuliang ✅Biandukou (3h) Many people rush to Qinghai to see a field of rapeseed flowers, but in Zhangye Biandukou, under the Qilian Mountains, the rapeseed flowers bloom, also blooming the colors of Zhangye. Biandukou has travel photography, hot air balloons and other projects to check in. ✅Binhe Jiuliang (3h) Come to the birthplace of Binhe Jiuliang, in the strong aroma of wine, from the Shen Zhou Qu Workshop to the brewing workshop, from the 10,000-ton wine cellar to the 10,000-acre sorghum raw material base, step by step to trace the roots, go into the past and present of Binhe Jiuliang, and explore this time-brewed Long legend. D3️⃣: Colorful Danxia ✅Colorful Danxia (sunrise and sunset, rest at noon) The colorful Danxia has long become the business card of Zhangye and the dreamland of many good “color” followers at home and abroad. When the colorful Danxia meets the hot air balloon, it is even more romantic in the summer of Zhangye. D4️⃣: Gaotai Site➡️Zhengyi Gorge➡️Camel City Site ✅Gaotai Site (1h) Not far from the Camel City site, history lovers check in, if time is tight, you can ignore it. ✅Zhengyi Gorge (3h) You can see the wild gorge of the Great Wall, desolate and wild. ✅Camel City Site (2h) Must check in, once the ancient capital of Beiliang, the military city of the Tang Dynasty, now only the broken walls remain, stubbornly standing in the desert alkali, desolate and solemn, telling the prosperity of the past with the wind and sand. The ruins are silent and persistent, this stubbornness that spans 1,800 years, makes people tearful. D5⃣️: Sunan Matisi➡️Kangle Grassland➡️Wenshu Temple➡️Sunan County ✅Matisi (3h) Mainly visit Matisi North Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave. Matisi North Temple is the most peculiar, most strictly arranged, and largest grotto in the Matisi Grottoes. Must check in Thirty-three days, Tibetan Buddha Hall. ✅Kangle Grassland (3h) The grassland in summer is close to the sky and not far from the snow mountain, which is very similar to the appearance of the dream far away. Here you can take a large travel photo of the Yugur style. ✅Wenshu Temple (2h) The ancient grotto group under the main peak of Qilian Mountain, for thousands of years, Tibetan Buddhism, Han Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese religious sects have intersected and integrated here. D6️⃣: Yanzhi Mountain➡️Shandan Horse Farm ✅Yanzhi Mountain (3h) Shandan Yanzhi Mountain, the waist of the Hexi Corridor, the throat of the Ganliang Ancient Road, has always been a must for the military. Huo Qubing defeated the Huns here, laying the foundation for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to "expand the Western Regions and open up the Silk Road". Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty held a "World Expo" here, which became the prototype of the modern World Expo. ✅Shandan Horse Farm (3h) Must check in, although the distance is relatively far, but it is currently the largest and oldest horse farm in the world.

During this trip to the Hexi Corridor, apart from Dunhuang, what I looked forward to the most was Zhangye. As it turned out, Zhangye really is an underestimated travel city. I chose different tourist routes in the three days I spent in Zhangye, leaning towards natural scenery, and left with very good memories. Day1: Giant Buddha Temple - Zhangye Museum - Half-day tour of Rainbow Danxia : It has the largest clay reclining Buddha in the country. It's quite shocking to see it up close. The temple architecture of the Giant Buddha Temple is also worth a careful look, with beautifully carved beams and painted rafters. : Generally speaking, it's recommended to go in the summer. The colors of the Danxia are not very obvious in winter. Viewing platforms 2 and 4 are the best. Day2: Matisi Temple and Jinta Temple day tour I highly recommend everyone to go. You can see the Qilian Snow Mountain. mainly climbed the Thirty-three Days Grottoes; was not open before, so those who like grotto culture must come. It has a high-relief Feitian that is 300 years earlier than Mogao Grottoes, and the guide's explanation is very interesting. Day3: Half-day tour of Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon : People with stamina must go! I chose the ordinary tour. The route is Viewing Platform 1 - Viewing Platform 2 - Viewing Platform 3 - Grand Canyon Entrance Hiking - Enter One Line Sky (but did not climb, watch and return the same way) - Lingzhi Valley - Viewing Platform 4. The geological features at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are particularly spectacular, like a flat version of the Colorado Grand Canyon. About accommodation: I stayed at the Silk Road Traveler Youth Hostel this time, and the experience was super good. The boss lady is very, very enthusiastic. She even makes breakfast for us who are in the group in the morning. I have never recommended where I stayed before, but the accommodation in Zhangye is really surprising, and you can directly join the group in the youth hostel, which is very convenient. About food: : Stir-fry restaurant, if you've had enough of Northwestern beef and mutton, come here to revisit the taste of stir-fry, the price is not expensive. : A relatively famous local specialty restaurant. : Zhangye's unique breakfast, the small bowl for seven yuan has a lot of beef. : There are many local snacks gathered here, not the stereotyped snack street type, you can taste Gansu spicy hot pot, roll chicken, apricot skin tea, milk rice wine skewers and so on. I have eaten dinner here several times.

On a sunny early summer day, I arrived in Zhangye and am sharing what I have seen and heard in the city. I have already shared a guide to the Zhangye City Museum, which is a museum with very distinctive local features. Not far away is the millennium-old Giant Buddha Temple of Zhangye, how could I miss it? The Giant Buddha Temple, originally named Jia Ye Ru Lai Temple, is located in the Democratic West Street, Giant Buddha Temple Lane, Ganzhou District, Zhangye City, Gansu Province. It was built in the first year of Yong'an of the Western Xia Dynasty (1098). The temple is also known as the 'Reclining Buddha Temple' because it houses the Nirvana statue of Sakyamuni. It was a temple built by imperial decree through the dynasties. It is also an important historical and cultural site on the Silk Road and a landmark building of the historical and cultural city of Zhangye. The temple houses the largest Western Xia Buddhist hall in the country - the Giant Buddha Hall, the largest indoor clay sculpture of a reclining Buddha, and the most complete first edition of the 'Yongle Northern Canon'. It is a Buddhist art museum that integrates architecture, sculpture, murals, carvings, scriptures, and cultural relics. The Giant Buddha Temple complex includes an archway-style mountain gate, the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Guan Shrine Hall, the Passing Hall, the Companion Hall, the side rooms, and the main hall of the Reclining Buddha. To the south of the main hall is the Responsive Temple, to the north is the Golden Pagoda Hall, and to the rear are the Golden Repository and the Earth Pagoda. As a royal family temple through the dynasties, the Giant Buddha Temple has a close relationship with the royal families of the Western Xia, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and features a typical palace architectural style. The temple complex is arranged along a central axis running east to west, with symmetrical side halls on both sides. The entire group of buildings is unique in shape, strict in layout, prominent in theme, and clear in tone. The main building, the Giant Buddha Hall, is an outstanding representative of Western Xia architectural art. The hall is composed of two-story pavilions, with a neat and standard plane structure and a multi-faceted spatial combination, giving a sense of both natural elegance and solemn depth, both clear and distinct yet hazy and ethereal, reflecting the imperial majesty of 'supreme honor'. Inside the Giant Buddha Temple, there are Buddhist art exhibition halls and Buddhist scripture exhibition halls. The historical and artistic value it carries is a vivid history book for studying the history and culture of Zhangye, religious culture, and the integration of multiple ethnicities. It is a Buddhist art museum that integrates architecture, sculpture, murals, carvings, scriptures, and cultural relics.