Sight Overview

Zhangye, listed by the State Council, is a century old town with a prosperous past. It still, despite years of neglect, contains a variety of cultural relics. Best of the sights by far is the Giant Buddha Temple, in the southeastern corner of town, that, at 34.5 meters long, is the largest indoor reclining Buddha in China.

Of the other sights of interest in town, best include the Muta Temple, a nine-storey octagonal construction made almost entirely of wood, the Xilai Temple (Xilai si), a center for active Chinese Buddhism, and the central Drum Tower (Gulou), a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) construction presently housing a huge bronze bell. For those with a bit of time on their hands, a park (Ganquan gongyuan) in the northwest corner of town, is also pleasantly relaxing.

Probably the main reason for coming here, however, is for the out of town activities, centered around the little Tibetan village of Mati, 65km south of Zhengye. This is a region of grassland and mountain, scattered temples and expanses of pine forests, that, although slightly tourist orientated in parts, can still be beautiful. The main sight in this area, is the often crowded Horse’s Hoof Temple (Mati si), allegedly the area where a Chinese Pegasus left it’s hoof print.

Sight Index
Gold Medals or silver Medals indicate Sights recommended by Lonelychina.