Zhangye

About 450km northwest of Lanzhou, Zhangye was one of the most important Silk Road outposts along Hexi Corridor. Marco Polo says he stayed a year here with his father and uncle. The impressive attraction is the Big Buddha Temple, which houses a 34m-long sleeping Buddha. This clay statue is the largest indoor reclining Buddha in China and was built in 1103. During the Ming Dynasty, Zhangye was an important garrison town for soldiers guarding the Great Wall, and today the road from Wuwei to Zhangye is still a good place from which to view the Wall.

Highlights:

Big Buddha Temple - Built in 1098 and restored in Qing dynasty, the largest reclining Buddha in China.
Wood Pagoda - First built in the 6th century, a 31m-high, nine-story pagoda.
Mati Temple - 68km south of Zhangye, more influenced by the then Indian arts, Mati Temple is rich in clay Buddhist sculptures carved out around the 5th century AD. Dalai Lama Ⅲ and Ⅴcame here in person to pay their respect.