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Photo: Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Holds the largest wooden indoor reclining Buddha in China at 34.5 m long, 7.5 m high. This temple is the reputed birthplace for the Mongol emperor, Kublai Khan.
The Dafo Temple or Great Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Zhangye, Gansu, China, notable for its gigantic reclining Buddha statue made around 1100 during the Western Xia period, which is thirty-five metres long and is reputedly the largest reclining Buddha clay statue in China. After a restoration project in 2005–06, the Temple now attracts thousands of visitors. It has had several names over the centuries, including the "Kasyapa Buddha Temple" (迦叶如来寺), the "Bojue Temple" (宝觉寺), the "Hongren Temple" (宏仁寺), and the "Reclining Buddha Temple" (卧佛寺). The present name of "Dafo" means "Great Buddha".
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張掖市博物館
A great little history and culture museum if you can read Chinese – unfortunately almost none of the displays are in English.
木塔寺, Mutasi
The Wooden Pagoda Temple is one of the Five Elements Pagodas in Zhangye. The existing wooden pagoda was rebuilt in 1926. The tower is 32.8 m high, with nine levels on eight sides. Each level has a wood-carved dragon head, a pearl in the mouth, and a wind chime hanging below. The main body of the tower is a wooden structure, and the outer eaves are built in the style of a pavilion. You can climb up the stairs of the tower. Each floor is equipped with a cloister and a guardrail. On the top floor you can overlook the city from the railing.
黑河湿地公园
Wetland habitat for birds and other wild animals with bird-watching towers.
黑水国遗址
Ancient cultural sites of the Neolithic period.
张掖丹霞国家地质公园 (七彩丹霞), Rainbow Mountains
A unique geological landscape with layers of rocks of different colors and mountains in the background. It is one of the highlights of Gansu province. Be aware that despite seeming like it is in the middle of nowhere on a map, the site is heavily commercialized, filled with shops selling tourist snacks and knick-knacks, touts on megaphones, speakers and screens blaring Chinese pop music, unidirectional chutes built to herd the crowds, etc. You cannot walk in the park except on the 4 dedicated wooden structures and staircases. A frequent shuttle service will take you between each spot inside the park. It is possible to re-enter the park the next morning before 08:00 for only the cost of the park shuttle bus, if you register your fingerprints at a scanner at one of the stops.
平山湖大峡谷