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Temples and grottoes are carved into the side of a cliff in several zones spread over several kilometres. Several of these can be visited and climbed through, in some cases through tight vertical passageways using small footholds and handholds. Most of the statues were heavily damaged in the 1960s, but the buildings and passageways are in good shape. Besides the temple you can do a 2-hr horse tour passing a fantastic landscape (horse ride ¥150-200) or hike.
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.
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.
黑水国遗址
Ancient cultural sites of the Neolithic period.
南湖公园, South Lake Ecological Botanical Garden
Cultural landscape and botanical garden.
张掖丹霞国家地质公园 (冰沟丹霞)
Less colourful than the more famous Qicai Danxia, this one features columns of red rock (with some white bands), in two valleys. There's a network of trails accessing viewpoints in and around two different valleys.