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.
Zhangye National Geopark is located in Sunan and Linze counties within the prefecture-level city of Zhangye, in Gansu, China. It covers 322 square kilometres (124 sq mi). The site became a quasi-national geopark on 23 April 2012. It was formally designated as "Zhangye National Geopark" by the Ministry of Land and Resources on 16 June 2016, after it passed the on-site acceptance test.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
黑水国遗址
Ancient cultural sites of the Neolithic period.
黑河湿地公园
Wetland habitat for birds and other wild animals with bird-watching towers.
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.
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.
平山湖大峡谷