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Zhangye, a prefecture-level city, is situated in the western part of Gansu province, midway through Hexi Corridor. It is located between 97 20'-102 12' east longitude and 37 28'-39 57' north latitude. Zhangye is located in the area where the Qinghai-Tibet and Inner Mongolia Plateaus meet; borders the Mt. Qilian in the south, Heli Mountain and Longshou Mountain in the north; long and narrow climb in the shape of a running horse; the highest altitude in southeast reaches 5,564 meters and the lowest altitude in northwest is 1,284 meters ; the elevation of Zhangye is 1,474 meters .

Facts of Zhangye

Chinese Name: 张掖 (zhāng yè)
Population: 4.46 million
Total Area: 41,900 square kilometers (16,177 square miles)
Nationalities: Han, Yugu, Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian, Zhuang, Uygur
Zip Code: 734000
Area Code: 0936

Administrative Division: one district (Ganzhou District) and five counties (Linze County, Gaotai County, Shandan County, Minle County and Sunan Yugur Autonomous County)
Neighboring Areas: Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Qinghai provinces, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions

History of Zhangye

Anciently named Ganzhou, Zhangye was a famous commercial port on the Silk Road and one of the biggest international trade markets in the country. Merchants from the west continuously arrived here for trading. Irrigation from the Black and Shandan rivers makes agriculture here quite well-developed. It has gained the reputation of "lush southern-type fields in the desert".

What to see in Zhangye ?

As an important commercial port on the ancient Silk Road, Zhangye has rich historic sites and amazing natural sceneries. The famous tourist attractions in the city include the Wooden Pagoda Temple, Danxia National Geological Park, Bell and Drum Tower, Shandan Buddha Temple and Shandan Horse Farm, and Giant Buddha Temple.

Zhangye Danxia National Geopark	Binggou Scenic Area	Matisi Scenic Area
Zhangye ZhenyuanTower	Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple	Zhangye Wooden Pogota Temple

How to get to Zhangye ?

By Air: Zhangye Airport has been in use since November, 2011. It is about 13km to the south of the city. Currently, it only has flights between Xian and Zhangte via Lanzhou every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
By Train: By far the most convenient way to get into and out of the city is still by train. Zhangye Railway Station is a major stop along the Lanzhou-Urumqi Railway Line. It has non-bullet trains which run daily to and from Shanghai, Xian and Lanzhou. Zhangye West Railway Station is a stop along Lanzhou-Xinjiang High Speed Railway. It mainly operates high speed trains to Urumqi, Turpan, Jiayuguan, Xining, and Lanzhou.
By Long-distance Bus: It is also a convenient way to travel by long-distance bus. The East Long-distance Bus Station, located at the East Circle City Road, has buses running to Wuwei, Lanzhou and Yinchuan. Passengers can also take buses from the South Long-distance Bus Station in Zhangye to Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Matisi and Xining.
By public bus and taxi: It is easily to travel around the city by inner-city buses and taxis.

When to visit Zhangye?

Zhangye Climatic Features: continental climate with average sunlight of over 3,000 hours annually; coldest in January and hottest in July, and the comfortable time for travel is from June to September. 

Average Temperature: 7 °C annually.
Rainfall: annual average rainfall 104 millimeters-459 millimeters (4 inches-18 inches)

Best Time to Go: The best time to Zhangye is from June to September due to the easeful weather condition.

Zhangye Travel Tips

Local Highlights: Folk art performances taking place on traditional or religions festivals are popular, including walking on stilts, a boat that runs on land, the dragon dance, yangko, cantata and more.

Special Local Products: Wujiang Rice, Zhang Wine made of local grapes, Xiaohe Chinese Dates, Mingle Garlic, Rapeseed, Huangsheng, Gaotai Capsicum, Paper Cuttings, local embroideries, cashmere