Zhangye

Positioned at the geographic heart of the Hexi Corridor between the Qilian Mountains and the Gobi Desert, Zhangye was one of the most important cities on the ancient Silk Road. Marco Polo wintered here in 1271 and wrote of its splendour. The city's Giant Buddha Temple houses China's largest indoor reclining Buddha at 34.5 m long. But Zhangye's modern fame rests on the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, where centuries of mineral-rich sediment have created cliffs and hills striped in vivid reds, oranges, yellows and purples — a geological masterpiece that drew worldwide attention after appearing in numerous travel lists.