GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ZHANGYE

Zhangye is a town that has lost much of its former glory. It lies about 450km northwest of the capital Lanzhou, and nowadays is most famed as both a small station on the Lanzhou-Urumqi rail line, and for its production of lethal liquor, including Zhangye Rice Wine (Zhangye huangjiu), Zhangye Nan Wine (Zhangye nanjiu) and Siluchun Spirits (Siluchun baijiu). Things were not always this way.

As early as 5,000 years ago, Zhangye was a popular dwelling place, a natural area of plain, surrounded by twin mountains, Qilianshan and Helishan. At this time the area was considered Tibetan, part of the large area of influence that the present day province struggles to remember. Even today the Tibetan influence is still here, especially a little to the south around the village of Mati.
In 111 BC, during the Western Han Dynasty, Zhengye was officially designated as an administrative town. The town grew to prominence along with the famed Silk Road, when virtually every merchant and traveler planning on going to Xinjiang and beyond, from central China (Zhongyuan), had to pass through Zhangye. By the Ming Dynasty (1364-1644 AD), the town had grown into a critical garrison for soldiers guarding the Great Wall. For a period in the Ming, the town even served as the capital of Gansu province.

The signs of this glory are now all but faded in the city itself. A few attractions remain to signify this, most notably China's largest indoor reclining Buddha, a large minority population, including a scattering of Tibetans, and the crumbling Great Wall that runs to the south of the town. Most visitors here seem content with no more than a day here. Of more interest are the areas out of town, and while the tourism industry is happy to promote the famous Horse's Hoof Temple (Mati si) some 60km away, of better value are the villages and little, lesser known temples, of the Sunan Yugu (Tibetan) Autonomous Prefecture, around Mati.

PLACES TO VISIT IN ZHANGYE

LOCAL CUISINES OF ZHANGYE

Zhangye cuisine centers around a basically wheat-based diet. As with their Xinjiang neighbors, however, the people here do not focus on vegetarian dishes. The staple fare involves breads and meat, while the most characteristic of the regional specialties include fish balls made with flour and Tsampa (roast barley meal).

For meat eaters, the most common dishes are shouzhua yangrou (literally "hand-held mutton"), lamb soup (Yangrou tang) and cured lamb (La yangrou), another specialty that will take some getting used to. The main beverage in town is the popular Red Tea (Tuo cha, known and common in the west as black tea). This brew is in the definite northeastern style of Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, made in the form of a brick (Zhuan cha). For something a little harder, the people here are also known for there capacity to drink, and liquor, the lethal rice wine (bai jiu) and beer are frequent guests at the dinner table. The town itself is an exporter of alcohol and brands include Zhangye Rice Wine (Zhangye huangjiu), Zhangye Nan Wine (Zhangye nanjiu) and Siluchun Liquor (Siluchun baijiu).

For dining convenience, many of the hotels here serve plain, but fairly decent food. The Zhanye Hotel's restaurant is best for both price and good taste. Restaurants can also be found along the main  north/south street, more in the south (Da nanjie). For an even cheaper and more interesting experience, try the stalls along the Night Market (ye chang) at Dong dajie or Qingnian dongjie.

SHOPPING - LOCAL SPECIALITY OF ZHANGYE

Zhangye, although not  its old self, thriving commercially as a stopping point on the Silk Route, still boasts a large supply of shopping specialties. The city is widely recognised as a big producer of liquor/wine and the people of this region are major purchasers of these products. Varieties include Zhangye Rice Wine (Zhangye huangjiu), Zhangye Nan Wine (Zhangye nanjiu) and Siluchun Liquor (Siluchun baijiu).

Although not the best in China, the city is also good for those who are after a taste of Chinese medicine, and amazing miracle cures here include liquorice (Gancao), musk (Shexiang), pilose antler (Lurong) and Chinese ephedra (Mahuang, the plant that is used to make ephedrine). For those after something to take home there is one peculiar handicraft made here, Yeguang bei, a type of translucent stone cup that is made from the jade of a nearby mountain.

TRANSPORTATION TO AND WITHIN ZHANGYE

For centuries, Zhangye has retained its footing as an important military fortress along the Silk Road. In ancient times, merchants making a journey to the west from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province,used Zhangye as their first major stop en route. Nowadays camels are few here, but to extend its influence into Xinjiang, Communist China has made railway lines and paved a State-level Expressway, No.312, which both pass through this city.

By train: By far the easiest way to get to Zhangye is still by train, for it is a major stop along the Lanzhou-Urumqi Railway Line. Each day there are more than ten daily trains going to and beyond Zhangye. A blessing for travelers is that now there is a nightly express train that leaves Lanzhou at about 10pm and arrives in Zhangye 12 hours later. If you plan to travel further west to Jiayuguan, it is around 4 hours away. Trains also leave to Jiayuan and take around nine hours. Getting tickets at the station, however, can be a bit of a problem.
The railway station is 10km from the city center, which should cost RMB3 by mini bus or RMB10 by taxi.

By Road: It is also fairly convenient to go to, and very convenient to go from, Zhangye by bus. The Eastern Bus Station, south down Donghuancheng lu from the Hexi Hotel, dispatches eight daily buses in the evening to Lanzhou, three of which have sleeper seats (sleeper: RMB85; non-sleeper: RMB35, 15 hours). There are also three buses each morning to Jiayuguan (fare: RMB20; duration: five hours).
Buses departing from the Southern Station go to Jiayuguan in the morning and Lanzhou in the early evening. Those planning to go to Mati Temple should also head to the Southern Station and take the bus at 3pm (Monday to Friday, fare: RMB6, about 2 hours). Those wanting to travel to Mati on the weekend can also catch a tourist bus (RMB12 one way) at 8am, which will bring them back from Mati at around 4pm the same day.
Zhangye is also an easy way to get through to Qinghai. Xining, the capital, is just 347km from Zhangye on Expressway No.227. Buses leave from the Xiguan Bus Station on Paoxuan lu for RMB32, twice daily (07:00-17:00, 18:00-04:30). There are no sleepers on these, only hard seat, so the day ride may be more suitable.

CLIMATE OF ZHANGYE

Zhangye, a former garrison on the Silk Road, has a continental climate. Like its western neighbors Dunhuan and Jiayuguan, the climate here is characterized by dryness all the year round. The annual temperature for the city is 6.8`C. January is the coldest month, while July the hottest. Generally speaking, the optimum time to pay the city a visit is from June to September.