Zhangye (simplified Chinese: 张掖; pinyin: Zhāngyì) is a prefecture-level city in China's Gansu province.

Geography and climate

Zhangye is located in far western Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia and in the south Qinghai. It has a large area of 42,000 km² and is blessed with numerous streams, abundant sunlight and fertile soil, making it an important agricultural center for Gansu and all of China.

History

Zhangye is in the center of the Hexi Corridor. The area was the frontier for much of China's history, forming a corridor to the Central Asian portion of the empire; in fact the name Zhangye (lit. "to extend the arm") is an abbreviation of 张国臂掖，以通西域 (lit. To extend the arm of the country, through to the Western Realm . During the Western Han dynasty, Chinese armies were often engaged against the Xiongnu in this area. It was also an important section of the Silk Road.

Administration

Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.

City Districts:

Ganzhou (甘州区)

Counties:

Linze (临泽县)

Gaotai (高台县)

Shandan (山丹县)

Zhongle (中樂县)

Autonomous county:

Sunan Yugur Autonomous County (肃南裕固族自治县)

Demographics

Zhangye has a total population of 1,260,000, only 260,000 being urban residents. There are 26 ethnic minorities other than Han represented including many Hui, Yugur and Tibetans.

Economy

The 2002 GDP was 7.566 billion RMB, almost 9% growth over the previous year. Annual urban income was 5960 RMB,10.4% growth from the previous year and rural income was 3092 RMB, up 5%.

Zhangye became the garrison headquarters after General Huo established control of the Hexi Corridor. Originally known as Ganzhou, the town was part of the Western Xia dynasty until conquered by Kublai Khan in 1227. Although the city is not a tourist destination as such, it serves as good place to make stop when passing through the Hexi Corridor. Zhangye currently has a population of around 1,250,000.

Get In

By Train

Zhangye Zhan, located at the end of Zhanghuo Gonglu, 8 miles NE of the central part of town.

By Bus

East Bus Station, located on Huai Cheng Dong Lu

Wuwei - takes about 3-6 hours

Lanzhou - takes about 11 hours

Yinchuan

South Bus Station, located on Huai Cheng Nan Lu

Dunhuang - takes about 12 hours

Jiayuguan - takes about 4 hours

Lanzhou - takes about 10 hours

Mati Si - takes about 2-3 hours

Xining - takes about 12 hours

Eat

During the day, give Qing Ming Jie a try and during the night, give Xiao Chi Chang (Little Eat Market) a try.

Get out

Mati Si - located in the Tibetian town of Mati, more caves carved into a cliff