Mati Temple

Mati Temple was built in the Jin Dynasty, and features a series of grottoes that blend into the cliff face! In total there are 7 small grotto groups that stretch over 30km, and legend has it that this temple was so named because a sacred horse left a footprint in the rock here - which you can also see inside the temple!). Aside from the grottoes, the area itself is super beautiful, with lush greenery surrounding the entire area. 📍Mati Temple, Gansu Province, China #leaveyourmark

During this trip to the Hexi Corridor, apart from Dunhuang, what I looked forward to the most was Zhangye. As it turned out, Zhangye really is an underestimated travel city. I chose different tourist routes in the three days I spent in Zhangye, leaning towards natural scenery, and left with very good memories. Day1: Giant Buddha Temple - Zhangye Museum - Half-day tour of Rainbow Danxia : It has the largest clay reclining Buddha in the country. It's quite shocking to see it up close. The temple architecture of the Giant Buddha Temple is also worth a careful look, with beautifully carved beams and painted rafters. : Generally speaking, it's recommended to go in the summer. The colors of the Danxia are not very obvious in winter. Viewing platforms 2 and 4 are the best. Day2: Matisi Temple and Jinta Temple day tour I highly recommend everyone to go. You can see the Qilian Snow Mountain. mainly climbed the Thirty-three Days Grottoes; was not open before, so those who like grotto culture must come. It has a high-relief Feitian that is 300 years earlier than Mogao Grottoes, and the guide's explanation is very interesting. Day3: Half-day tour of Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon : People with stamina must go! I chose the ordinary tour. The route is Viewing Platform 1 - Viewing Platform 2 - Viewing Platform 3 - Grand Canyon Entrance Hiking - Enter One Line Sky (but did not climb, watch and return the same way) - Lingzhi Valley - Viewing Platform 4. The geological features at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are particularly spectacular, like a flat version of the Colorado Grand Canyon. About accommodation: I stayed at the Silk Road Traveler Youth Hostel this time, and the experience was super good. The boss lady is very, very enthusiastic. She even makes breakfast for us who are in the group in the morning. I have never recommended where I stayed before, but the accommodation in Zhangye is really surprising, and you can directly join the group in the youth hostel, which is very convenient. About food: : Stir-fry restaurant, if you've had enough of Northwestern beef and mutton, come here to revisit the taste of stir-fry, the price is not expensive. : A relatively famous local specialty restaurant. : Zhangye's unique breakfast, the small bowl for seven yuan has a lot of beef. : There are many local snacks gathered here, not the stereotyped snack street type, you can taste Gansu spicy hot pot, roll chicken, apricot skin tea, milk rice wine skewers and so on. I have eaten dinner here several times.

🎈Day Eight: Zhangye Mati Temple 🎈Mati Temple is definitely the highlight of this Hexi Corridor trip! The name 'Little Switzerland of the East' is well-deserved! 🎈While watching a documentary about the Hexi Corridor, I knew there was a place called Linsong Xie Valley, a meeting point of Han and Tibetan Buddhism. When we drove to the entrance of the Mati Temple scenic area, we were stunned by the continuous peaks and snow-capped mountains. Upon entering the scenic area, a landscape of autumnal mountains and waters unfolded before us, a perfect fusion of natural and cultural landscapes, as if we were in a paradise. 🎈We drove to the visitor center, bought tickets, and drove straight into the scenic area. Due to time constraints, we only stayed at Mati Temple and didn't visit Jinta Temple, but at the Zhangye Museum, we saw a replica of the Jinta Temple grottoes, so we had no regrets. 🎈Although the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes and the Thousand Buddha Caves have been severely damaged, their architectural forms are still worth exploring. The grotto plank road is built inside the mountain, winding and twisting, and some sections can be quite thrilling. Sometimes, we even felt like we were climbing up to a hanging temple. 🎈Standing at the top of the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes, overlooking the Ximalian Beach, the view is magnificent. After descending the mountain, we continued to explore, following the road ahead, greeted by the splendid autumn scenery. Moreover, there are few visitors here, and the roadside is planted with a sea buckthorn trees, which are in the season of ripe fruits. Picking a few sea buckthorns to try, the taste was simply delicious. 🎈The preservation of the grottoes at Mati Temple is not complete, and visitors can only see four of them. However, the explanations in the scenic area are very detailed, leaving a deep impression. After leaving Mati Temple, we moved on to Wuwei. On the Lianhuo Expressway, we also saw the ruins of the Ming Great Wall, and even encountered a group of camels by the road, such unexpected beautiful scenery always brings a pleasant surprise.

This is on the way from Matisi Temple to Jinta Temple, you can drive there without an appointment to see the beautiful scenery along the way. There are really too many tourists at the National Day attractions. Originally, Matisi Temple was a niche attraction, but because there were so many people that I had to queue up, I gave up seeing the grottoes and went directly to the scenery on the way to Jinta Temple (you need to buy a ticket to Matisi Temple to enter the scenic area to go to Jinta Temple) The autumn Qilian Mountains are colorful, not at all inferior to the shock brought by the colorful Danxia. All colors are in sight, and you can occasionally encounter flocks of sheep grazing along the way, a very healing journey

If you have time in winter, why not take a trip to Gansu! At present, the attractions on the Hexi Corridor in Gansu are basically open, and winter does not affect these cultural relics. 1. Mogao Caves are half price to see 12 caves, it's simply too cool, and special caves can also be bought, you can really feast your eyes; 2. There is a chance to see the beauty of the desert reflecting snow, and the beauty of Danxia reflecting snow. Zhangye's Rainbow Danxia and Mingsha Mountain are must-visit places; 3. If the flight is to Dunhuang, then the scenic spots in Dunhuang city are free of charge, in addition to this, if you come during the Spring Festival, New Year's Day, Lantern Festival, it's free for everyone; 4. Accommodation can be sorted out with one to two hundred yuan, Gansu in the off-season is really economical; - Basically, they are all open in winter (tickets are half price or free): 1. Mogao Caves 2. Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring 3. Zhangye Rainbow Danxia 4. Yangguan 5. Yumenguan 6. Jiayuguan Great Wall 7. Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon 8. Matisi 9. Labrang Monastery 11. Tiantishan Grottoes 12. Dunhuang Yardang Devil City Clothing and temperature: 1. Thick winter clothes, prepare hats, scarves and gloves 2. The hotel heating is very sufficient -

The history of the Mati Temple Grottoes dates back about 1600 years. These grottoes not only contain a wealth of Buddhist art but also many precious cultural relics and murals. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, it gives a visual impression similar to the Hanging Temple of Mount Heng in Shanxi. The grottoes spread from the base of the mountain to the summit, layered upon each other, compelling admiration for the ancient people's imagination and perseverance.

#thousandbuddhatemple was constructed during the Yuan dynasty in 1271-1368. This temple, also carved out of the cliff face and pockmarked with thousands of tiny holes like a Swiss cheese mountain #zhangye #silkroad #happynewyear

#chinatrip A place that is really impressive but rarely mentioned in Gansu tours. The high-quality religious grotto art and monument environment is well-preserved and complete. It is a tourist attraction suitable for families, friends and individuals to visit. It is a magnificent cultural and natural scenic spot in Zhangye, China. Best to come is in winter, and the snow-covered Horseshoe Temple scenic spot is even more interesting. It is highly recommended to come here to see the beautiful snow scenery. It is so beautiful and touching. It is a highly recommended attraction in Zhangye.

#matitemple is temple with legend a winged horse with dragon scales descended from the heavens and left a hoof print on where the temple was established. The site is mentioned as described as a chiseled-out cave in the process of being enlarged and decorated with Buddha statues in the fifth/ sixth centuries #zhangye #silkroad. #unforgetabletrip #temple #happynewyear