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Posted On Monday, September 7, 2015 at
at
1:36 AM
by Alvin
At first glance, the Gansu (甘肅) capital city of Lanzhou (蘭州) appeared just like another typical provincial capital in China - busy and business-like. But a walk along the mighty Huang He - Yellow River (黄河) and we could feel the special vibrancy of this starting point of our Silk Road journey. The Gansu Museum located right by the river, housed the famous bronze "flying horse on a swiftlet" (飛馬踏燕) statue dating back from the Han Dynasty (漢朝), about 2,200 years ago ! The famed statue had been the symbol of China Tourism for years, as the horse represented the flow of trade and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. We also visited the Water Wheel Park (蘭州水車園) by the river and took some interest in the alternative river transport - small rafts (which could support 5 to 6 somewhat brave people), buoyed by blown-up sheep skin cylinders (羊皮筏子) - yeh, a photo would do thank you.
With the efficient Bullet Train racing out of Lanzhou at 200 KM an hour, we reached Zhang Ye (張掖) in less than 3 hours - a far cry from the ancient days when the same journey could take up to 3 months ! Since the days of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Ye had been an important military command station along the ancient Silk Road, guarding the western front of China and we visited the largest wooden Reclining Buddha in Asia (大佛寺 臥佛殿) on our first day. The city had since gained further fame when a gem of a national park was inaugurated about 40 KM out of the city - Zhang Ye Dan Xia National Geo-Park (張掖丹霞國家地質公園). Basically, if you're a Sandstone Erosion/Mineral Deposit enthusiast, then you're in for a major treat - we're talking iron oxide galore, sandstone erosion party, minerals up-to-your-ears ! The national park had been nicknamed the Rainbow Mountain as the minerals and oxides flaunted their numerous colors from rustic red, sun-burnt orange, shy pink, sulphur gold and it was such a feast for the visitors' eyes - we didn't want to leave !
At first glance, the Gansu (甘肅) capital city of Lanzhou (蘭州) appeared just like another typical provincial capital in China - busy and business-like. But a walk along the mighty Huang He - Yellow River (黄河) and we could feel the special vibrancy of this starting point of our Silk Road journey. The Gansu Museum located right by the river, housed the famous bronze "flying horse on a swiftlet" (飛馬踏燕) statue dating back from the Han Dynasty (漢朝), about 2,200 years ago ! The famed statue had been the symbol of China Tourism for years, as the horse represented the flow of trade and cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. We also visited the Water Wheel Park (蘭州水車園) by the river and took some interest in the alternative river transport - small rafts (which could support 5 to 6 somewhat brave people), buoyed by blown-up sheep skin cylinders (羊皮筏子) - yeh, a photo would do thank you. 
With the efficient Bullet Train racing out of Lanzhou at 200 KM an hour, we reached Zhang Ye (張掖) in less than 3 hours - a far cry from the ancient days when the same journey could take up to 3 months ! Since the days of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Ye had been an important military command station along the ancient Silk Road, guarding the western front of China and we visited the largest wooden Reclining Buddha in Asia (大佛寺 臥佛殿) on our first day. The city had since gained further fame when a gem of a national park was inaugurated about 40 KM out of the city - Zhang Ye Dan Xia National Geo-Park (張掖丹霞國家地質公園). Basically, if you're a Sandstone Erosion/Mineral Deposit enthusiast, then you're in for a major treat - we're talking iron oxide galore, sandstone erosion party, minerals up-to-your-ears ! The national park had been nicknamed the Rainbow Mountain as the minerals and oxides flaunted their numerous colors from rustic red, sun-burnt orange, shy pink, sulphur gold and it was such a feast for the visitors' eyes - we didn't want to leave !
