Xijiang Thousand-Household Miao Village
The world's largest Miao village with over 1,000 households.
View DetailsAbout This Spot
Zhangye Danxia National Geopark delivers one of China's most mind-blowing natural landscapes, rainbow-hued mountain ranges formed over twenty-four million years by stacked red sandstone and layered mineral deposits trapped within rock
Global travelers nickname these peaks Rainbow Mountains, vivid red, orange, yellow, green and blue bands stretch across dry badlands exactly like an artist spilled full paint palette over hills
Color saturation shifts wildly based on sun's angle all day long, sunrise and sunset are without doubt best visiting windows
Warm low golden sunlight deepens every rock pigment and carves dramatic dark shadows into layered stone, creating unreal photo chances
Four official viewing platforms link via wooden boardwalks and free shuttle buses for easy sightseeing suitable for all age groups
Multiple landscape photographers shared the twenty minutes right before sunset (dubbed 'Magic 20' by professional shooters) produce most saturated vibrant shots you'll ever capture here
Common tourist annoyance: shuttle buses get severely overcrowded during Magic 20 window, you may wait thirty-plus minutes for return ride back to gate after sunset
Highlights
- - Rainbow-colored layered mountains
- - 4 viewing platforms with panoramic views
- - 24-million-year geological history
- - Sunrise and sunset golden hour
- - Boardwalks and shuttle bus access
- - Photography paradise
Gallery
Travel Tips
Arrive 1 hour before sunrise or sunset for best lighting. Wear comfortable shoes for boardwalk walking. Bring water and sun protection. Allow 3-4 hours to see all platforms. Combine with Binggou Danxia for a full day trip.
Cultural Notes
Zhangye Colorful Danxia Scenic Area sits in Linze County Gansu Province, listed on UNESCO tentative heritage roster as certified 4A-level geological site
Covers fifty square km rugged terrain, rock formations developed over two hundred forty million years from alternating sandstone, siltstone and mudstone, worn smooth and striped by centuries wind and rain erosion
Every unique rock shade tells separate geological backstory
Red: hematite iron oxide deposits
Orange-yellow: limonite
Blue-grey: clay mixed with pyrite
White: gypsum and calcite
Green: chlorite minerals
Geologists estimate each single centimetre layered rock equals roughly ten thousand years steady sediment buildup, truly mind-blowing when staring at multi-hued mountain faces stretching kilometres wide
Park rangers enforce wooden boardwalk rules with zero leniency for rule breakers
Step off planks one foot just for photos, instant ￥1,000 (
$139) on-the-spot fine, your photo plus written apology note get posted publicly on park official WeChat account as visitor warning
Back June 2024 three tourists received maximum ￥2,000 ($278) fines after climbing exposed rock formations to film short social media clips
Even leaning far over railings to touch delicate stone layers draws loud scolding from patrolling staff
Five separated viewing platforms spread across full park zone
Platform 1: full wide panoramic shot of Xigou Valley
Platform 2: built exclusively for sunrise visits, best arrive before 7:30 AM
Platform 3: Seven-Colour Screen, most viral photographed spot across all Chinese social media
Platform 4: occasionally sea-of-cloud views after heavy rainstorms
Platform 5: fully for sunset watchers, nickname Tiger Mouth, perfect for shooting classic four-panel landscape collage reels
Parking lots fill up completely one and a half hours before golden hour during peak summer travel months
If you arrive late and spot full west gate parking, skip main West Gate and enter through East Gate for much faster shuttle bus access and shorter waiting queues
Binggou Danxia lies twelve km west of main colorful zone, separate sixty square km scenic area covered in tall sharp spire-shaped hoodoo rock towers instead of smooth striped rainbow hills
Locals call it Louvre of Danxia landforms, iconic Xumi Buddha Hall spire as landmark centrepiece
Most packaged tour groups skip this zone since it demands far more walking, yet it's forty percent less crowded than main park and offers softer gentle morning light ideal for portrait photography
Extra entry fee ￥60 ($8.4), mandatory shuttle buses operate here with no self-driving allowed inside restricted zone
Drones fully banned across entire geopark, airspace overlaps PLA Air Force low-altitude military training zone so drone flights create major safety risks
Every park gate provides free secure lockers to store drone while you explore trails
Staff seize unmanned aircraft if you attempt bringing past entry checkpoints, yet you can reclaim drone undamaged once exiting park at day end
Platforms 1, 3 and 5 hold flat wheelchair-accessible paved paths straight from shuttle stops, maximum one hundred metre walking distance to viewing railings
Platform 2 (famous sunrise spot) requires climbing three hundred twenty uneven stone steps upward from bus stop with zero elevator available as of 2025
Travelers with knee injuries or mobility limits should skip this platform entirely or hire local porters to carry them up staircase for small fee
Summer temperature swings here are brutally extreme
Midday heat spikes up to 45°C (113°F), nighttime temperatures drop sharply down to only 15–20°C (59–68°F), full twenty-five degree temperature gap between day and night
Pack layered lightweight clothing easy to add or strip off as temperatures shift fast
Skip chemical-based sunscreen if you can manage, oily residue mixes with desert dust and stains wooden boardwalks when visitors sweat
Mineral-only sunscreen is sole type park staff permit on-site
Local Food & Drink
Local Zhangye food blends classic Lanzhou noodle recipes, Xinjiang-style lamb barbecue plus unique dairy staples from Yugur nomadic minority group
Forty-year-old street stall just outside Zhangye West Bus Station serves authentic traditional Lanzhou beef noodles following iconic standard formula: clear bone broth, crisp white radish slices, bright red chili oil, fresh green coriander, golden wheat noodles
Regular basic bowl ￥12 ($1.7), double meat topping ￥18 ($2.5)
Backpackers crowd this stall every early morning, yet seating extremely limited with only six small plastic tables
Qilian Mountain alpine lamb makes incredible hand-grilled lamb chops, boiled first to lock juiciness then charcoal roasted over fragrant apple wood chips
Served as full rack paired with garlic vinegar dip and pickled wild garlic flowers, priced ￥160 (
$22) per kilogram
One full rack weighs around 1.5kg (3.3 lb), enough to fully feed two adult visitors
Yugur Family Homestay sits ten km west of scenic area west gate, cooks best version of this dish in whole town
Must book table one full day ahead, they sell out lamb racks every single evening
Yugur people count as China's smallest nomadic minority, only roughly fourteen thousand community members total
They brew koumiss fermented mare's milk stored in yak-hide sacks, four percent ABV with sharp tangy flavour similar to Central Asian kumis
Homestay welcome ritual hands guests three small drink bowls: pour first onto ground as earth offering, toss second upward to honour sky, drink third yourself
Many foreign visitors struggle with sour fermented taste and barely finish one tiny cup
Niangpi cold wheat jelly sheets act as super refreshing summer lunch, tossed with twelve-spice sesame chili sauce for only ￥10 ($1.4) per bowl
Stall right beside Zhangye Drum Tower is legendary among local residents, barely any foreign tourists find this hidden snack spot
Warm clay pot hotpot only available October through April cold weather months
Simmer lamb meatballs, fried tofu, cabbage and glass noodles over glowing charcoal in central chimney pot for ￥88 (
$12), comfortably serves two to three guests
July and August bring wild matsutake mushrooms picked from Songshan Yugur grasslands, stir-fried with yak cheese and chives into fluffy omelette dish priced ￥68 ($9.5) at mountain village family restaurants
High-quality black goji berries grow abundantly on Qilian Mountain slopes, Zhangye ranks China's top national production region for this ingredient
Three distinct quality grades exist
Grade C: ￥80 (
$11) per five hundred g
Grade B: ￥180 ($25)
Premium Grade A (one cm long berries): ￥350 (
$49)
Locals recommend soaking fifteen berries in warm water before bedtime, traditional Chinese medicine claims this eases sleep troubles
Avoid buying loose berries from unmarked roadside vans, only purchase sealed packs carrying official Ganzhou Quality Inspection blue anti-counterfeit labels to prevent fake low-quality tourist scams
Drink choices: local Huanghe Beer ￥4 ($0.6) per bottle, complimentary warm barley tea automatically served free at every restaurant table
Daily meal budget roughly ￥80–160 ($11–$22) per person
Bring reusable empty water bottle into park, single tiny café on Platform 4 charges outrageous ￥15 ($2) for basic five hundred ml mineral water bottle, way overpriced vs town stores outside scenic zone
