Zhangye Dafo Temple

    Name in Chinese: 张掖大佛寺  Zhāng Yè Dà Fó Sì  [dzæŋ je da: fɔ: si]

    Duration of Tour: One Hour

    Location: Dafosi Alley, Ganzhou District, Zhangye, Gansu Province

    Highlights: Buddhist Culture, Historic Buildings and Historical Curiosities

    Reputations: A National Key Historical and Cultural Relic Site under Protection, a National Four-star Scenic Area

    Zhangye Dafo Temple was built around 1100 during the reign of King Li Qianshun, the Western Xia State. It is also called Reclining-Buddha Monastery. The temple is known as the birthplace of Kublai Khan(1215-1294). It is also notable for the gigantic reclining statue of Gautama Siddhartha which depicts the Buddha’s attainment of nirvana with ten of his disciples standing behind him.

    In the year of 1038, the Tangut people occupied the Ganzhou Prefecture(the present Gansu Province) and established the Western Xia Kingdom. In order to strengthen their control over the area, the rulers of the Western Xia issued a decree to build many Buddhist monasteries in their territory. The work was begun on the construction of the temple in the year of 1098, and completed in 1103. The temple was renamed Baojue Monastery by Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming in the year of 1411. In the subsequent dynasty, it was given a new name as Hongren Monastery by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing. Both the emperors gave an order to expand the temple. Nowadays, it has become one of the main tourist attractions in Zhangye Prefecture.

    The temple compound covers an area of 3 hectares(7.4 acres). It comprises a group of buildings, such as, the Grand Buddha Hall, the Golden-Stupa Hall and the Thousand-Buddha Pagoda. All of the main building are placed on an east-west axis. The mural paintings in the temple are exquisite which can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty.

    The Grand Buddha Hall

    The Grand Buddha Hall houses the reclining statue of Gautama Siddhartha. The statue is made of clay and set in a wooden frame. It has remained unaltered for over 900 years. The statue of the reclining Buddha is 34.5 meters(113 feet) in height. His shoulders are 7.5 meters(24.6 feet) in width. It is the largest indoor sculpture of Gautama Buddha in Mainland China.

    The Thousand-Buddha Pagoda

    The Thousand-Buddha Pagoda stands at the easternmost of the temple. It was built during the Ming Dynasty. The pagoda is 33.37 meters(109 feet) high. Its base measures 23 meters(75.4 feet) by 23 meters(75.4 feet).

    Travel Tips:

    How to Get to Zhangye Dafo Temple

    Zhangye Dafo Temple is situated in downtown Zhangye. Zhangye is a prefecture in northwestern Gansu Province. The distance between Zhangye and Lanzhou(the capital city of Gansu Province) is about 500 kilometer(311 miles). There is an airport in Zhangye. But the airport is quite small, operating only a few flights to seven of domestic cities within Mainland China, such as, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Xi’an, Guangzhou and Yinchuan. Tourists usually travel to Zhangye from Xi’an or Lanzhou by bullet train.

    Opening Hours:

    8:30 a.m. ------ 5:00 p.m.

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