The place name Zhangye comes from "stretching the country to connect the Western Regions", which reflects Zhangye's status on the Silk Road to a certain extent. Zhangye was originally the territory of King Zhide of the Xiongnu, so it was called Zhide. The Han Dynasty changed its name to Zhangye, which means to extend China's arms and "to intimidate Qiang and Di".
Zhangye is a municipality under the jurisdiction of Gansu Province. Named after "the arm of Zhang State, connecting the Western Regions", it is located in the northwest of Gansu Province, China, in the middle section of the Hexi Corridor. It was called "Ganzhou" in ancient times, which is the origin of the word "Gan" in the name of Gansu Province. It is known as the "land of mulberry and hemp" and the land of fish and rice.
Zhangye is a commercial grain base in Gansu Province and an important thoroughfare of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge. As the second batch of national all-region tourism demonstration areas, a national historical and cultural city and an outstanding tourist city in China, it was promulgated by the country in 1986. It is one of the second batch of national historical and cultural cities.
Extended information:
Zhangye is located in the middle of the Hexi Corridor, at the intersection of the north and south lines of the ancient Silk Road and the "Juyan Ancient Road", with Qilian Mountain to the south and Heli Mountain to the north. , has always been an important town in the Hexi Corridor, a place that military strategists must compete for and business travelers must pass through.
As a whole, it is located at the choke point of the ancient Silk Road and the New Eurasian Continental Bridge, and at the strategic junction of Xinjiang to the west and Mongolia to the north. It is an important ecological security barrier in western China and a choke point of the Silk Road. Tao has been known as "the key to Hexi and the throat of five counties" since ancient times.
In the grassland southeast of Zhangye, you can see the most shocking scene of thousands of horses galloping. The majestic Shandan horses move from far to near, with their hooves clattering and dust billowing. It is majestic and spectacular. .
The Qilian Snow Mountain not far away shines as brightly as ever, nourishing this grassland day and night, turning it into the world's largest and oldest horse farm - Shandan Army Horse Farm.
Zhangye Danxia National Geopark is located in Linze and Sunan County, Zhangye City, covering an area of ??more than 510 square kilometers. It is the only complex area of ??Danxia landforms and colorful hilly landscapes in China, and was rated as one of the seven most beautiful Danxia landforms in China by "China National Geographic" magazine.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhangye