Zhangye - Gansu Province

The name Zhangye comes from an ancient Chinese saying that goes "to stretch the arm of the country to the Western realm", as Zhangye once stood as a final garrison between China and Central Asia. Another major stop along the ancient Silk Road, Zhangye is now popular among tourists for one main reason. The striking, multi-coloured geological landforms, known as 'danxia', never fail to amaze visitors to this increasingly popular region.