Zhangye Danxia is an area of banded sandstone and mudstone hills in Linze and Sunan counties, south of the city of Zhangye in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu. Layers of red, yellow, orange, green and white sediment, tilted and eroded into ridges, give the hills their striped colours; the area is a national geopark and was designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2020.
- UNESCO Global Geopark · 2020
- National geopark
Key facts
Overview
The “seven-coloured” danxia hills lie where the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains meet the oases of the Hexi Corridor. Unlike the high red cliffs of the danxia landscapes of southern China, the Zhangye hills are low, rounded ridges in which layers of different colours run in parallel stripes across the slopes, so that the landscape looks painted.
The geopark also takes in a separate section at Binggou, where the sandstone is eroded into walls, towers and gorges closer to the classic southern form. The whole area was little known outside Gansu until the early 2000s and is now among the most photographed landscapes in north-west China.
How the landscape formed
The hills are made of sandstones, siltstones and mudstones laid down in lakes and river basins, mainly during the Cretaceous. Iron and other minerals, oxidised to different degrees, give each layer its colour — red and purple where iron is strongly oxidised, yellow and green where it is less so. Later compression as the Tibetan Plateau pushed north tilted and folded the strata, and in the dry climate wind and occasional heavy rain have worn them into sharp ridges with little vegetation, so the bands stay exposed. The effect is strongest after rain and in low evening or morning light.
Highlights
Seven-coloured Danxia
七彩丹霞
The main area of striped hills near Linze, viewed from a series of platforms and boardwalks.
Binggou Danxia
冰沟丹霞
A separate section of the geopark with castle-like towers and walls of eroded sandstone.
Danxia landform
丹霞 — “rosy clouds”
The Chinese term for landscapes of red continental sediment, named after Mount Danxia in Guangdong.
Culture and legend
The hills lie on the southern side of the old Silk Road route through the Hexi Corridor, and Zhangye — the Han commandery of Zhangye, founded in the second century BCE — was one of its main oases. The foothills south of the danxia are home to the Yugur, a small people of Turkic and Mongolic speech who form the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County.
Mati Temple
马蹄寺
Buddhist cave temples cut into a red sandstone cliff in Sunan, south of Zhangye.
Great Buddha Temple
张掖大佛寺
Western Xia temple in Zhangye with a large reclining Buddha.
Yugur
裕固族
Herders of the Qilian foothills with their own autonomous county at Sunan.
History
Late 2nd century BCE
Zhangye commandery established
The Han dynasty organises the oasis as one of the four commanderies of the Hexi Corridor.
2000s
The striped hills become widely known
Photographs and media attention bring the danxia to national and then international attention.
2020
UNESCO Global Geopark
Zhangye's danxia and related landforms join the UNESCO network of global geoparks.
Through the seasons
Spring
Dry and windy, with occasional dust; colours are clear after spring showers.
Summer
The most popular season; a passing summer shower deepens the colours, and sunsets are late.
Autumn
Clear, stable weather and softer light make September and October good months for photography.
Winter
Cold and very quiet; a light snow on the stripes gives an unusual view.
Routes and ways in
Viewing-platform circuit
Shuttle buses connect a series of platforms in the Seven-coloured Danxia area, with boardwalks and stairs to each viewpoint; most visitors spend a few hours.
Binggou section
A separate area with walks among sandstone towers, quieter than the main site.
Practical notes
- Walking on the ridges off the boardwalks damages the fragile surface and is prohibited; footprints and tyre tracks stay visible for years.
- The light is best in the hour or two after sunrise and before sunset; midday sun flattens the colours.
- The area is dry and exposed, with little shade; sun protection and water are needed.
- Zhangye city is the base; the high-speed railway through the Hexi Corridor stops at Zhangye West.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Zhangye UNESCO Global Geopark — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- China Danxia — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zhangye National Geopark — Wikipedia (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zhangye Municipal People's Government — Zhangye Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Gansu
- DesertMingsha Shan and Crescent Spring鸣沙山月牙泉Singing dunes and a crescent-shaped pool on the edge of Dunhuang
- Mountain rangeQilian Mountains祁连山The glaciated wall whose meltwater feeds the Hexi Corridor
- National parkGiant Panda National Park大熊猫国家公园One park for the panda's mountains across three provinces
- Mountain range · 3,771 mQinling Mountains秦岭The range that divides northern and southern China
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