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Giant Buddha Temple

Giant Buddha Temple, located in the southwest corner of Zhangye, is a famous Buddha worship place along the silk road. The temple has founded in the 1st year of Yongan during the reign of Emperor Chongzong In the Western Xia Dynasty and strengthening maintenance many times. The existing buildings include Big Buddha Hall, Scripture Library Tower, and Earth Tower. The Great Buddha Temple is one of the most famous tourist attractions and the landmark of Zhangye; it will attract many tourists every year.

What to visit in Great Buddha Temple?

Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple is a prestigious Buddhist monastery in Northwest China. Entering the temple, you will see the rare Xixia minority religious halls in the country, sizeable indoor clay sculpture reclining Buddhas, precious handwriting scriptures of the Ming dynasty, as well as thousands of beautiful collections of cultural relics.
The Buddha Hall is the most important building in the temple, and it reclining Buddha is shaped according to the image of Buddha Sakyamuni, the Buddha is 34.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide, which is quite large. Apart from the Giant Buddha, there are also many statues of ten disciples and eighteen Arhats, as well as murals that record the travels to the West and the Classic of Mountains and Rivers, all of which are quite exquisite.
The Hall of Ten Thousand Saints (now the exhibition hall of Buddhist art ) has many Buddhist statues, grotto statues, classics, and books in the building, and they are illustrated with words and pictures. Here we can learn about the art of Buddhism and the glorious history of the Great Buddhist Temple. Among the exhibits, it has more than 6,000 volumes of Buddhist Sutras bestowed by Emperor Yingzong of Ming; many of them are written in pure gold, the treasure of Zhangye Great Buddha Temple.
The Earth Pagoda is situated on the east side of the Great Buddha Hall, it is more than 30 meters high, and the earth pagoda has two layers plus four small pagodas on each floor, the shape of the earth pagoda is exquisite. Besides, there are many Buddha statues enshrined in the temple, which are quite magnificent and straightforward.
The Shanxi Guild is a typical northwest residential house. The ancient buildings are carved beams and painted columns, which is very simple and beautiful.

Opening Hours & Admission Fee

Opening Hours	Peak Season: 7:00 to 19:30 ( 1st April to 31st October) Off Season：9:00 to 17:00 ( 1st November to 31st March)
Admission Fee	CNY 41
Recommended Time For a Visit	1 - 2 Hours

Climate & Weather of Giant Buddha Temple, Zhangye:

Zhangye has the typical temperate continental arid climate, with long sunshine time, sufficient light and heat resources, cold winter and warm summer, and the average temperature is about 7°C. All seasons are appropriate for visiting Giant Buddha Temple; in spring, the weather is relatively dry and scorching in summer. Tourists can take beautiful pictures of the ravens of the crows in the white pagoda behind the temple in the evening.

How to Get to the Giant Buddha Temple?

The Giant Buddha Temple is located in the downtown area. The transportation is very convenient. Take bus No. 1, 11, and 13 to the Big Buddha Temple Square, and then you can walk to the scenic area.

Travel tips of Zhangye Great Buddha Temple

1. To protect cultural relics, tourists are not allowed to take photos inside the Buddhist temple.
2. The Wooden Pagoda in Zhangye is about 300 meters northeast of Giant Buddha Temple, and tourists can walk there for sightseeing.

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