[2025 Sunan Attraction] Travel Guide for Thirty-Three Days Grottoes (Updated Mar)

【20-Character Title🌟】 Zhangye Fantasy Tour 🏜️ | Danxia Feast + Carb Frenzy, Silk Road Taste Explosion! 🍜🐫 --- ### **🌄Zhangye Travel Guide** **1. Must-See Attractions🔥** - **Rainbow Danxia🌈**: God's paint palette overturned! 🎨 - **How to play**: Capture the "Burning Danxia" at sunset🌅, Viewing Platform 4 is the most stunning! Tickets are 75 yuan💰, the sightseeing bus is a must🚌 - **Tips**: Wear solid-colored clothing👗 for amazing photos! Bring sunscreen🌞 + sunglasses🕶️, UV index is MAX! - **Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon⛰️**: China's "Colorado"! - **In-depth tour**: 3-hour hike🚶♂️ to explore "A Thread of Sky", climbing the cloud ladder is super thrilling💪 (Tickets 130 yuan including off-road vehicle🚙) - **Lazy version**: Choose the regular tour (100 yuan), easily capture the panoramic view of the canyon📸 - **Mati Temple🏯**: Cliffside grottoes + snow-capped mountains in the same frame! - **Highlight**: Climb the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes using both hands and feet🧗♀️, enjoy a distant view of the Qilian Mountains🏔️ (Tickets 67 yuan) - **Hidden spot**: Take photos of Tibetan stupas🛕 + prayer flags🎏 on the grassland outside the temple - **Giant Buddha Temple🕌**: Stunning treasures of the Western Xia Dynasty! - Asia's largest indoor reclining Buddha😴 (34.5 meters long!), tickets 40 yuan, a must-see for history buffs📜 --- ### **🍜Zhangye Food Guide** **1. Carb Bomb Incoming💣** - **Cuo Yuzi Noodles🍜**: Chewy noodles shaped like small fish! - Local way to eat: Pair with stir-fried eggplant and chili peppers🌶️ + braised meat🥓, recommend "Sun Ji Chao Pao" 15 yuan/bowl, so delicious you'll lick the plate! - **Chao Bo La🔥**: Iron plate lamb offal feast! - Night market top pick🌟 (Ganzhou Market/Xinhua International), stir-fried lamb liver + tripe + onions, served with steamed buns and dipping sauce🍺, 30 yuan per person for a full meal! - **Lamb Dian Juan Zi🐑**: Meat lover's paradise! - Braised lamb + small steamed buns soaked in gravy💦, recommend "Lao Zhou Chao Bo La", 88 yuan/serving enough for 3 people! **2. Snacks & Desserts🍡** - **Hui Dou Tang🫘**: Zhangye's version of "red bean paste", thick and slightly sweet (5 yuan/bowl) - **Apricot Skin Tea🥤**: Sour and refreshing! Look for the "Liu Yingying" store, chilled + dried apricot meat is a perfect match❄️ - **You Gao🍘**: Glutinous rice filled with brown sugar and deep-fried, 1 yuan/piece at the morning market, best eaten hot! **3. Souvenir Recommendations🎁** - **Linze Jujube🌰**: Small pit, thick flesh, perfect for porridge or tea! (20 yuan/500g) - **Zhangye Ginger Beer🍺**: 0-alcohol ginger soda, a must-try for the curious! (8 yuan/bottle) - **Danxia-themed Fridge Magnets🗿**: Colorful sandstone design, 15 yuan/piece, full of commemorative value💖 --- ### **⚠️Important Notes** 1. No drones❌, no stepping on rock formations inside the Danxia Geopark, fines and warnings will be issued‼️ 2. Large temperature difference between day and night🌡️ (Summer: 15℃ in the morning and evening → 35℃ at noon), bring a light down jacket + sun protection clothing🧥 3. The food is quite strong🌶️, those with sensitive stomachs should bring medicine💊, no outside pork allowed in halal restaurants! 4. Taxis are cheap in the city area🚖 (starting price 5 yuan), but chartering a car/joining a tour is recommended for Danxia (200 yuan/day) --- A thousand years of the Silk Road at a glance👀, Zhangye - the madness of the Northwest, the god of carbs! 🎉🚀

🌆 Zhangye Mati Temple is a temple integrating grotto art, Qilian Mountains scenery, and Tibetan customs. It is located in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu Province, about 65 km from Zhangye City. It takes about an hour to drive from downtown Zhangye to Mati Temple. 📖 Mati Temple was first built during the Northern Liang Dynasty, more than 1,600 years ago. It is one of the three major Buddhist art treasures in the Hexi Corridor (along with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and the Yulin Grottoes in Anxi). The scenic area consists of several grotto clusters, including the Thousand Buddha Caves, Puguang Temple (Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes), Tibetan Buddha Hall, and Horseshoe Temple, integrating the cultural characteristics of Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism. 🐎 Legend has it that King Gesar's celestial horse left a horseshoe print here, hence the name "Mati Temple" (Horseshoe Temple). The horseshoe print is now preserved in the Horseshoe Temple and is the temple's most treasured relic. 🌟 Thousand Buddha Caves. Drive from the city center and park in the visitor center parking lot outside the scenic area. After purchasing tickets, continue driving for about 100 meters to reach the Thousand Buddha Caves. The Thousand Buddha Caves consist of more than 500 cliffside Buddhist pagoda niches, grand in scale, mostly excavated during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. They are divided into three sections: south, middle, and north. The south and middle sections mainly consist of grottoes, while the north section is a relief stone pagoda forest, a place for monks to meditate or store relics. Climbing the Thousand Buddha Caves is relatively easy. 🌟 Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes. Continue driving to another parking lot. After parking, walk into the mountains for about 20 minutes to reach the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes. This is the landmark building of Mati Temple, consisting of 21 grottoes on 7 levels, excavated in the shape of a pagoda on a 100-meter-high red sandstone cliff. Reaching the top requires passing through narrow passages and hanging ladders, symbolizing the "path to liberation" in Buddhism. After reaching the top, you can overlook the scenery of the Qilian Mountains. People who are afraid of heights should be cautious, as the grottoes' tour route is entirely on the cliff. Although there are sufficient protective measures, it still looks quite high. ⏰ Visiting time: It is recommended to spend 3–4 hours visiting the main attractions, such as the Thousand Buddha Caves and the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes. Because the grottoes are built on cliffs, many of the escalators are narrow and only allow one-way traffic. Therefore, waiting times can be long during peak season. 👔 Clothing and equipment: In many places, you can wear whatever you like for sightseeing, as long as it looks good in photos. Here, however, you must be prepared for climbing. Because the escalators between the upper and lower levels of the grottoes are narrow and steep, it is recommended to wear non-slip shoes and carry a light backpack. 🎫 Tickets: Basic tickets include the Thousand Buddha Caves and the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes. There is an extra charge for driving into the scenic area. Like the Mogao Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes, there are special grottoes available for viewing here, but the price is higher, and the tour takes longer. This depends on your budget, preferences, and travel time. Original content. Likes and follows are appreciated!

Traveling in the off-season is always a great way to discover hidden gems! This time, we took advantage of the free admission to some attractions in Gansu Province during the winter off-season and visited Matisi Temple in Zhangye. While others flocked to popular attractions to enjoy the peak season scenery, we had a unique and tranquil experience here!~ 💕Personal experience As soon as our chartered car entered the scenic area, we were enveloped by the cold air. Unlike the bustling crowds of the peak season, it was so quiet that we could only hear our footsteps and the occasional sound of the wind. Walking along the winding mountain road, the snow-covered mountains on both sides glistened in the sunlight, like a natural ink painting. The most impressive part of Matisi Temple is undoubtedly the spectacular grottoes, with the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes being the absolute highlight!~ From a distance, it looks like a pagoda embedded in the steep cliff, with seven floors, each with a Buddha niche. Climbing up the narrow and steep stone steps, we were cautious with every step, fearing that we might slip on the icy ground, yet full of anticipation. Inside the grottoes, the statues of Buddha were solemn and dignified, some with compassionate smiles, others with eyes slightly closed, as if in deep thought. The murals on the walls depicted a variety of subjects, including Buddhist stories and flying fairies. Despite the passage of time, the colors remained vibrant, and the delicate brushwork showcased the ancient painters' superb skills. Standing here, it felt like traveling through time and having a profound conversation with history. The Thousand Buddha Caves next door presented a different scene. The statues and murals inside had suffered severe damage, but fortunately, the grotto architecture itself still retained its former grandeur. The grottoes were carved into the red sandstone mountain, with a well-arranged layout that revealed the exquisite planning of the past. Inside the grottoes, the remnants of Buddha statue bases could be seen on the walls. Although the statues were incomplete, it was not difficult to imagine the once magnificent scene of a thousand Buddhas standing. The caisson on the grotto ceiling, though its patterns were blurred, still displayed the ancient people's extraordinary wisdom with its unique geometric shapes and intricate carving techniques! In addition to these grottoes, the natural scenery of Matisi Temple was also quite charming!~ Strolling along the mountain paths, taking deep breaths of fresh air, and enjoying the tranquility and beauty of nature. The distant snow-capped mountains undulated, contrasting with the blue sky and white clouds, creating a poetic picture. 🍲Food recommendations There were a few small restaurants in the scenic area, offering authentic local delicacies. A bowl of steaming lamb noodle soup, with tender lamb, smooth noodles, and delicious broth, warmed us up instantly. There were also local barley cakes, crispy and fragrant, with the aroma of wheat wafting into our noses. Don't miss them! ❗️Notes The temperature is low in winter, so be sure to bring warm clothes, scarves, gloves, and other warm gear. The mountain roads may be covered with snow and ice, so remember to wear non-slip shoes for safety. There are fewer tourists in the off-season, and some service facilities may not be open, so be prepared in advance. 🚖Transportation We chose to charter a car for convenience, departing from Zhangye city center. The round-trip fare was CNY 230, allowing us to control the pace of our itinerary freely. 💴Ticket information There was a discount on off-season tickets, with one CNY 39 ticket waived. We bought a Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes ticket for CNY 35 per person.

📍Address: Mati Tibetan Township, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, 65 km north of Zhangye 🚗Transportation: We drove there. 👍️Must-see: The name of the Mati Temple 33 Heavens Grottoes comes from the Buddhist concept of the "33 Heavens." In Buddhist scriptures, the top of Mount Sumeru is the home of the god Shakra, and the four peaks surrounding it are home to eight gods each, making 32 gods in total. Together with Shakra, they make up the "33 Heavens," a place where the gods entertain themselves. Inspired by this, ancient people carved the "33 Heavens" Grottoes at Mati Temple, symbolizing a state of Buddhist practice. Mati Temple is located in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, 65 km north of Zhangye. It is a tourist area that combines grotto art, Qilian Mountain scenery, and Tibetan culture. The Mati Temple Grottoes are made up of Shengguo Temple, Puguang Temple, Qianfo Cave, Jinta Temple, and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Guanyin Caves, with more than 70 caves in total. They were first built during the Northern Liang period. The 33 Heavens Grottoes are the largest and most unique of their kind in China, and the only grottoes in China with a plank road built inside the mountain. 🎟️Tickets: No reservation needed, CNY 74

Mati Temple is located in Mati Tibetan Township, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, 60 km from Zhangye. It was built in the Northern Liang Dynasty and is a large group of grottoes. It includes seven small grotto groups, stretching nearly 30 km, including Qianfo Cave, North and South Mati Temple, Upper, Middle, and Lower Guanyin Cave, and Jinta Temple. The most famous is the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes of the North Temple, which was excavated from the Northern Dynasties, and took hundreds of years to complete. It is shaped like a pagoda, with 7 layers and 21 caves, and only one "Z"-shaped internal passage, with winding corridors. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, it still stands on the cliff. The internal passage of the grottoes is dark in many places, and the stone steps are difficult to walk even after being repaired. Some places can only be passed by one person sideways, and sometimes you need to use both hands and feet to go up and down. According to Buddhist scriptures, the center of the top of Mount Sumeru is Indra, and there are eight heavens on each of the four peaks, where eight gods live, namely the Thirty-Two Heavens, which together with Indra in the center form the "Thirty-Three Heavens", which is a place for the gods to entertain. It takes about an hour to climb up and down here, which requires some physical strength, and it will be blocked when there are many people. Unfortunately, most of the sculptures were destroyed in that era, which is really regrettable. A separate ticket for the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes is required, which costs CNY 35.

Zhangye, a major city in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu, has a history of "half reeds, half pagoda shadows". The Matisi Grottoes are located in the Sunan Yugu Tibetan Township, more than 60 kilometers from Zhangye. It is a temple that combines Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, and is one of the three major art treasures of Hexi Buddhism. It was built in the Northern Liang Dynasty and was named after the legendary heavenly horse left a horseshoe print here when drinking water. The uniqueness of the grottoes lies in the more than 500 cliff pagoda caves, which are large in scale. The most famous one is the Thirty-three Heaven Grottoes, which are embedded in the huge mountain body in the North Temple tens of meters above the ground. There are 21 caves in seven layers up and down the grottoes, neatly arranged on cliffs more than 100 meters high. The cliffs look perpendicular to the ground, the weathered facade is quite smooth, and there are no jagged edges. The red-brown gravel rock stands upright, majestic. Climbing into one cave after another requires hands and feet, sideways and low heads. When going down, you have to sit on the stone steps and move down one by one. Will the ascetic monks at that time feel bitter? Can their state of mind and body achieve nirvana and become a Buddha here, and finally reach the Pure Land of Bliss? The Buddha statues and murals in the grottoes that can be seen now have almost been destroyed. However, the intact Green Tara statue, as the main deity of the Thirty-three Heaven Grottoes, still has countless local believers coming to worship and worship.

The Mati Temple Grottoes are located in Linsong Mountain, more than 80 kilometers southeast of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu Province. It includes the North Temple, South Temple, Thousand Buddha Caves, Golden Pagoda Temple, and the Upper, Middle and Lower Guanyin Caves. The distance between each place ranges from a few kilometers to more than 10 kilometers. Because the cliff stone is coarse red sandstone, which is difficult to carve, most of them are clay sculptures. In 1996, the State Council announced the Mati Temple Grottoes as the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The Jinta Temple Grottoes have a history of more than 1,600 years. They preserve more than 200 sculptures from past dynasties and more than 600 square meters of murals. They are an important national cultural relic protection unit. Tickets for scenic spots are divided into: 1. Thousand Buddha Caves￥35 (must be purchased at the scenic spot) 2. Thousand Buddha Caves + Thirty-three Heavens Grottoes￥74 3. Thousand Buddha Caves + Thirty-three Heavens Grottoes + Four Special Caves (Special Caves are 200 meters away from Thousand Buddha Caves) RMB 115. You can park your car in the parking lot at the entrance of Thousand Buddha Caves. 4. Thousand Buddha Caves + Thirty-three Heavens Grottoes + Golden Pagoda Temple￥335 5. Thousand Buddha Caves + Thirty-three Heavens Grottoes + Four Special Grottoes + Golden Pagoda Temple￥415 Transportation: We drove ourselves. There is a bus from Zhangye to Mati Temple at 8:30 in the morning on weekends and holidays. You can call the scenic spot for consultation (Figure 18). It is 24 kilometers from Mati Temple to Jinta Temple. There is no bus but you can charter a car. Our tour route: Thousand Buddha Caves (with vertical cave stairs P15~P17)→→Four Special Kilns→→Sansantian Grottoes (many people, need to queue, narrow stairs)→→Jinta Temple Grottoes (opens at 1:30 pm, a few kilometers of difficult road, SUVs are available) The scenery along the way from Horse-Shoe Temple to Golden Pagoda Temple is extremely beautiful. In early June, the mountains are full of amaranth and pink bean flowers, and there are herds of cattle and sheep. From time to time, you can see marmots and pheasants. You can drive this section by just buying the basic ticket.

The history of the Mati Temple Grottoes dates back about 1600 years. These grottoes not only contain a wealth of Buddhist art but also many precious cultural relics and murals. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, it gives a visual impression similar to the Hanging Temple of Mount Heng in Shanxi. The grottoes spread from the base of the mountain to the summit, layered upon each other, compelling admiration for the ancient people's imagination and perseverance.

🎈Day Eight: Zhangye Mati Temple 🎈Mati Temple is definitely the highlight of this Hexi Corridor trip! The name 'Little Switzerland of the East' is well-deserved! 🎈While watching a documentary about the Hexi Corridor, I knew there was a place called Linsong Xie Valley, a meeting point of Han and Tibetan Buddhism. When we drove to the entrance of the Mati Temple scenic area, we were stunned by the continuous peaks and snow-capped mountains. Upon entering the scenic area, a landscape of autumnal mountains and waters unfolded before us, a perfect fusion of natural and cultural landscapes, as if we were in a paradise. 🎈We drove to the visitor center, bought tickets, and drove straight into the scenic area. Due to time constraints, we only stayed at Mati Temple and didn't visit Jinta Temple, but at the Zhangye Museum, we saw a replica of the Jinta Temple grottoes, so we had no regrets. 🎈Although the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes and the Thousand Buddha Caves have been severely damaged, their architectural forms are still worth exploring. The grotto plank road is built inside the mountain, winding and twisting, and some sections can be quite thrilling. Sometimes, we even felt like we were climbing up to a hanging temple. 🎈Standing at the top of the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes, overlooking the Ximalian Beach, the view is magnificent. After descending the mountain, we continued to explore, following the road ahead, greeted by the splendid autumn scenery. Moreover, there are few visitors here, and the roadside is planted with a sea buckthorn trees, which are in the season of ripe fruits. Picking a few sea buckthorns to try, the taste was simply delicious. 🎈The preservation of the grottoes at Mati Temple is not complete, and visitors can only see four of them. However, the explanations in the scenic area are very detailed, leaving a deep impression. After leaving Mati Temple, we moved on to Wuwei. On the Lianhuo Expressway, we also saw the ruins of the Ming Great Wall, and even encountered a group of camels by the road, such unexpected beautiful scenery always brings a pleasant surprise.

When I first came to Zhangye, I fell in love with Zhangye. When I first swiped to the Thirty-three Days Buddha Cave, I listed it as my must-go list. 💙About Matisi 🔹Matisi was carved in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Northern Liang period, about 1600 years ago. The grotto is 10 meters deep, 10 meters wide, and 3 meters high, a typical central pillar grotto. The central pillar is carved with statues, all of which were sculpted in modern times, including the founder of the Gelug sect, Tsongkhapa and his disciples. There are Ming Dynasty murals remaining on the walls of the cave. There is a horseshoe mark left in front of the left side of the central pillar, which is said to be the miracle of the heavenly horse of the Tibetan hero King Gesar, hence the name Matisi. 🔹Matisi Grottoes are composed of Shengguo Temple, Puguang Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Jinta Temple, Upper, Middle, and Lower Guanyin Caves, with more than 70 grottoes, which were built in the Northern Liang. 💙Thirty-three Days Buddha Cave 🔹The Thirty-three Caves that I am interested in belong to Puguang Temple in Matisi Scenic Area. The Thirty-three Days Buddha Cave is also the main building of Matisi. It is carved along the mountain and has seven layers of step-style buildings. 🔹The exterior of the Thirty-three Caves is in the shape of a pagoda, and the caves carved inside are very steep, narrow inside, almost vertical stairs, and you can only climb up with hands and feet. 🔹The main worship inside is the Buddha statue of Tibetan Buddhism, and the top floor is dedicated to the Green Tara. Unfortunately, the interior has been severely damaged. Looking at the wall full of 'XXX has been here', the shock and regret are indescribable. 💙Standing Buddha Hall Next to the Thirty-three Days Buddha Cave is the Standing Buddha Hall, also known as the Tibetan Buddha Hall. This grotto is the largest grotto in Matisi and the largest single grotto in China. The grotto was carved in the Northern Wei Dynasty and consists of a front hall, a worship hall, and a corridor. The original statue in the cave was hoped for in the Yuan Dynasty, with a total of 48 kinds. There is a well at the corner of the right corridor, the well is only more than 3 meters deep, and it is called 'Eight Merits Holy Water' by Buddhist believers. It is said that drinking this water can make people strong and healthy, without disasters and diseases. 💙Small tips: 1. Although it is niche, there are still many people in Matisi on holidays, so you must set off early to enter the park. 2. Self-driving or chartered cars can drive into the scenic area, first visit the Thousand Buddha Cave and then go to Thirty-three Days. 3. Jinta Temple also belongs to the Matisi Scenic Area, but it is very far away, and the entrance fee is charged separately. If you are interested and have time, you can go. 4. The Thirty-three Days Cave is limited in flow, the interior is narrow, and those with poor physical strength do not need to climb up. The entrance and exit are one-way, with staff guidance, and there are many queues in the peak season. ✅Practical information ▫️Name: Matisi 📍Address: Matisi Scenic Area, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu Province 🎫Ticket: 65 yuan (including Thirty-three Days Buddha Cave) 🚘Transportation: Self-driving or chartered car or half-day tour, public transportation is inconvenient