Danxia Geopark: unique landscape

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June 19th 2013

Published: June 19th 2013

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Jeremyaroundtheworld

At Dan Xia Geopark, near Zhangye

Last year I spent a week in the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia, China, and I met quite a few Chinese tourists who showed me pictures of a place in Gansu Province where mountains were a palette of warm colors. This place was Danxia, 45 km from Zhangye and I knew it would be on my bike route for 2013.

So here is Dan Xia Geopark. It is a unique place and I spent the whole day with my mouth wide open, dazzled by this unique scenery of red sandstone. The colors of the mountains look fake, as if a child had used gigantic color pencils on them. Erosion and wind have shaped marvelous looking cliffs with different shades of red, yellow and brown strips of sedimentary rock. Pictures are worth a thousand words so I’ll just let you watch for yourself. This is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited. And keep in mind it was pretty cloudy when I went. Imagine what it could look like with a nice blue sky and sunshine above… Enjoy the pictures!

I stayed with local farmers 200 meters from the main gate. They provide rooms for 40rmb. If

I thought I would only spend a couple of hours there

but I ended up spending the whole day walking around. If it had been allowed, I would have camped.

you get to Zhangye, try to spend a night there. First of all, you’ll be able to enjoy the sunset on the beautiful red cliffs. And the local farmers will take good care of you and cook food that comes from their own gardens. The people I stayed with told me they had been hired to pave the little roads (with small little red bricks) inside the Geological Park for 70rmb a day…

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Jeremy Chiron

Jeremyaroundtheworld

I am a 36-year old language teacher, currently working in Beijing. I was born in France but China has been my home for many years. I taught French and English in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, for 6 years. I never thought I would stay in China for such a long time but it’s been an amazing experience! Professionally speaking, teaching Chinese students is extremely rewarding. They are so hard-working and eager to learn new things. And then China… there aren’t enough words to describe this intricate (hence fascinating) country. “China is not to be liked or disliked: i... full info