Zhangye City – A Rose in the Desert
Warhorse
The next morning we set off to Shandan Military Horse Farm. On the journey from Linze County to Shandan County our appetites for adventure were whetted by the sight of the occasional group of horses scattered across the vast grassland. They cast long shadows on the grass that moved ghostlike as they lifted their heads to look at us in the morning light. I felt like I was part of a painting.
This farm has a long history. In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 24), it brought fine breeds from other regions and interbred them to produce the famous local Mongolian horse, named after the farm. It thereafter became a base for raising warhorses for the royal house.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the horse farm continued to operate and has since raised over 100,000 military horses. Today it is the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world, covering a total area of 220,000 hectares.
The horses we rented were tall and high-spirited. From our position high up on their backs, it was easy to imagine thousands of warhorses raised there as we explored the farm, whose green grasslands extended to meet the mountains far away.
We were treated to a magnificant view of those mountains as we crossed the river and trotted along its winding path. The clouds were low and the water was crystal clear, and we could see the stones worn smooth on its bed. I felt calmed by the environment, but exhilarated at the same time. Once I became familiar with my horse’s behavior, we broke out into a gallop. I could feel the wind rush past my ears and the grassland ran like water before my eyes.
Siren Call of the Yugur People
The Yugur people are the largest ethnic minority group in Zhangye today, and our next stop is their compact community – Sunan Yugur Autonomous County. The county is famed for its Mati (Horseshoe) Temple, so called for the horseshoe prints that can be found in its Mati Hall. At the Mati Temple Scenic Area one can marvel at grotto art, take in the beauty of the Qilian Mountains and discover the folklore of the Yugur ethnicity.
The Mati Temple first became a religious site during the fifth century. Initially it was a Chinese Buddhist temple but later shifted to the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Today the grotto complex is composed of seven sites featuring some 70 caves and shrines, the earliest dating back to the fifth century.
The temple was seriously damaged during the political turmoil of 1966, and the grotto art, murals, Buddha statues and constructions outside the caves were destroyed. The temple was renovated after the reform and opening-up.
The area, located on Sunan’s grasslands, also provides an opportunity to experience local nomadic lifestyle and culture. Tourists can stay in Yugur people’s tent homes, drink barley beer and enjoy mutton meals.
Many visitors indulge in a drink of tasty butter tea or barley beer while appreciating Yugur dancers’ ephemeral beauty as they move with the music. The girls wear delicately fashioned sheepskin hats, the tips of which are decorated with red tassels. In their traditional costumes, they smile and sing of the grassland, their siren voices luring visitors to stay and listen to them for the rest of eternity.
