Self-driving Northwest Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop ｜ Zhangye Horse-Ti Temple

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Today we came to the fifteenth stop of our self-driving Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop - Mati Temple ⛰️Attraction introduction: Mati Temple is located in Mati, Sunan Yugu Autonomous County, Gansu Province Located in the Tibetan township, it is also called Puguang Temple. It was built in the Northern Liang during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, more than 1,600 years ago. However, it is regrettable that due to the separatist rule of warlords in the north at that time, there was chaos, coupled with the successive dynasties and the continuous wars, most of the original large-scale buildings of the Horse-Shoe Temple were destroyed in the war, including the Golden Pagoda Temple, the Thousand Buddha Caves, the North and South Horse-Shoe Temples, the Guanyin Cave and many grottoes. During the Northern Liang Dynasty, Mati Temple was originally a Han Buddhist temple. Later, it gradually became a Tibetan Buddhist temple and a subsidiary temple of the Qinghai Dongker Temple of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Mati Temple is 65 kilometers away from Zhangye city. It is a tourist area that integrates grotto art, Qilian Mountain scenery and Tibetan customs. The grottoes consist of seven parts: Shengguo Temple, Puguang Temple, Thousand Buddha Caves, Jinta Temple, and Upper, Middle and Lower Guanyin Caves, with a total of more than 70 caves and niches. They were first built in the Northern Liang Dynasty. The Horse-Ti Temple got its name from the legendary celestial horse that left horseshoe prints when drinking water here. The legendary horseshoe prints now exist in the Horseshoe Hall of Puguang Temple and have become the treasure of the temple. 📝Ticket prices and opening hours: Open from 08:30 to 18:00 (admission ends at 16:30) Adult ticket: 74 yuan/person, discount ticket: 37 yuan/person 🧳Preparation before the trip: There will be fewer people visiting in the morning, and the experience will be better. Bring your own clothes, as the temperature in the mountains is lower than in the city. The tour is expected to take 2-3 hours. Please respect the environment and protect the cultural relics.