Hexi Corridor - Matisi

Matisi Scenic Area, located in Sunan Yugu Autonomous County, Gansu Province, is under the Linsong Mountain 60 kilometers away from Zhangye City. There are deep horseshoe footprints in a grotto on the top of the mountain, which are recorded in history as the traces of the heavenly horse, hence the name Matisi. The Matisi Scenic Area, known as a fairyland on earth, integrates grotto art, religious culture, ethnic customs, and natural scenery. It is a national AAAA tourist area, a provincial scenic spot, and a provincial forest park. The Matisi Grottoes are a national key cultural relics protection unit. The grottoes were excavated during the Northern Liang period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, with a history of more than 1600 years. They are composed of Shengguo Temple, Puguang Temple, Thousand Buddha Cave, Upper, Middle, and Lower Guanyin Caves, and Jinta Temple, distributed in an area of more than 100 square kilometers. Some early forms, statues, and murals in the grottoes of Jinta Temple and Thousand Buddha Cave all retain the characteristics and style of ancient simplicity and robustness. The magnificent 'Thirty-three Heavens', excavated in the form of a pagoda in 7 layers and 21 caves on the cliff, is breathtaking; the high-relief colored sculpture of Feitian in Jinta Temple is unique in the country; the grand scale of the Buddha Hall Grotto and the exquisite carving of the Thousand Buddha Cave Grotto, although not a masterpiece, also have a dreamy charm. Matisi is one of the Buddhist holy places in the Hexi Corridor of our country. It worshipped Han Buddhism in the early days, and Tibetan Buddhism flourished here after the Yuan Dynasty. In Tibetan, it is called 'Zhuoma Rangxiang', which means the place where Bodhisattva naturally appears. The coexistence of Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism is a major feature of Matisi. It takes nearly an hour to drive from Zhangye to Matisi. The snow on the mountain has not completely melted, and it looks spectacular in the sun. Due to the limited time to go to Jiuquan, I was unable to visit the most mysterious and precious Jinta Temple. However, the Thirty-three Heavens Cave and Thousand Buddha Cave at the foot of the snow mountain still present the Buddhist art treasures from countless skilled craftsmen over thousands of years. A piece of mural traces from the Northern Liang to the Ming Dynasty shows the long history and charm of this Buddhist grotto.