Muta Temple (Wooden Pagoda Temple)
木塔寺
A nine-storey, octagonal wooden pagoda in the city centre, said to date from the Northern Zhou. The “pagoda” in “half reeds, half pagodas” refers to it.
Muta Temple is on Xianfu Street in urban Zhangye, not far from the Giant Buddha Temple. The wooden pagoda inside stands about 32.8 m tall. It has nine octagonal storeys of brick and timber construction, and wind chimes hang from the eaves of each level. Legend says it was first built in the Northern Zhou dynasty and restored in the Tang. The surviving pagoda was rebuilt in 1926 in its original form. Beside it is the Zhangye Municipal Museum, whose exhibits are now displayed in a branch, presenting cultural relics of the Hexi Corridor. The temple grounds are small, and admission is free or low-cost. A visit takes about 40 minutes. It can be combined with the Giant Buddha Temple, the Drum Tower and Ganzhou Market for a half-day city tour.
Opening hours
About 08:30–18:00
Nearby sights
- Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple
- Zhangye Shanxi Guild Hall
- Zhangye Drum Tower (Zhenyuan Tower)
- Ganzhou Market (Night Food Market)
- Zhangye National Wetland Park
- Heishuiguo Ruins
- Pingshanhu Grand Canyon
- Zhangye Danxia Landform