Minle

With rapeflower fields bordered by the Qilian Mountains on the south, Minle can look spectacular mid-summer. The rest of the year, it may be less interesting. There is a small city a few km southwest of the train station, but the rest of the county is basically rural.

• 🌍 Minle Station (民乐站). On the Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway, and easily reached from Zhangye, Xining, or Lanzhou. It has plenty of service mid-day, but limited hours. (updated Aug 2018)

Highway G227 between Zhangye and Xining passes through Minle.

• 🌍 Minle rapeflower fields. South of town, just before the highway enters the mountains, a large section of the fields is set up for tourism. There are viewing platforms, trails, horses, and well-decorated yaks, and it is possible to climb up a small ridge to get a better view over the expansive patchwork of fields. Admission was free in July 2018, but that may change. (updated Aug 2018)
• The access to 🌍 Mati Si (Horse's Hoof Temple, carved spectacularly into the side of a cliff) is through Minle county, but the temple itself is not in Minle, and is listed under Zhangye.

Only a handful of hotels here are authorized to take foreigners, and the authorities do check. Expect to surrender your passport to the front desk for an hour or two so the police can come over to inspect it.

• 🌍 West Holiday Hotel (民乐西部假日酒店), 16 Jiefang North Road (解放北路16号), ☏ +86 936 4461888. (updated Aug 2018)

Zhangye

Xining