The surreal magic of China’s Rainbow Mountains

As if God himself had taken a paint brush and exercised his artistic flair, the exceptional ‘Rainbow Mountains’ of China are a sight to behold…

The vivid stripes of red, blue, yellow and green across the foothills look almost man-made, as if concocted from the mind of a children’s author, but we can assure you that they’re entirely real and have resulted in a spate of tourist attention.

The mountains are situated within the Zhangye National Geopark and span 500 square kilometres. They were formed during the same geological shift that produced the Himalayas over 80 million years ago, and their colouration is the result of centuries of tectonic activity, climatic conditions, and the erosion of red terrigenous sedimentary beds.

The vibrant hues, ranging from reds and oranges to yellows and blues, are primarily due to the varying mineral compositions in the rock layers. Iron oxide, formed over millenia, contributes to the striking red tones, while other minerals such as manganese and trace minerals lend different colours to the landscape.

China’s not the only country containing these colourful striations either – Peru contains the multihued Vinicna Mountain, which bears a striking resemblance to their Chinese counterpart, and even Canada is home to what’s called the Rainbow Range – mountains in British Columbia with unusual colouration, caused by a similar process.

Shockingly, before the turn of the millennium, few people in China, or the rest of the world, had even heard of the Rainbow Mountains. Their ascension to prominence is an unlikely story – one day a photographer passed a rural Chinese farmer and requested to take a picture of him, he accepted and offered to show them the colourful mountains near his house. The photographer was stunned by the beauty of the mountains, leading him to showcase his unique photography.

The popularity of his photographs were acknowledged by a venerated Chinese director, Yi-Mou Zhang, who decided to use the location to film his movie ‘A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop’, consequently making the mountains famous.

Interested in a trip to China? Contact us directly and we will help you plan your adventure: either email us at enquiries@odyssey-world.co.uk or make a call (+44 117 313 7070)!