Shandan County is a county in Gansu Province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhangye. It is an important site located on the ancient Silk Road. Its postal code is 734100, and in 1999 its population was 194,901 people. It is known for horses and pastures. Ancient Han people called the horses as 'heavenly western horses'. The region's lakes provide water to the animals on the pastures.