Plan your Zhengzhou tour? Zhengzhou, located 25 kilometers south of the Yellow River, is the capital of Henan Province. Zhengzhou is considered to be the cradle of China’s civilization.
Zhengzhou is an outstanding tourist city and one of the eight Chinese ancient cities. Song Mountain is known as one of the Five Mountains of China; Shaolin Temple is reputed to be “the Number One Temple under Heaven”.
No. 01: Song Mountain （嵩山)
Song Mountain is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism which is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China. Song Mountain is made up of 72 mountains that rise to 1500 m in the Dengfeng district.
It is home to the Shaolin Temple, traditionally considered the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, and the temple’s collection of stupas is the largest in China. In recent years, Songshan scenery spot has become a good place for sightseeing, mountaineering, adventure, research and recreation.
Entrance Fee: CNY 80 (Saolin Temple is also included)
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
How to get there: take Buses No. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 from the downtown area to the Song Mountain.
No. 02: Shaolin Temple (少林寺）
Shaolin Temple, or Shaolin Monastery, is in the region of Song Mountain, Dengfeng City, Henan Province. Founded in the 5th century, Shaolin Temple is long famous for its association with Chinese martial arts and particularly with Shaolin Kung Fu, and it is the Mahayana Buddhist monastery perhaps best known to the Western world.
The Shaolin Monastery and its famed Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the “Historic Monuments of Dengfeng.”
Entrance Fee: CNY 100
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
How to get there: take Buses No. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9 from the downtown area to the Song Mountain, there are also many buses to the temple from the long-distance bus station of Zhengzhou.
No. 03: Temple of Huang Di’s birthplace (黄帝故里)
60km south of Zhengzhou, Xinzheng is known as one of the birth places of Chinese nation. The legendary Yellow Emperor was said to have been born in Xinzheng 5000 years ago.
The Huang Di’s birthplace Area is mainly composed of 5 districts showing the related Huangdi Culture. Every year a grand ceremony is held to commemorate the birth of Huangdi.
Opening Hours: 09:00-17:30
How to get there: Take a train or bus to Zhengxin, then change for Bus 101 and get off at the site
No. 04: Henan Museum (河南博物馆)
Henan Museum, located in Zhengzhou, is a newly built-built modern history and art museum. It opened to the public on May 1, 1998. Henan Museum occupies an area of more than 100,000 square meters, with a total floor space of 78,000 square meters.It has a collection of more than 130,000 pieces of cultural relics through the ages. In addition to its collection of human history the museum is also home to many relics of natural history including dinosaur bones and fossils.
Entrance Fee: CNY 20
How to get there: Buses No. B1, 83, 32, 39, 42, 61, 69 and 96 can take you to the Henan Museum.
No. 05: Yellow River Scenic Area （黄河游览区)
Zhengzhou Yellow River Scenic Area is a National 4A Class tour region which is located at 30 kilometers to the northwest of the Zhengzhou. The scenic area is surprisingly beautiful. As seen from a high point in this scenic area, the mighty Yellow River rushes by and demonstrates tremendous force with rolling and falling of the river’s torrents.The Yellow River Scenic Area includes five scenic spots: Five Dragons Peak, Camel Mountain Range, Yueshan Temple, Stone Figures of Yandi and Huangdi, and Ancient City of Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.Entrance Fee: CNY 60
How to get there: take shuttle buses at Zhengzhou Railway Station to the Yellow River Scenic Area
No. 06: North Song Dynasty Imperial Tombs
At the city of Gongyi, 80km east of Zhengzhou, lies the North Song Dynasty Imperial Tombs. The Mausoleum of Northern Song Dynasty is the burial site for seven emperors in North Song Dynasty (960-1127), together with their empresses, princes, princesses and ministers. The tomb area resembles an open-air museum with thousands of stone carvings.
Entrance Fee: free of charge
Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00
How to get there: Take bus from Zhengzhou to Gongyi, then change for bus 1, 2,3 and 6
No. 07: Shang City Ruin （郑州商代遗址）
The Shang City Ruin, which was found by Henan cultural work team in the 1950s, is located in the eastern suburbs of Zhengzhou city.
The Shang City Ruin covers an area of 25 square kilometers.Within the city walls, houses and gravesites have been uncovered alongside several workshops that were engaged in smelting, casting and carving, some ancient wells and evidence of silos. Large numbers of relics have been found in the area too, including carved shells, stones and jade.
How to get there: Take Bus No.2 from the bus station, and get off at the Dongmenkou Stop, then walk to the park.
No. 08: Erqi Memorial Tower （二七塔）
The Erqi Memorial Tower has altogether 14 storeys, totaling 63 meters in height, and is also called Twin Tower, because its body is made up of two connected quinquangular parts. A winding stair inside the tower brings you up to the top floor, where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the whole city of Zhengzhou.
Opening Hours: 8:30-18:30
How to get there: take Buses No. 2, 9, 26, 28, 32, 57, 58 to the Erqi Memorial Tower
No. 09: Zhengzhou Dahecun Ruins ( 大河村遗址)
12km north of Zhengzhou, the large scale Zhengzhou Dahecun Ruins offers a good model of Yangshao culture with many well preserved building foundations in a unique “Wood & Bone” architectural style. It also offers an important resource for further research into ancient Chinese constructions methods.
How to get there: Bus No.308 for the site
No. 10: Fawang Temple （法王寺）
Fawang Temple is a Chinese Buddhist temple located 5 kilometers northwest of the town of Dengfeng in Henan province, China. The temple is situated at the bottom of the Yuzhu Peak of Mount Song.
The most prominent of these early Tang era pagodas is a 40 meters tall square-based stone tower with eaves, its ground floor measuring 7 meters on each side with 2 meters thick walls. Inside this pagoda is a shrine and a jade statue of the Buddha that was presented to the pagoda in 1409 during the Ming Dynasty.
How to get there: take the Tourist Bus to Fawang Temple from Zhengzhou Bus Station; or take a taxi
Tip: Hassle-free Zhengzhou Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Zhengzhou Guided Tours:
Zhengzhou Highlight Day Tour Tour from US$ 75 p/p
Zhengzhou 3 Day Tour from US$ 289 p/p
Zhengzhou Car Rental with Driver from US$ 89
