Henan Tour
Henan Province is situated in Central China. Henan literally means "South of the River". Here "the River" refers to the Yellow River (Huang He), the second longest river in China after Yangtze River though approximately a quarter of Henan Province lies north of the Yellow River.
Along with Henan Province and Shaanxi Province, Henan is the craddle of Chinese civilization with over 5,000 years of history. It has four of the eight great ancient capitals in China - Anyang, Luoyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou with numerous historical and cultural heritage sites both the over-ground and the underground.
Henan is home to the first form of Chinese writing ( oracle bone script ), the world famous Shaolin martial ( Dengfeng ), the oldest shrine ( White Horse Temple) and one of the greatest collection of Buddhist carvings - the Longmen Caves in China. Henan is also home to the walled ancient city of Kaifeng, the old town of Zhuxian, Nanjiecun Village of Maoist collectivism and the amazing cliff-top stone village of Guoliangcun.
Henan has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the Longmen Grottoes (2000), the archaeological site of Yin Xu, close to Anyang City (2006), and Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth" (2010).
Henan Tourist Map
Henan Top Tours
| » Henan Highlight Tour | |||
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 Destinations: Zhengzhou, Dengfeng (Shaolin Temple) and Luoyang Duration: 4 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Tour Code: HNP-01 Price: Starting from US$ 300 p/p |
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| » Henan Vernacular Culture Tour | |||
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Destinations: Anyang, Xinxiang, Guoliangcun, Kaifeng, Zhuxian and Zhengzhou Duration: 5 Days Tour Type: Private Tour Tour Code: HNP-02 Price: Starting from US$ 460 p/p |
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Just a reminder People who browse Henan Tour are also interested in visiting the page of Luoyang Tour. |
Henan Travel Information
| Top 10 Attractions in Henan | Top 10 Luoyang Attractions | Top 10 Attractions in Kaifeng | Visit Shaolin Temple |
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Henan Major Road mileage
| Anyang | ||
| Anyang - Beijing 511km | Anyang - Yinxu 14km | Anyang - Xinxiang 113km |
| Luoyang | ||
| Luoyang - Dengfeng 78km | Luoyang - Zhengzhou 140km | |
| Xinxiang | ||
| Xinxiang - Guoliang Village 82km | Xinxiang - Zhengzhou 96km | |
| Xuchang | ||
| Xuchang - Luohe 67 km | Xuchang - Nanjiecun 40 km | |
| Zhengzhou | ||
| Zhengzhou - Dengfeng 71 km | Zhengzhou - Dengfeng 71 km | Zhengzhou - Dengfeng 71 km |
| Zhuxian | ||
| Zhuxian Town - Kaifeng 23km | Zhuxian Town - Nanjiecun 119km | |
When to Visit
Henan has the diverse terrain high in the north, west and south with Taihang Mountains, Funiu Moutains and Dabie Mountains and lower in the east with the floodplains, part of the North China Plain. The Yellow River winds through central Henan. The Yellow River comes from the northwest, past the Sanmenxia Reservoir and Luoyang, where the mountains gives way to the plain.
Henan has a temperate climate with distinct seasons: hot and humid in summer, dry and windy in spring, cold and windy in winter, clear and sunny in autumn. Visiting Henan is not much affected by the four seasons. But the best time to visit Henan falls on autumn.
Spring is the ideal time to visit the Yellow River Scenic Area in Zhengzhou and hike the Songshan Mountains in Dengfeng with beautiful waterfalls. April and May are the best seson to view the peonies in Luoyang during the Luoyang Internal Peony Festival. Autumn is the good time to appreciate the autumn hues in the mountaineous areas. Of course, you cannot miss the autumn chrysanthemum in Luoyang.
The big draw in Henan is the historical sites like Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Shaolin Temple, the walled city of Kaifeng and etc. These valuable sights can be easily visited in all seasons. So, in general, Henan is the place suitable for visiting in all seasons.
Get There & Around
Henan is surprisingly easy to get in and out. Being the center of China and the flat plains in the east, Henan has the most advanced rail system radiating to all directions. The two most important railway lines - Beijing Guangzhou Rail and Shanghai Urumuqi Rail intersect at Zhengzhou. The highspeed trains also link Beijing with Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Xian.
Henan also has a super expressway system laden with comfortable express buses running within the province and to the major cities in China. It has a total length of expressways approximately 5,000 km, the highest total for any Chinese provinces.
Henan's airports are less impressive with only three airports - Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Nanyang. Undeniably, Zhengzhou is the transportation hub, a perfect city to enter Henan.
1. Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese cave carvings entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion at the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These renowned artistic treasures are now protected as a National Key Cultural Relics Protected Unit and listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2000.
2. The Archaeological Site of Yin Xu
Yinxu, literally "Yin Ruins", is the remnants of Yin, the last capital of China's Shang Dynasty (1559BC-1046BC). The Yinxu archeological site now is one of China's oldest and largest, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2006). Yinxu is home to the first form of Chinese writing ( oracle bone script ). The massive architecture consists of palace area, emperor tomb area, general tomb area, handcraft workshop area, civilian inhabitancy area and slave inhabitancy area.
3. Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth"
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is composed of eight clusters of buildings and sites around the foot of Mount Songshang represented by the buildings in Shaolin Temple, Zhongyue Temple, the Zhougong Sundial Platform and the Dengfeng Observatory.
4. White Horse Temple
White Horse Temple is the oldest Buddhist shrine in China. The temple is the important cradle of Chins's Buddhism, which was introduced into China from India in 68AD in Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD), the same year when the white horse temple was built.
5. Henan Museum
Henan Museum, as one of the four grand museums in China, is situated in Nongye Road, Zhengzhou. It was originally constructed in 1927 in Kaifeng and relocated to Zhengzhou in 1961. The present building was built up in 1991. Its appearance of hourglass seems to tell you what will deposit here after the time flies.
6. The Temple of the Chief Minister(Daxiangguo Temple)
The famous temple is located in the center of Kaifeng City. It was first built AD555 during the Qi Dynasty with new buildings added in 1661 and 1766. It has three main halls - the large rectangular Tathagata Hall (Daxiongbaodian), the octagonal Arhat Hall (Louhandian) and the rear Tripitaka Hall. The entrance gate is the Hall of the Revarajas (Tianwangdian).
7.Kaifeng Fu
Kaifeng Fu was the capital in Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), which was well-known home and abroad. It was the government departure of Bao Zheng (Load Bao), who is regarded as the symbol of justice. The architecture style of Kaifeng Fu strictly conforms to the officially issued architecture standard book. The neat layout, graceful style, upturned eaves, and delicate color painting reveal the traditional Song architectural style in all respects.
8.Zhuxian Zhen ( Zhuxian Town )
Just about 23km south of Luoyang, Zhuxian Zhen is one of the four great ancient towns in China - the other three are Foshan, Jingdezhan and Hankou. Zhuxian Zhen is famous for its 1000-year-old craft of woodlock printing.
9. Guoliangcu ( Guoliang Village )
Guoliang Village perches on the clifftop at the Wanxian Mountains in the north of Henan. The village is famed for its mountain scenery and vernacular dwellings.
10. Nanjiecun ( Nanjie Village )
114km south of Zhengzhou, Nanjiecun is China's very last Maoist collective. A trip to Nanjie Village is a journey back to the revolutionary Maoist time in 1950s, a redisccoery of commmunism with Chinese characteristics.
Where to Stay Henan
1.Hotels in LuoyangLuoyang Budget Hotels
Jinjiang Inn Luoyang Railway Station, Add: No.20 Shachang North Road, Xigong District, Luoyang
Hanting Express Luoyang Nanchang Road, Add: No.1 Lichun West Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang
Home Inn (Luoyang Tanggong Middle Road), Add: No.16 Tanggong Middle Road, Xigong District, Luoyang
Green Tree Inn (Luoyang Imperial City Square),Add: No.3 Kaixuan West Road, Luoyang
Luoyang Midrange & Luxury Hotels:
Christian's Hotel, Add: No.56 Jiefang Road, Xigong District, Luoyang +86-379-63266666
Mudu Lee Royal International Hotel, Kaiyuan Middle Road, Luoyang +86-379-65979999
Hua Yang Plaza Hotel, No.88 Kaixuan West Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang +86-379-65588549
Peony Hotel, No.15 Zhongzhou West Road, Luoyang +86-379-64680000
Maple International Hotel, No.329 Zhongzhou Middle Road, Luoyang +86-379-63248888
New Friendship Hotel, Fu No.6 Xiyuan Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang +86-379-64686629
2.Hotels in Dengfeng
Shaolin International Hotel: 20 Shaolin Avenue, Dengfeng Tel: 0371-62856868
Shaolin Travelers Hostel: 308 Chonggao West Road, Dengfeng Tel: 15981883801 (mobile)
Shaolin Hotel: 66 Zhongyue Dajie, Dengfeng Tel: 0371-60161616
3.Hotels in Zhengzhou
Jinjiang Inn: 77 Erma Road, Zhengzhou Tel: 0371-66932000
Sofitel Zhengzhou: Chengdong Road, Zhengzhou Tel: 0371-65950088
Yuda Palace Hotel: No.220 Middle Zhongyuan Road, Zhongyuan District, Zhengzhou
Hairong Hotel: Intersection of Minsheng Road and Zhengguang Road, Zhengdong New Area, Zhengzhou
4.Hotels in Kaifeng
Jinjiang Inn: 88 Zhongshan Road, Kaifeng Tel:0378-3996666
Soluxe Hotel Kaifeng: 41 Gulou Street, Kaifeng Tel: 0378-5958888
New Century Grand Hotel Kaifeng: No.1 Zhengkai Avenue East, Kaifeng New District, Kaifeng
Kaifeng Zhongzhou International Hotel: No.57Daliang Road, Jinming District, Kaifeng
Henan Food
Henan cuisine, also known as Yu cuisine, comes from the native style of the cooking in Henan Province. Henan food is a combination of Beijing cuisine, Shandong food and Jiangsu cuisine due to Henan's central location in China. Generally, Henan food tastes lighter than Beijing and Shandong food, similar to Jiangsu food.
Zhengzhou: Noodles and pastries are considered to be the two well known dishes of the cuisine of Zhengzhou, where both the dishes are the result of local produce. The pastries are known by the name Taosibao, which are available in several varieties with Chongyang huagao, Dajiujia, and Pipasu being the most popular ones.
Luoyang: Luoyang Shui Xi (Water Banquet), Liyu Yue Long Men (Carp Jumping over Dragon Gate), Jiang Miantiao (Noodle Paste), Tiang Mian Jiao (Steamed Dumpling), Zhangji Roast Chicken, Zhang Family Wonton, Shangji Brewis, Croquette.
Anyang: Blood Cake is a traditional snake in Anyang, which is steamed with blood and buckwheat.
Dengfeng: Chinese Style Baked Roll, Songshan Vegetarian Food
Kaifeng: Kaifeng cuisine plays a dominant part in forming the Henan Cuisine, the root of Chinese Cuisine. Kaifeng offers a wide range of food specialities such as steaming pie and Chinese dumplings.
What to Buy
Zhengzhou: Mi Jade, Lacquer Ware Made of Chinese ParasolLuoyang: Luonin Chick, Luoyang Embroidery, Palace Lantern, Tang Dynasty Three-color, Bronze-vessel, Xinyang Tea
Anyang : Nihuang Chinese Date, Laomiao Beef, Chinese Red Pepper
Dengfeng : Shaolin Ginkgo Leaf Tea, Lacquer Ware Made of Chinese Parasol
Kaifeng : Bian Embroidery, Zhuxiazhen Wooden-painting
Nightlife in Henan
The nightlife in Henan is mainly focused on the big cities like Zhengzhou and Luoyang.
As the capital of Henan Province, nightlife in Zhengzhou may be not as colorful as that in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, etc. However, its long history endows Zhengzhou unique cultural connotations. Zhengzhou is rich in nightlife with its unique characteristics, such as a enjoy of Yu Opera. You can hear the singing of the city at Er'qi Square with a music fountain and learn more about Chinese surname culture at Guangda Square as here is a hexahedral column standing 10 meters high upon which 114 Chinese surnames are carved. Moreover, you can follow the regular way of enjoying the night by going to bars and clubs.
Luoyang: Old Town Market is a good place to kill your evening. The lively market is laden with eateries serving lamb kebabs and various snacks.
Kaifeng: Xisi Night Market is an ideal choice to spend your night. It offers a great varity of local snacks - pancakes with chopped onions, roast rabbit, peanut cakes, cups of sugarcane juice...
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