Henan

Henan is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization: four of the country's eight great ancient capitals lay along the middle reaches of the Yellow River. A vacation in Henan takes you to Buddhist grottoes near Luoyang, to the Shaolin kung fu monastery, and to the Song capital of Kaifeng.

Sights in Henan

South of Luoyang, stonemasons carved more than 100,000 Buddha figures into the limestone cliffs along the Yi River between the 5th and 10th centuries. The Longmen Grottoes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the 17-meter-tall (56-foot) Vairocana statue is considered a masterpiece of Tang art. Luoyang is also home to White Horse Temple, regarded as China's first Buddhist temple. In April, the city celebrates its Peony Festival. Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, between Zhengzhou and Luoyang, is the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the famous martial art; the Pagoda Forest holds more than 200 tomb pagodas of monks. Under the Northern Song dynasty, Kaifeng was one of the largest cities in the world. The Iron Pagoda, Xiangguo Temple, and the theme park based on the famous scroll painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" bring that era to life. Near Dengfeng, the 13th-century Gaocheng Observatory is also worth a visit; it is part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Dengfeng. The Shaolin monks demonstrate their martial art in daily performances, and dozens of kung fu schools have sprung up around the monastery.

History and Landscape

Near Anyang, the ruins of Yin were discovered, capital of the Shang dynasty, where oracle bones bearing the earliest Chinese characters were found. The provincial capital, Zhengzhou, is a major transportation hub with a provincial museum well worth seeing. Scenic surprises include Yuntai Mountain, with its red canyons and waterfalls, and the Guoliang Tunnel Road, hewn into the rock of the Taihang Mountains. In Zhengzhou, the Only Henan theater park stages the province's history in large-scale performances.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Henan's cuisine is hearty and wheat-focused: huimian, wide hand-pulled noodles in mutton broth; the spicy, peppery hulatang soup, eaten for breakfast; and Luoyang's "Water Banquet," a series of soup dishes. Kaifeng is known for its night market and for guantang baozi, buns filled with broth. Zhengzhou is a hub of the high-speed rail network, and Luoyang and Kaifeng are quickly reached from there. The best times to visit are spring and fall.