🇨🇳 Henan · By the Yellow River · At the Heart of China
Our hometown — Zhengzhou — lies by the Yellow River at the heart of China. Since ancient times it has been a crossroads of north-south travel, giving rise to the saying "whoever holds the Central Plains holds the world"
🛡 Dengfeng · Shaolin Temple, Mount Song
"All martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin." Founded in the 19th year of Taihe of the Northern Wei Dynasty (495 AD), the Shaolin Temple is the ancestral home of Chinese Zen Buddhism and the birthplace of Shaolin kung fu. The Pagoda Forest preserves 241 pagodas from the Tang through Qing dynasties — the largest ancient pagoda group in China. The "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in the Centre of Heaven and Earth" were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. Highlights: watch warrior monk performances, learn Baduanjin qigong, and experience a day of Zen meditation.
🗿 Luoyang · Longmen Grottoes
A UNESCO World Heritage site, counted among China's three great grotto complexes along with the Mogao Caves and Yungang Grottoes. Carving began around the time Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang and continued for over 400 years, leaving 2,345 caves and more than 100,000 statues. The Vairocana Buddha in Fengxian Temple stands 17.14 meters tall and is praised as the "Mona Lisa of the East" — a perfect fusion of Silk Road Buddhist art and Chinese national art.
🔮 Anyang · Yinxu Oracle Bone Inscriptions
A UNESCO World Heritage site and the dawn of China's documented history. The discovery of oracle bone inscriptions at Yinxu in 1899 pushed China's reliable written history back to the Shang Dynasty. Yinxu has yielded 150,000 oracle bones with roughly 4,500 distinct characters — China's earliest complete writing system. The Simuwu (Houmuwu) Ding, unearthed from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao, weighs 832.84 kilograms and is the heaviest bronze vessel ever found in China — the pinnacle of ancient Chinese bronze civilization.
🏯 Kaifeng · Capital of Eight Dynasties
Capital of eight dynasties, known as "Dongjing Bianliang" in the Northern Song Dynasty. The bustling splendor depicted in Along the River During the Qingming Festival was born here. The Kaifeng Prefecture (where Judge Bao worked), Dragon Pavilion, Iron Pagoda, Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden and Daxiangguo Temple — the stories of "Bao Qingtian" are known in every Chinese household. Beneath the old city lie six layers of stacked city ruins — a "city upon city" wonder rarely seen anywhere in the world.
🚩 Recommended Route · Central Plains Culture Journey (in & out via Zhengzhou, 6 days 5 nights)
* Flexibly combinable: high-speed rail from Zhengzhou reaches Luoyang and Kaifeng within 1 hour and Anyang in 2.5 hours, making connections very convenient. Bilingual guides (Chinese/English or Chinese/Czech) available throughout.
Request a Henan Itinerary Quote