Zhengzhou: Main Scenic Spots

At the top of the list is a visit to the Yellow River scenic area, where travelers can view the sweeping river from atop Mang Mountain or take a boat ride on the river. The most impressive feature is the impressive system of dikes built to keep the river at bay. Silt deposits have raised the river so far above its ancient bed that nearly the entire bank is now made up of artificial dikes and dams. While the river is just 20 miles from downtown, the trip takes the better part of one day if one spends the time needed to fully appreciate the area.

A visit to the Song Mountains, 50 miles southeast of Zhengzhou, actually requires an overnight stay because of the distances involved and the number of places to visit. Regarded as one of China's sacred mountains, Songshan encompasses more than 70 temples and monasteries, including the famed Shaolin Monastery, site of China's first and most revered kung fu academy. An international martial art festival takes place every other fall. The Shaolin Monastery has been training martial artists ever since the 5th century. In many places, visitors can see the depressions that were worn into stone floors by the countless generations of students practicing their deadly arts or even arrange for a few lessons. Be sure to visit the monastery's Hall of the Thousand Buddha.

A short distance west of the monastery is the Forest of Stupas, the largest of its kind in China. Famous abbots and monks from the 7th century onward used this cemetery, which contains more than 242 pagodas in Tang, Song, and Yuan, Qing dynastic styles. << Back to Zhengzhou Info