Zhengzhou travel guide: where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Zhengzhou.
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1
A Shang dynasty city at today's Zhengzhou flourishes, thought to be the capital Ao (or Bo); its rammed-earth walls survive in Guancheng Hui District.
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2
Bronze foundries and workshops operate outside the Shang city walls, evidence of an advanced early bronze industry.
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3
Shaolin Temple is founded on Mount Song; Buddhist cave temples are carved at Longmen near Luoyang from the same era.
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4
Northern Song dynasty; Kaifeng is the capital and Songyang Academy becomes one of China's great academies.
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5
Ming dynasty; Zhengzhou's Chenghuang Temple serves as the City God temple.
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6
The Beijing-Hankou railway opens and Zhengzhou develops as a railway junction.
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7
The Beijing-Hankou railway workers' strike, remembered at Erqi Memorial Tower, is suppressed.
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8
Zhengzhou becomes the capital of Henan Province, replacing Kaifeng.
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9
Archaeologists identify the Shang city walls in Zhengzhou.
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10
The Zhengdong New District and high-speed rail hub transform the city into a national transport centre.
Historical sites
Places where Zhengzhou's past comes alive.
Henan Museum
One of China's oldest provincial museums, holding Shang bronzes, jade, and Central Plains ceramics and relics.
Where: Jinshui District, Zhengzhou
Admission: Free; advance real-name reservation required via the museum's official WeChat account, and foreign visitors bring their passport to register at the entrance
Zhengzhou Shangdu Site Museum (Shang City Site Museum)
Museum devoted to the 3,600-year-old Shang capital found beneath old Zhengzhou, with bronzes and a model of the ancient city.
Where: Guancheng Hui District, Zhengzhou
Admission: Free with reservation (verify current booking rules on the museum's official WeChat account; carry a passport)
Shang City Ruins (Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty City Wall Ruins Park)
Rammed-earth walls, up to 9 m high in places, of the Zhengzhou Shang city thought to be the capital Ao or Bo, dated to about 1600-1400 BC.
Where: Guancheng Hui District, Zhengzhou
Admission: Free
Erqi Memorial Tower
A 63 m twin-tower memorial to the 1923 railway workers' strike, and the city's central landmark in Erqi Square.
Where: Erqi District, Zhengzhou
Admission: Free to enter the square; a small fee of about CNY 20-30 ($3-$4.50) applies to climb the tower
Chenghuang Temple (Zhengzhou City God Temple)
A Ming-era Taoist temple dedicated to the city guardian deity, rebuilt several times, noted for its glazed-tile roofs and stone carving.
Where: Guancheng Hui District, Zhengzhou
Admission: About CNY 30-40 ($4.50-$6); verify at the gate
Shaolin Temple
The famed Chan Buddhist and kung fu temple founded in 495 AD, with the Hall of Thousand Buddhas and martial arts shows.
Where: Dengfeng, Zhengzhou (day trip)
Admission: Around CNY 80-100 ($12-$15) for the temple and pagoda forest area (verify at the gate)
Zhongyue Temple
China's oldest and largest temple to the Central Peak Mount Song, with about 2,000 years of history and imperial-era stele forests.
Where: Dengfeng, Zhengzhou (day trip)
Admission: About CNY 27-40 ($4-$6); verify at the gate
Songyang Academy
One of China's four great academies of the Song era, sheltered by ancient cypresses on Mount Song.
Where: Dengfeng, Zhengzhou (day trip)
Admission: About CNY 20-30 ($3-$4.50); verify at the gate
Longmen Grottoes
UNESCO-listed Buddhist cave temples carved from the 5th to 8th centuries, home of the 17 m Vairocana Buddha.
Where: Luoyang (day trip)
Admission: About CNY 90 ($13.43)
Iron Pagoda Park (Kaifeng)
Kaifeng's Northern Song 'Iron Pagoda' (1049 AD), about 55 m tall and clad in brown glazed bricks.
Where: Kaifeng (day trip)
Admission: About CNY 50-60 ($7.50-$9); verify at the gate
Xuanyuan Huangdi Birthplace (Xinzheng)
A memorial site to the legendary Yellow Emperor, said to have been born in Xinzheng, with large annual ancestor-worship ceremonies.
Where: Xinzheng, Zhengzhou (day trip)
Admission: About CNY 40 ($6); verify at the gate
Shaolin Pagoda Forest
More than 200 brick and stone burial pagodas of Shaolin abbots and monks from the Tang to Qing dynasties.
Where: Dengfeng, Zhengzhou (day trip)
Admission: Included in the Shaolin scenic area ticket