China III Millennium Ago
Henan Province is one of the Cradles of Chinese Civilization with long-lasting history and significant culture, and had long been the political, economic and cultural center of ancient China. From Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in China, to Jin Dynasty in the 13th century, more than 200 emperors of 20 dynasties established or moved their capitals here. Four of the Eight Ancient China Capitals are located in Henan - Luoyang, Kaifeng, Anyang and Zhengzhou. The world-renowned Chinese Kung Fu was originated here too. Henan has so many glorious memories.
This 6 days Henan Tour takes you to explore the essential highlights of Henan in a brief but enjoyable way, including the ancient Yinxu Site in Anyang, legendary Millennium City Park in Kaifeng, famous Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng and amazing Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang and other featured places.
Highlights of this tour
Welcome to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province. You will be picked up by local tour guide in Zhengzhou airport or train stations, and escorted to check in to your hotel in Zhengzhou downtown. The rest time is free for you to relax and explore this city of Yellow River.
Where to go if you have some free time? 1) go to Henan Museum to learn about the history of the region and appreciate ancient bronze ware; 2) view how the mighty Yellow River run through the plain of Zhengzhou city in Yellow River Scenic Area; 3) hunt for local snacks at Erqi Square.
How to Get to Zhengzhou? Arrival Ideals: At present, you can get to Zhengzhou by high speed trains from Beijing (about 3hrs), Xian (about 2.5hrs), Luoyang (40mins), etc., or direct flights from Beijing (about 2hrs), Shanghai (about 2hrs), Chengdu (about 2hrs), Hangzhou (about 2hrs), Guangzhou (about 2.5hrs), etc.
After breakfast, meet your guide and driver at your hotel, then drive about 2.5 hours to Anyang, one of the oldest ancient capitals of China. Before getting to Anyang, take a stop at Youli Castle in Tangyin County which is believed to be the site where the first prison in the world originated and the I Ching was created. Explore the temples, statues, imperial steles and learn about Bagua (the Eight Diagrams) here. Later, head to Museum of Chinese Characters where you can find more than 4000 pieces of character relics including inscriptions on bones, tortoise shells, ancient bronze, bamboo, silk, etc.
You will lastly arrive at the biggest highlight of today - Yinxu which is an honorable UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the capital of the late Shang Dynasty and the first ancient capital site in Chinese history that can be verified by documents and confirmed by Oracle Bone Inscriptions and archaeological excavations with a history over 3300 years. Yinxu is also one of the largest archaeological sites in China. There were over 80 places, shrines, tombs and workshops unearthed. From these remains you can trace back on how the ancient Chinese dynasty like in 3000~4000 years ago.
Accommodate in Anyang City.
This morning, you will be driven about 210km (about 2.5hrs) to Kaifeng, a famous ancient capital city in China where there are many ancient buildings and relic sites remaining for you to discover Chinese history especially the prosperous era of Northern Song Dynasty (960~1127). You will visit Dragon Pavilion, a part of the ancient ruin of the imperial palace of the Song and Jin Dynasties. Then go to enjoy a leisure stroll on the Ancient City Wall of Kaifeng. With a length of 14.4 kilometers, this city wall still remains the architecture style and scale in Yuan and Ming Dynasties (1271~1644).
After lunch, you will visit the Millennium City Park, which is a real reflection of the most famous ancient painting in China titled "Qing Ming Shang He Tu" (Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival). This historical cultural theme park is a recreation of the buildings, merchant life and landscape of Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty.
Later, you will go to see Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, a Buddhist Chinese pagoda built in 1049 during Song Dynasty. This pagoda is made of iron, with octagonal-base structure standing at a height of 56.88 meters with 13 stories.
After the visit, drive to Zhengzhou, and check in to your hotel in downtown.
After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to visit the Astronomical Observatory near Dengfeng City. It was built by astronomer Guoshoujin in Yuan Dynasty (1271~1368) to observe the shadow of the sun and locations of stars. Based on this Astronomical Observatory, Guoshoujin invented Shoushi Calendar and regulated that each year has 365.2425 days, which is more than 300 years earlier than the universal Gregorian Calendar.
Keep driving about 25km to Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and the cradle of Kung Fu. You will visit the grandiose temples and halls, admire stone carving art, learn about Buddhism culture, and observe the daily living and meditation of monks in the temple. Don't miss the famous Pagoda Forest, the existing largest pagoda forest in China. When an important monk passed away, their cremains or skeleton would be put into the underground palace, and a pagoda will be built on it. The pagoda's height, size and number of layers will be decided according to the monk's Buddhism knowledge, reputation and merits and virtues when during his lifetime. You will also enjoy a magnificent Kung Fu Show in Shaolin Wushu Hall which is performed by martial monks of Shaolin Temple daily, and usually lasts for about half an hour.
After the Kung Fu experience, drive about 1.5 hour to Luoyang, one of the greatest ancient capitals of China. Before checking in to your hotel in downtown, you will go to take a leisure walking on the old streets of Luoyang Ancient City to experience local folk culture and hunt for local snacks.
After breakfast, your guide will take you to visit Longmen Grottoes, which contains the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). The UNESCO World Heritage site is densely scattered on the cliffs of Mount Longmen (West Hill) and Mount Xiangshan (East Mountain) – on two banks of Yi River. West Hill houses the major caves with notable displays of Buddhist sculptures and calligraphic inscriptions. You won’t miss Bingyang Cave which tells a wealth of history and artistic value, including Guyang Vave with over 1,000 Buddha statues and 800 calligraphy inscriptions, and Fengxian Temple – the largest cave with a 17.14-meter-tall sculpture of Vairocana Buddha.
After the great sightseeing in Longmen Grottoes, drive to Luoyang Museum which shows ancient Luoyang from all perspectives. There are more than 1,000 exhibits dating back to the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618 ~ 907) and even to the earliest prehistoric times (before the 21st century B.C.) in the informative display halls, such as exquisite tri-colored glazed potteries, various bronzeware, ancient clay sculpture, treasured calligraphy and paintings, etc.
Then head to the center of Luoyang to visit Tianzi Jialiu Museum. The burial of the royal horses and chariots that were sacrificed during Eastern Zhou Dynasty is earlier than that of Terracotta Warriors in Xian. Lastly, go to take a leisure walk on the ancient streets of Luoyang Old City. It is a lively place with many old residential buildings, food streets, and delicate shops. Just freely appreciate the splendor of old Luoyang, taste some local snacks or purchase some interesting souvenirs freely.
After the trip, drive back to your hotel.
Today is free for you to relax until your tour guide and driver escort you to catch your flight/train to next destination. Your memorable Henan culture tour ends.
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Luoyang / Dengfeng / Luoyang / Xian
Beijing / Luoyang / Dengfeng / Luoyang
Beijing / Luoyang / Dengfeng / Xian / Chengdu / Shanghai
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“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
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