Zhengzhou is a sprawling industrial metropolis, home to some 7 million people and capital of Henan Province. Although not completely without charm or things to do and see, Zhengzhou is widely regarded as a transit hub—a place at which you have to stop on the way to somewhere nicer. If you have a particular interest in the textile industry, Zhengzhou's primary industry, you might find it significantly more interesting than most. It lies about half way along the Beijing to Guangzhou train line and also the Beijing to Xi'an line, qualifying it China's largest train hub. Just about every major city in China can be accessed from a train that passes through Zhengzhou. In the late 1940's, Zhengzhou was recognized as Henan's capital city. Urban planners went to work churned out a city as grid like as you are likely to see. Most roads run on a north to south or east to west axis.... more >>

Over the centuries, Luoyang of Henan province has been called many things: Chengzhou, Luoyi, Luozhou, Dongdu, Xijing and Jingluo; but is less formally known as the City of Peony or the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. Name changes and claims to fame aside, today's Luoyang is an important industrial and cultural center with a population of around 6.5 million. The city is located to the west of Zhengzhou, China's transportation hub, which makes getting there a breeze; however, finding reasons to stay can be a little more difficult as Luoyang's tourism appeal has been marred by problems with pollution. To the local government's credit, efforts have been made which have significantly reduced the year on year pollution levels, to such and extent that Luoyang has found itself on the travel itinerary of more and more tourists. more >>

An old Chinese legend has it that when Genghis Khan pillaged and ransacked his way through feudal China he left the city of Kaifeng unscathed because it was home to the country's brightest thinkers, best architects and engineers, and most beautiful chrysanthemums.   True or not, Kaifeng to this day retains a wealth of historic buildings, most standing within the Kaifeng's ancient tamped-earth city walls, making it one of central China's hidden gems. The nearby Yellow River (Huang He), with its history of flooding the area with silt-laden water, has not only buried much of the ancient Song Dynasty capital under meters of rich, loose soil, but has helped keep Kaifeng from suffering the fate of many similarly sized Chinese cities—the combination of loose soil and unexcavated archeological sites has put the brakes on large-scale development projects, preserv... more >>

Once the capital of the Shang Dynasty during the Bronze Age, Anyang (ānyáng, 安阳) has since become a dusty backwater manufacturing hub which often takes a back seat to Zhengzhou, Henan's provincial capital. Though the city has fallen from its former glory as the Shang capital, it boasts a number of historical sites, even as the wrecking ball of development turns older parts of town into the white-tiled, blue-windowed monotony of China's lower-tier cities. What remains of Anyang's old town is situated around the old Bell Tower (Zhōng Lóu, 钟楼) at the southern end of Hongqi Lu (Hóngqí Lù, 红旗路). Not far away, Tianning Temple, first built in the Sui Dynasty, houses the Wenfeng Pagoda, which, though no longer being the tallest structure in Anyang, offers a panoramic survey of the city. Anyang's Temple of the City God, or Chenghuang Mi... more >>