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 Miao (Chéng Huáng Miào, 城隍庙), sits southeast of the Bell Tower and features works by local artists.

Outside the city, the impressive Taihang Shan Grand Canyon provides an escape from Anyang's urban scene.

Situated at the borders of Shanxi, Hebei and Shandong provinces, Anyang is a worthwhile stop on a trip through northern China, especially for those interested in Chinese history. Along with Henan's Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Kaifeng, Anyang is also an essential stop for anyone looking to discover China's ancient capitals.

History

Chinese history is traditionally given as starting with the incredibly ancient Xia Dynasty, though little is actually known about the legendary culture. Proving paradoxically what goes 下 must go 上, the Xia Dynasty was usurped by the Shang Dynasty. Like the Xia, the Shang were regarded outside China as something of a legend rather than hard, solid history until the discovery of the Yin Ruins—what was left of the Shang's final capital city—located around the banks of Anyang's Huan River.

The ruins, along with the famous oracle bones discovered there, provided a glimpse of an ancient slave society ruled by a king believed to commune with ancestors through divinations made with oracle bones about everything from a royal toothache to the outcome of battles waged with nearby peoples, some of whom had the unfortunate fate of becoming human sacrifices.

The story goes that the last ruler of the Shang became decadent and depraved and was overthrown. The succeeding Zhou Dynasty took the capital to Xi'an and the old capital of Shang disappeared into the annals of history.

In the later Song Dynasty, one of Anyang's sons, General Yue Fei (from nearby Tangyin, technically) fought against the incursions of the northern Jurchen peoples who had taken the capital city of Kaifeng and the emperor with it. Yue Fei is to this day considered a hero and patriot in China. He was made a martyr when the plotting of the imperial chancellor—and the substitute emperor himself according to some modern historians—resulted in his execution on false charges. A temple in his honor in Tangyin, the Yue Fei Temple, honors the famous general and details his well known (in China, anyway) story.

At the end of China's imperial history, and the beginning of its modern history, another son of Anyang stepped into the picture with a far less lauded legacy. When rumblings for modernization of government shook loose what was left of the Qing Dynasty, previously loyal imperial governor-general Yuan Shikai stepped in to see the transition from empire to republic and promptly took the transition off course. Initially getting the support of both the Qing Dynasty, even as they stepped down, and the nascent republican government in Nanjing under Sun Yat-sen, Yuan Shikai secured his leadership after the suspicious assassination of a rival. Under pretense of China's need for a strong central leader, he oversaw his own appointment as China's new emperor, an unpopular decision but one that ended swiftly with his death from illness some months later.

With all the pomp of an emperor, the Tomb of Yuan Shikai was built on the northern banks of the Huan River in the traditional style of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty emperors.

The struggle into modernity would return to Anyang, or at least to nearby Linzhou, with an ambitious plan to bring water to the arid region. The winding Red Flag Canal was constructed in the heady days of the Great Leap Forward with nothing but hand tools and patriotic fervor.

Climate

Like much of Henan Province, Anyang gets a steady amount of rain year-round, with the rainy season peaking in the middle of summer.

Temperatures vary, outlining each of the four seasons. Cold winters can see temperatures dropping below freezing between December and January. Summer highs, which can reach into the 30s (~89° F), are compounded by Anyang's high summer humidity.

Spring is a good time to see natural spots like the Taihang Shan Grand Canyon in bloom while enjoying milder temperatures.

Henan guide | Anyang attractions
Anyang flights (Zhengzhou) | Anyang hotels
Henan on the China Travel Blog