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Central China
Henan
河南 · CN-HA
Along the middle Yellow River, into the core sites of early China
Henan is not a list of ancient capitals. It is the key terrain for understanding early states, ritual, cave temples, the Grand Canal and mass migration — from Luoyang to Anyang, Kaifeng and Zhengzhou, spanning several thousand years.
English translations of the source blocks on this page were prepared with machine assistance and are under editorial review; the Chinese source text remains authoritative.
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Where to start
- Luoyang's Longmen Grottoes & ancient capital sites
- Yinxu & the National Writing Museum, Anyang
- Kaifeng's old city & the Zhouqiao site
- Zhengzhou's Shang city ruins & the Henan Museum
- Dengfeng's 'Centre of Heaven and Earth' complex
- Nanyang's Han stone reliefs & Wuhou Temple
Read these before you plan
- P0Lock Longmen, Shaolin and the Henan Museum before scheduling the line
Longmen runs real-name time-slot booking, Shaolin's ticket types and closing times move often, and the free Henan Museum's slots are tight with Monday closures. These three reshape itineraries — confirm dates and slots first, then everything else.
- P0The minimum times have hit their floor
Longmen 4–5 hours, Yinxu 5–6, Shaolin's main halls and pagoda forest 3–4, the Henan Museum 3–4, Hongqiqu 6–7. Below these, the visit is queues and transit — and the sites are too deep for that.
- P0Lodging priority: two nights in Luoyang; Dengfeng or Kaifeng one each by route
Luoyang is the shared departure point for Longmen, White Horse, the Sui-Tang city and Erlitou — two nights to hold both the grottoes and the axis night walk. Dengfeng earns a night with Shaolin plus Songyang; Kaifeng's Zhouqiao, Bookstore Street and old city want their own night.
- P1Keep four must-see sets on the main line
Longmen, Yinxu, the Henan Museum and the Shaolin–Dengfeng 'centre of heaven and earth' are the four steadiest anchors. Kaifeng's Zhouqiao, Erlitou, the Writing Museum and Nanyang's Han culture are the bonuses; on a 5–7 day first visit, don't stretch beyond them.
- P1Light plan: grottoes and old buildings in the morning, Luoyang's city before sunset
Longmen's west hill reads clearest in morning front light; Songyang and Shaolin want the first hour or two after opening; the Sui-Tang city enters 60–90 minutes before sunset to run day, dusk and night continuously.
- P2Every reference price defers to the day's notice
Longmen ~¥90, Yinxu ~¥70–120, Shaolin from ~¥80, White Horse ~¥35, Hongqiqu from ~¥80 — all retrieved references. Ticket types, concessions, free-entry policies and booking entrances move; re-verify official channels within 24 hours.
- P2Archaeology sites, mountains and living streets all have edges
The grotto walkways, Yinxu's grounds, the Zhouqiao site, the Shang wall and the canal banks all carry protection boundaries: no crossing rails, no touching artefacts, no lingering in closed areas. In living streets like Bookstore Street, yield to people and traffic; never publish residents' information or door photos.
A · Core landmarks
Start with Henan's first coordinates
Longmen, Shaolin, Yinxu, the museum and Luoyang's axis point to Buddhist art, mountain faith, oracle-bone archaeology, the central-plains collections and the Sui-Tang capital. First visits build the province here.
B · Regional depth
From the core coordinates on to the second line
Kaifeng, Anyang, Zhengzhou, Dengfeng and Luoyang's periphery cover the Song capital, the Shang, the early Shang city, Confucian learning and the Xia culture — extending the main line by geo-belt into a full archaeological reading.
C · Slow corners
Depth spots for the experienced or the unhurried
Nanyang's Han culture, Luoyang's Buddhist spread, the Taihang's water engineering and Kaifeng's living old city complete the province's regional range beyond capital archaeology — extensions after the main line, not first-visit sprints.
Suggested route shapes
- Zhengzhou–Dengfeng–Luoyang · 4–5 days
- Anyang Shang dynasty line · 2 days
- Kaifeng–Shangqiu or Nanyang · 3–4 days
How to save money and time
Henan's first-worthy three sit on one westward axis: enter at Zhengzhou and exit at Luoyang, or reverse, with Mount Song as the midpoint — never a separate out-and-back. Anyang lies in the north, Nanyang in the southwest: each is its own endpoint, never welded into the same day.
Longmen is a reference ¥90 with real-name time slots, and Shaolin's ticket and combo scope varies noticeably across platforms. Don't order on 'lowest fare' — confirm first whether your planned areas are included, then compare combos.
The Henan Museum, Erlitou, the Writing Museum, the Shang city and the Han reliefs are mostly free-by-reservation — with different release times, lead days and Monday closures. The Henan Museum typically opens 5 days ahead at 17:00 daily: set reminders and book early rather than reshuffling the itinerary.
Yinxu, the Writing Museum and Hongqiqu make an Anyang/Linzhou day of their own; Nanyang's temple and reliefs run as their own direction. Without a specific reason, don't insert Nanyang into the Zhengzhou–Kaifeng–Luoyang line.
Longmen, White Horse, the Sui-Tang city and Erlitou all launch from Luoyang; consecutive city hops cost you night walks or force the last bus. Two Luoyang nights minimum plus one Kaifeng night; Dengfeng earns its night if Shaolin is on the plan.
The Luoyang peony festival, May Day and summer are the tightest for bookings and priciest for rooms. April–May and September–October suit Henan's archaeology lines — but holidays still need early tickets. Put Longmen on a weekday morning and use evening slots for the city's night walk.