Henan, with its rich cultural relics, boasts abundant tourism resources. For tourists at home and abroad, especially those who enthusiastically seek oriental culture and origins of Chinese civilization, Henan is just like an immense natural museum of history. It is a textbook of Chinese history, which is visible, tangible, and accessible. The oriental cultural connotations here are rich and unique.

Henan holds a very important position in the formation and development of Chinese culture and oriental culture. A large number of historical records and years of study on archaeology have shown that at least 8,000 years ago, Henan’s ancestors were the first to create human civilization in China.
During that period of more than 3,500 years from the Xia Dynasty ( the first dynasty in China, in the 21st century B.C.) to the Jin Dynasty (in the 13th century AD), over 200 emperors of 20 dynasties founded capitals in Henan or moved their capitals here, leaving innumerable places of interest and historical spots, which today can still be visited.
Under the State’s protection are 96 establishments rated as “national treasures”. The number of underground cultural relics in Henan province ranks the first in the country and the 1.3 million pieces of relics housed in the museums accounts for one eighth of the total of China. Among the eight ancient capitals of China, four of them were in Henan, namely Zhengzhou, Luoyang (124 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou), Kaifeng and Anyang (about 200 kilometers to the north of Zhengzhou).
In addition, there are several historical sites and cultural cities, such as Nanyang, Shangqiu and Xunxian County. Numerous scenic spots and historical sites are not only famous for their historic and cultural connotations but also for their tourism value; such as the hometown of the Yellow Emperor (a legendary ruler of China) in Xinzheng (a city close to Zhengzhou). The Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng (82 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou), the Mausoleum of Song Emperors in Gongyi (70 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou), Longmen Grottoes, Baima Temple in Luoyang and the hometown of Xuan Zang (a famous monk in Tang Dynasty, who brought books of Buddhism from India to China) in Yanshi (a city close to Luoyang) are all cultural spots of interest in Henan. For those who love history there are the Imperial Street and the Bao Gong Temple in Kaifeng (the capital of Song Dynasty), the Yinxu Museum and Youlicheng (the origin of the famous classic work – Book of Changes) in Anyang, the chariot pit of the Tombs of the Kingdom of Guo (a kingdom in Zhou Dynasty, about 2800 years ago) and Hanggu Pass in Sanmenxia. Many famous people from ancient China are honored in Henan; such as Wuhou Temple built in memory of Zhuge Liang who is regarded as a wit master in China, Zhang Heng Tomb (a great scientist in Han Dynasty), and the Temple of Zhang Zhongjing (an ancient medical sage) in Nanyang. The Tomb of Suirenshi (the discoverer of how to use fire), Huamulan Temple (a well-known heroine who took the place of her father to join the army) in Shangqiu; as well as Taihao Mausoleum in Huaiyang. At present, new scenic spots are emerging in Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Kaifeng. Henan Museum has a rich collection and is unique for its great architecture. A great deal of rare culture relics are on display there. The Longmen Grottoes are listed as one of the world’s cultural heritages. As a vivid and authentic reproduction of the great painting, Qingming Shanghe Painting of the Song Dynasty, the Qingming Garden was duplicated strictly following the painting in Kaifeng. While visiting, tourists can enjoy the scenes and the customs of the ancient city with a history of a thousand years.

Henan Province is one of the most important places from which the Chinese surnames originated. More than 100 surnames recorded in The Book of Surames are derived from Henan. Among them are the 4 well-known surnames for overseas Chinese, namely Chen, Lin, Huang, and Zheng. As the saying goes: “As to surnames, half of the overseas Chinese are either surnamed Chen or Lin, while the other half are either Huang or Zheng”. In recent years, more and more overseas Chinese from around the world have come to Henan to seek their roots and worship their ancestors. The quest for cultures and the roots of surname heritage has become the highlight of tourist activities. Henan also bears the reputation of the birthplace of Kung Fu. This is represented by the Shaolin Temple in the Songshan Mountain, where the Chinese martial arts originated, and Chenjiagou in Wenxian County, where the Chen Taijiquan (shadow boxing ) developed.

Henan boasts not only abundant cultural heritage for tourism, but also unique natural scenery. The Yellow River stretches for over 700 kilometers in Henan. Traveling from the middle reach to the lower reach, we will feast our eyes on the blue ripples in Sanmenxia reservoir, the vast expanse of waving billows in the Yellow River sightseeing zone in Zhengzhou City, and the wonder of the “protruding river” whose river-bed is 14 meters above the ground of Kaifeng. The Xiaolangdi reservoir, 3 kilometers wide, 132 kilometers long, is the largest expanse of water to the north of the Yangtze River, dwarfing the surrounding mountains. Recently, such new sightseeing programs as “boating down the Yellow River” and “cruising along the Yellow River” have been developed, which are described by tourists as interesting and adventurous. In addition, Henan is blessed with a host of tourist resorts of national class, including the Songshan Mountain close to Zhengzhou, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, the Jigong Mountain in Xinyang, the Yuntai Mountain in Jiaozuo, the Wangwu Mountain in Jiyuan, the Shiren Mountain in Lushan, and the Red Flag Canal in Linzhou. These sites, together with the newly- developed picturesque spots like the Baligou in Xinxiang, the Baiyun Mountain in Songxian, the Qinglong Gorge in Jiaozuo, attract many a visitor from home and abroad.

Over the past two decades, the tourist industry of Henan has enjoyed a constant and rapid growth. In 2004, it received over 450,000 overseas visitors, with a revenue of US$160 million, which is a respective increase of 138.7% and 152% compared with those of last year. Moreover, Henan has received over 80 million domestic tourists on an accumulative basis, with a revenue of RMB 56 billion yuan, which is a respective increase of 58.6% and 63.8% compared with those of last year. The overall earnings have reached RMB 57 billion yuan, a rise of 65.2% compared with that of last year, accounting for 7.2% of the GDP of Henan province. So far, among China’s leading tourist cities, 17 of them are in Henan including Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Puyang, Jiyuan, and Dengfeng. There are also 43 national 4-star scenic spots including Shaolin Temple, Guanlin, Baima Temple, Longmen Grotto, the Qingming Garden, and the Memorial Temple of Bao Gong. There are altogether 338 star-grade hotels in Henan, five of which are five-star, fifteen are four-star and 113 are three-star. From the Airports in Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Nanyang, there are more than 800 flights shuttling among the major cities across the nation weekly, including Hong Kong, Macau and Tai Pei. Being one of the best airports in inland China, Zhengzhou Airport, with its 4E class flying area, has been approved as an international airport. Henan owns an advanced road transportation system, with a network of expressways linking the capital city of Zhengzhou with Luoyang, the ancient capital of nine dynasties, and Kaifeng of seven dynasties, It also links Anyang of four dynasties, and Xuchang, capital of Kingdom Wei (in the period of Three Kingdoms), thus forming a cross-shaped structure of expressways with Zhengzhou at the central point from which just a 50 to 100 minutes’ drive is needed to each of the above-mentioned cities.

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