Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Getting to Henan
Zhengzhou (郑州) is the province’s capital and transport hub:
- From Beijing South: 2.5 hours HSR, ¥180–250
- From Shanghai Hongqiao: 4 hours HSR, ¥280–350
- From Xi’an North: 1.5 hours HSR, ¥100–150
Zhengzhou to Luoyang: 45 minutes by HSR from Zhengzhou East Station (郑州东站), ¥35–65. Trains run every 30 minutes. Most visitors go straight through Zhengzhou to Luoyang — the capital itself is industrial and only worth a brief stop for Henan Museum.
Day 1: Shaolin Temple and Songshan Area (Full Day from Luoyang or Zhengzhou)
Getting to Shaolin
Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is 75km from Zhengzhou and 80km from Luoyang. Both cities organize day trips.
From Zhengzhou:
- Tour buses from Zhengzhou Bus Station to Shaolin, about 2 hours, ¥40–50. Tours run daily.
- High-speed bus to Dengfeng County (登封市), then taxi/local bus to Shaolin, 1.5 hours total.
From Luoyang:
- Tour buses or DiDi private car, 1.5 hours, about ¥200–300 for private car.
- Organized day trip packages from most Luoyang hotels, ¥80–150/person including transport.
Shaolin Temple (少林寺)
The Buddhist monastery founded in 495 CE is simultaneously one of China’s most sacred Buddhist sites and its most famous martial arts institution. The Chan (Zen) Buddhism developed here intertwined with a physical training tradition that eventually produced the Shaolin martial arts style recognized worldwide.
Entry: ¥100/person (includes Temple of the Founder, Pagoda Forest, and main monastery complex) Ticket window: At the Shaolin scenic area entrance, 3km below the temple
What to see:
Shaolin Monastery (少林寺): The main temple buildings reconstructed after a devastating 1928 fire, with some older structures surviving. The Thousand Buddha Hall has extraordinary wall paintings of Ming Dynasty warrior-monks. The Drum Tower and Bell Tower are the soundscape of the monastery.
Pagoda Forest (塔林): A forest of 243 stone pagodas built over 1,300 years to commemorate deceased abbots and eminent monks. The variety of pagoda styles across the centuries is fascinating — a physical record of Buddhist architectural history. The oldest dates from the Tang Dynasty (791 CE). Free access if you’ve paid the main ticket.
Martial Arts Performances: Three to four daily performances in the main performance hall demonstrate actual Shaolin wushu training — breaking bricks with finger strikes, spear-tip techniques, and acrobatic martial forms. Performance times are posted at the entrance. The performance itself is worth seeing; ignore the overpriced souvenir kung fu costumes.
Dengfeng Wushu Schools: The area surrounding Shaolin has become China’s main martial arts training zone — there are reportedly over 70 martial arts schools with tens of thousands of students. If you have a specific interest in actually learning martial arts, this is the place. Schools offer programs from 1 week to several years.
Songshan Area Hiking
The Songshan mountain range (嵩山) surrounding Shaolin has excellent hiking. The Songyang Academy (嵩阳书院, one of China’s Four Great Academies) and Zhongyue Temple (中岳庙) are nearby cultural sites. If time allows, a 3-hour hike on the Songshan trails gives views back toward the temple complex from above.
Accommodation Note
Most visitors see Shaolin as a day trip from Zhengzhou or Luoyang and return in the evening. If you want to experience the monastery at dawn (before tourist buses arrive), overnight accommodation is available in Dengfeng Town (登封市区, 20 minutes from Shaolin), from ¥100–200/night.
Day 2: Longmen Grottoes and Luoyang City
Morning: Longmen Grottoes (9:00am–1:00pm)
The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) are one of China’s four greatest collections of Buddhist rock art (alongside Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Yungang Grottoes, and Maijishan). Carved into the limestone cliffs above the Yi River south of Luoyang, the complex has over 2,300 caves and niches containing approximately 110,000 Buddhist stone sculptures — carved over 400+ years from the Northern Wei Dynasty (493 CE) through the Tang Dynasty.
Entry: ¥100/person. Open 7am–6pm (longer hours in peak season).
Getting from Luoyang: Bus 71 from Luoyang Railway Station to Longmen (40 minutes, ¥2.5) or taxi (¥30–40).
The Main Caves:
Fengxian Temple (奉先寺): The centerpiece of Longmen — a massive open-air Tang Dynasty cave complex with an 17.14m tall central figure of the Vairocana Buddha, flanked by Bodhisattvas, divine generals, and guardians. The sculptures are among the finest Tang Dynasty Buddhist art surviving anywhere. The central Buddha is believed to incorporate portrait elements of Empress Wu Zetian, who financed the construction.
Binyang Caves (宾阳洞): Three caves carved in the Northern Wei style — more hieratic and solemn than Tang work. The central cave’s decorative programs show the transition from Indian/Central Asian Buddhist artistic conventions to distinctly Chinese forms.
Ten-Thousand Buddha Cave (万佛洞): Walls covered with 15,000 miniature Buddha figures, each slightly different. Overwhelming in scale.
Guyang Cave (古阳洞): The oldest cave complex at Longmen, with the most readable carving inscriptions and good quality early Buddhist figures.
Evening Ticket (optional): The caves are illuminated in the evenings in certain seasons (usually April–October, 7–10pm) and the combination of reflected light on the water and illuminated cave sculptures is dramatic. Night ticket: ¥80.
Photography: Wide-angle lens for the Fengxian Temple complex; detailed lens for individual sculpture faces. The late afternoon light hitting the west-facing cliffs is the best condition.
Lunch: Luoyang Water Banquet Restaurants (1:30pm)
Luoyang’s famous water banquet (洛阳水席) is a style of cuisine dating to the Tang Dynasty where every dish involves a sauce or broth — the menu flows like water. The banquet traditionally has 24 dishes and takes 2+ hours.
A simplified version at a local restaurant: ¥40–80/person for a selection of water banquet dishes. The most famous restaurant serving this tradition is Zhen Bu Tong (真不同, “Truly Unique”), in continuous operation since 1895. Lunch service from 11am.
Essential dishes: Peony sweet and sour soup (牡丹燕菜, carrot carved to look like peony), braised tofu in sauce, sweet-and-sour chicken slices.
Afternoon: Luoyang Old Town and Peony Garden (3:00–5:30pm)
Luoyang Old Town (老城区): The oldest surviving urban fabric in Luoyang, with traditional architecture along North Xiguan Street (北西关街) and the morning market area. Less polished than Qingyan but more genuinely residential.
Wangcheng Peony Garden (王城牡丹园): The most famous peony garden during the annual Luoyang Peony Festival (洛阳牡丹文化节, April 1–May 10 annually). Luoyang peonies have been cultivated here for over 1,500 years — the city claims the title “Peony Capital of China” with some justification, with over 1,000 cultivar varieties represented in the main gardens.
Outside festival season: Wangcheng Park (王城公园) has peonies year-round but the full display only happens in spring. Entry to the park: ¥30.
Evening: Luoyang Dinner
Old Town Food: The old city area has several good traditional restaurants.
- Niurou Tang (牛肉汤): Luoyang’s morning food tradition — clear beef soup with sesame flatbread. Usually a breakfast thing (shops open from 5–7am) but available in some places at dinner.
- Luoyang Stewed Dishes (洛阳小炒): Various stewed meat and vegetable dishes in a Henan country style. ¥25–50/plate.
The Peony Festival: When to Go
If your China trip can accommodate April–May, timing a visit to coincide with the Luoyang Peony Festival is worthwhile. The festival transforms the city:
- Over 1,000 cultivar varieties in bloom simultaneously
- Peony shows, cultural performances, and local food festivals
- Photography opportunities with exceptional flower compositions
- Crowds: The festival attracts 4–5 million visitors over its 6-week run. Accommodation books up 2–3 months ahead; prices triple.
Best festival experience: weekdays in the third and fourth weeks of April, when the majority of varieties are simultaneously in bloom.
Practical Tips
Combine Zhengzhou and Luoyang: The 45-minute HSR connection makes a 4–5 day Henan circuit viable: Zhengzhou (1 day, Henan Museum) → Luoyang (2–3 days, including Shaolin) → Kaifeng (1 day, Song Dynasty capital). This covers 3,000+ years of Chinese history in a single province.
Henan Museum (河南省博物院) in Zhengzhou: One of China’s finest provincial museums. Free entry but book online. The Shang Dynasty bronze collection and the Yin-Shang cultural artifacts are extraordinary. Allow 3 hours.
Language: Local Henan dialect (中原话) differs from Mandarin but most younger residents speak standard Mandarin. Very limited English outside major hotels.
Food note: Henan cuisine is noodle-based, wheat-focused, and milder than neighboring Sichuan or Guizhou. The braised noodle (烩面) and spicy noodle soup (胡辣汤) are Henan staples worth trying.
Henan is where Chinese history is not an abstraction but a physical reality embedded in landscape, temples, and caves. A well-planned 2–3 day visit here leaves most travelers with a permanently altered understanding of China’s depth.