ChinaRegions & prefectures

Henan

The cradle of Chinese civilisation, four ancient capitals and the Shaolin temple.

Capital: Zhengzhou
Status: Province
Region: Central and South China
Must-see: The Shaolin Temple
Local specialty: Hui mian noodles, mutton soup, Kaifeng pastries

The central plain of the Yellow River is where China first wrote itself down: Shang dynasty oracle bones were unearthed at Anyang bearing the oldest known Chinese characters. Luoyang and Kaifeng were imperial capitals, the latter the world’s largest city in the eleventh century. The Longmen grottoes line up a hundred thousand Buddhist statues, and the Shaolin temple, founded in 495, gave its name to an entire martial tradition.

What to see there

Places, dishes and traditions tied to this territory.

Lao Tzu (老子)Legendary Chinese sage. Founding figure of Taoism, presumed author of Tao Te Ching.The Shaolin TempleThe monastery where Chan Buddhism was born, and where the monks took up fighting.

In the magazine

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