6Drinking & Nightlife
Jingliu Lu and Jingqi Lu off Jinshui Rd are home to several welcoming bars.
Target PubPUB
(目标酒吧, Mùbiāo Jiǔbā MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0371 6590 5384; 10 Jingliu Lu, 经六路10号 h5pm-3am)
A seasoned portrait of flags, old banknotes, rattan chairs and half a car pinned to the ceiling, Target hits the bullseye with excellent music, an outstanding selection of spirits, offbeat cocktails and a laid-back vibe.
8Information
Internet cafes (网吧; wǎngbā; per hour ¥3 to ¥5) are clustered near the train station.
Air Ticket OfficeTICKET OFFICE
(航空售票, Hángkōng Shòupiaò GOOGLE MAP ; %0371 6677 7111)
Sells flight tickets in the airport bus office, next to the Zhèngzhōu Hotel.
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行, Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 8 Jinshui Lu, 金水路8号 h9am-5pm Mon-Fri)
North of the Sofitel, on Jinshui Lu.
China PostPOST
(中国邮政, Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; h8am-8pm)
South end of train station concourse.
City Number One HospitalHOSPITAL
(市一院, Shì Yīyuàn GOOGLE MAP ; Dong Dajie, 东大街 )
West of the Confucius Temple.
Civil Aviation Administration of ChinaTICKET OFFICE
(CAAC, 中国民航, Zhōngguó Mínháng %0371 6599 1111; 3 Jinshui Lu, at Dongmin Lu; 金水路3号 )
East of the city centre, the CAAC sells flight tickets.
Hénán PharmacyPHARMACY
(河南大药房, Hénán Dàyàofáng GOOGLE MAP ; %0371 6623 4256; 19 Renmin Lu, 人民路19号 h24hr)
Industrial & Commercial BankBANK
(ICBC, 工商银行, Gōngshāng Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Renmin Lu, 人民路 mRenmin Rd)
Has a 24-hour ATM.
Public Security BureauPOLICE
(PSB, 公安局出入境管理处, Gōng’ānjú Chūrùjìng Guǎnlǐchù %0371 6962 5990; 66 Huanghe Nanlu, 黄河南路66号 h9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri)
For visa extensions; in the north of town.
Train Ticket Booking OfficeTICKET OFFICE
(火车预售票处, Huǒchē Yùshòupiàochù GOOGLE MAP ; %0371 6835 6666; cnr Zhengxing Jie & Fushou Jie, 正兴街与福寿街路口 h8am-8pm)
8Getting There & Away
Air
Zhèngzhōu Airport is located 37km southeast of town. The ticket office is in the airport bus office, next to the Zhèngzhōu Hotel.
Flights include the following:
ABěijīng ¥840, two daily
AGuǎngzhōu ¥900, nine daily
AGuìlín ¥925, two daily
AHong Kong ¥1021, two daily
AShànghǎi ¥400, frequent service
Bus
The long-distance bus station (郑州长途汽车站; Zhèngzhōu chángtú qìchēzhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ) is opposite the train station.
ADēngfēng ¥28, 1¾ hours, half-hourly
AKaīfēng ¥19, two hours, half-hourly
ALínyǐng ¥40, 2¼ hours, hourly
ALuòyáng ¥57, two hours, half-hourly
AShàolín Temple ¥29, two hours, six daily (7am to 11am)
AXīnxiāng ¥25, two hours, six daily (6am to 6.30pm)
Train
Zhèngzhōu is a major rail hub located at the intersection of several major lines. There are two principal stations, both of which have similar connections: the main train station (火车站; huǒchē zhàn) and the high-speed east train station (郑州东站; Zhèngzhōu dōngzhàn). Both stations are on metro line 1.
For a ¥5 commission, skip waiting in line and get tickets at the advance booking office.
ABěijīng West G train ¥315, 2½ to four hours, frequent service
AGuǎngzhōu South G train ¥653, six hours, frequent service
AKāifēng C/D train ¥19, 30 minutes, frequent service
ALuòyáng Lóngmén G train ¥60, 40 minutes, frequent service
ANánjīng South D train ¥204, 5½ hours, five daily
AShànghǎi D train ¥237, seven hours, four daily
AXī’ān North G train ¥229, 2½ hours, frequent service
8Getting Around
The airport bus (飞机巴士, fēijī bāshì MAP GOOGLE MAP ) (¥20, 90 minutes, half-hourly from 6.30am to 8.30pm) leaves from the sidewalk next to the Zhèngzhōu Hotel (郑州大酒店; Zhèngzhōu Dàjiǔdiàn). A taxi costs around ¥100 and takes 50 minutes.
Bus 26 travels from the train station past 7 February Sq, along Renmin Lu and Jinshui Lu to the CAAC office. Local buses cost ¥1 to ¥2.
The east–west Line 1 of the metro (tickets from ¥2) runs through the train station, up Renmin Lu and Jinshui Lu to the Central Business District (CBD), eventually passing the east train station. Note that the main train station metro stop only exits on the west side and is not conveniently accessed from the front of the train station.
The north–south Line 2 following Zijingshan Lu is under construction but should be completed by 2017, while Lines 3 and 5 will only open in 2018 at the very earliest.
Taxi fares start at ¥8 (¥10 at night).
Nánjiēcūn 南街村
%0395 / Pop 3180
Nánjiēcūn (南街村) is China’s very last Maoist collective (gōngshè), and a visit here is a surreal trip back in time – a journey to the puritanical and revolutionary China of the 1950s, when Chairman Mao was becoming a supreme being, money was yesterday’s scene and the menace of karaoke had yet to be prophesied by even the most paranoid party faithful.
The first inkling you have arrived in an entirely different world comes from the roads: relatively clean, tree-lined streets run in straight lines with a kind of austere socialist beauty (or, perhaps, the quiet menace of an autocratic sci-fi dystopia), past noodle factories, schools, and rows of identikit blocks of workers’ flats emblazoned with vermilion communist slogans. There are no advertising billboards, but beatific portraits of Chairman Mao gaze down on all.
1Sights
To find your way from the town of Línyǐng into the collective, head down the main drag, Yingsong Dadao (颍松大道), to the rainbow-arch-adorned East Is Red Square. A short stroll to the left brings you to Cháoyáng Gate Square.
East Is Red SquareSQUARE
(东方红广场, Dōngfānghóng Guǎngchǎng )
In this square, guards maintain a 24-hour vigil at the foot of a statue of Chairman Mao, and portraits of Marx, Engels, Stalin and Lenin (the original ‘Gang of Four’) rise up on all four sides. Behind the ensemble, a tri-coloured rainbow proclaims 'Mao Zedong thought will shine forever'. The square is deluged in shrill propaganda broadcast from speakers in true 1950s style, kicking off at 6.15am daily.
Cháoyáng Gate SquareSQUARE
(朝阳门广场, Cháoyángmén Guǎngchǎng )
Not far from East is Red Square, this square is known primarily for the rebuilt, traditional architecture of Cháoyáng Gate (朝阳门; Cháoyáng Mén).
8Information
Tourist Service CentreTOURIST INFORMATION
(游客服务中心, Yóukè Fúwù Zhōngxīn Qianjin Beilu, 前进北路 h7.30am-5.30pm)
You can safely avoid the Tourist Service Centre near the entrance (off the west end of Yingsong Dadao), as they’ll ask you to buy an admission ticket (¥80) that you don't actually need to visit Nánjiēcūn. But if you do take up their offer, it comes with a Chinese-speaking guide and a jaunt around town on an electric cart.
8Getting There & Away
From Zhèngzhōu bus station, buses (¥40, 2¼ hours) run south every hour between 6.20am and 6.20pm to the bus station at Línyǐng (临颍), from where it’s a ¥5 sānlúnchē (pedicab) journey south to Nánjiēcūn.
Sōng Shān & Dēngfēng 嵩山、登封
%0371 / Pop 650,000
In Taoism, Sōng Shān (嵩山) is considered the central mountain (中岳; zhōngyuè) of the five sacred peaks, symbolising earth (土; tǔ) among the five elements and occupyin
g the axis directly beneath heaven. Despite this Taoist persuasion, the mountains are also home to one of China’s most famous and legendary Zen (禅; Chán) Buddhist temples: the inimitable Shàolín Temple. Two main mountains crumple the area, the 1494m-high Tàishì Shān (太室山) and the 1512m-high Shàoshì Shān (少室山) whose peaks compose Sōng Shān about 80km west of Zhèngzhōu.
At the foot of Tàishì Shān, 12km southeast of the Shàolín Temple and 74km from Zhèngzhōu, sits the squat little town of Dēngfēng (登封). Tatty in parts, travellers use it as a base for trips to surrounding sights or exploratory treks into the hills.
1Sights
In Dēngfēng, Zhongyue Dajie (中岳大街) is the main east–west street; Shaolin Dadao (少林大道) runs parallel to the south.
Shàolín TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(少林寺, Shàolín Sì %0371 6370 2503; ¥100; h6.30am-5.30pm Mar-Sep, shorter hours rest of year)
The largely rebuilt Shàolín Temple is a commercialised victim of its own incredible success. A frequent target of war, the ancestral home of wǔshù was last torched in 1928, and the surviving halls – many of recent construction – are today assailed by relentless waves of selfie-shooting tour groups. The temple’s claim to fame, its dazzling gōngfū (kung fu) based on the movements of animals, insects and sometimes mythological figures, guarantees that martial arts clubs around the world make incessant pilgrimages.
A satisfying visit to the Shàolín Temple requires, rather than bestows, a Zen mentality (to handle the visiting hordes and looped recordings broadcast from competing loudspeakers). But if you explore away from the main areas, you could spend an entire day or two visiting smaller temples, climbing the surrounding peaks and eking out crumbs of solitude.
Coming through the main entrance, you’ll pass several wǔshù schools. On the right, about 500m in, is the Wǔshù Training Centre, with entertaining shows featuring novices tumbling around and breaking sticks and metal bars over their heads – an integral part of the Shàolín experience.
The main temple itself is another 600m along. Many buildings, such as the main Dàxióng Hall (大雄宝殿, Dàxióng Bǎodiàn; reconstructed in 1985) burned to the ground in 1928. Although the temple seems to have been founded in approximately the year 500 (accounts vary), some halls only date back as far as 2004. Among the oldest structures at the temple are the decorative arches and stone lions, both outside the main gate.
At the rear, the West Facing Hall (西方圣人殿; Xīfāng Shēngrén Diàn) has depressions in the floor, famously (and apocryphally) the result of generations of monks practising their stance work, and huge colour frescoes. Always be on the lookout for the ubiquitous Damo (Bodhidharma), whose bearded Indian visage gazes sagaciously from stelae or peeks out from temple halls.
Across from the temple entrance, the Arhat Hall within the Shífāng Chányuàn (十方禅院) contains legions of crudely fashioned luóhàn (monks who have achieved enlightenment and passed to nirvana at death). Past the main temple on the right, the Pagoda Forest (少林塔林; Shàolín Tǎlín), a cemetery of 248 brick pagodas, which includes the ashes of eminent monks, is well worth visiting.
Further along, past the Pagoda Forest, paths lead up Wǔrǔ Peak (五乳峰; Wǔrǔ Fēng). Flee the tourist din by heading towards the peak to see the cave (达摩洞, Dámó Dòng) where Damo (Bodhidharma) meditated for nine years; it’s 4km uphill. From the base, you may spot the peak and the cave, marked by a large Bodhisattva figure. En route to the cave, detour to the Chūzǔ Temple (初祖庵; Chūzǔ Ān), a quiet and battered counterpoint to the main temple. Its main structure is the oldest wooden one in the province (c 1125).
At 1512m above sea level and reachable on the Sōngyáng Cableway (嵩阳索道; Sōngyáng Suǒdào; return ticket ¥50), Shàoshì Shān (少室山) is the area’s tallest summit. The area beyond the cable car is home to the peak, and to Eŕzǔ Nunnery (二祖庵; Eŕzǔ Ān; ¥2) with four wells where you can sample its various tasting waters (sour, sweet, peppery and bitter).
Perhaps the most famous hike, however, is to neighbouring Sānhuángzhài (三皇寨), which takes about six hours return and covers 9km one-way (and 7398 steps!). The path goes past precipitous cliffs along a roller coaster of a route that often hugs the striated rock face to the 782-step Rope Bridge (连天吊桥; Lián Tiān Diào Qiáo). The scenery is superb.
Consider bypassing the initial 3km with the Shàolín Cableway (少林索道; Shàolín Suǒdào; one-way/return ¥50/80), which conveys you effortlessly to the start of the most dramatic section. No matter how you do this hike, start early and be prepared for some noise – it's very popular and the echoes are a big draw. Once you get to the first suspension bridge (one hour), most people turn around and the crowds thin out considerably.
To do this hike one-way – probably the most satisfying option – you can start from the end (catch a cab to Sānhuángzhài from Dēngfēng; aim for ¥30) and walk towards Shàolín. You can do it the other way too, but you're at the mercy of the drivers (assuming there are any) when you finish. Note that the bridge may be closed at times for repair or during inclement weather. Food is plentiful along the part closest to Shàolín.
To reach the Shàolín Temple, take a bus (15 minutes) from Dēngfēng’s west bus station (¥3.50) or main station (¥5). A taxi to the temple from Dēngfēng will cost ¥30 (unofficial fare, no meter). Alternatively, take a minibus from either Luòyáng (¥19, 1½ hours) or Zhèngzhōu (¥29, two hours).
From the ticket office, it's then a 20-minute walk to the actual temple (passing the Wǔshù Training Centre on the way); electric carts (one-way/return ¥15/25, 7.30am to 6pm) run from the ticket office to the main temple entrance and beyond.
Note that tickets to the scenic area (including all hikes) are valid for 10 days, except for the temple itself, which can only be visited once on the date of purchase.
Mt TàishìMOUNTAIN
(太室山, Tàishì Shān ¥50; h6.30am-5.30pm)
Arguably the best hike in the area, Mt Tàishì serves as a much quieter counterpoint to Shàolín Temple. It's not for slackers, however; like all Chinese mountains, the steps go straight up, and these ascend a leg-busting 1000m in altitude before reaching Jùnjí Peak (1492m). Along the way you'll pass some fantastical landscapes and a host of ravaged temples, the most interesting being Lǎojūn Cave, where according to one legend Laotzu lived for six years while writing the Tao Te Ching.
If you want to make a day of it, it's possible to do a loop, descending past Fǎwáng Temple (法王寺; Fǎwáng Sì) and then Sōngyuè Pagoda (嵩岳塔; Sōngyuè Tǎ), built in the year 509, on the return trip. Ask for directions at Tiānyé Temple. If you don't do the loop, figure on spending four to six hours hiking (return).
The entrance is located at Sōngyáng Academy; take bus 6 or 2 to get here. Don't forget to pick up a map (地图; dìtú) with your ticket.
Zhōngyuè TempleTAOIST TEMPLE
(中岳庙, Zhōngyuè Miào Shaolin Dadao, 少林大道 ¥30; h8am-5pm)
A few kilometres east of Dēngfēng, the ancient and hoary Zhōngyuè Miào is a colossal active Taoist monastery complex that originally dates back to the 2nd century BC. The complex – embedded in a mountainous background, its monks garbed in traditional dress and sporting topknots – is less visited and exudes a more palpable air of reverence than its Buddhist sibling, the Shàolín Temple.
Sōngyáng AcademyHISTORIC BUILDING
(嵩阳书院, Sōngyáng Shūyuàn ¥30; h7.30am-5.30pm)
At the foot of Tàishì Shān sits one of China’s oldest academies, the lush and well-tended Sōngyáng Academy, a building complex which dates to 484 and rises up the hill on a series of terraces. In the courtyard are two cypress trees believed to be around 4500 years old – and they’re still alive.
Both bus 2 and bus 6 (¥1) run to the Sōngyáng Academy.
BODHIDHARMA AND HIS SOLE SHOE
Called Damo (达摩) by the Chinese, Bodhidharma was a 5th-century Indian monk who travelled to the Shàolín T
emple, bringing Chán (禅; Zen) Buddhism to China in the process. The monk is also traditionally revered for establishing the breathing and meditation exercises that lay the foundations of Shàolín Boxing. Bodhidharma’s bearded, heavy-browed and serious expression can be seen in temples across China, especially Chán temples. Accomplishments and legends swarm around his name: he is said to have sat in a cave silently staring at a wall for nine years.
Damo is also often depicted carrying a shoe on a stick. Folklore attests that he was spotted wandering in the Pamir Mountains holding a single shoe. When the news reached the Shàolín Temple, it caused consternation as Bodhidharma had previously passed away and was buried nearby. His grave was exhumed and discovered to contain nothing but a solitary shoe.
4Sleeping & Eating
Luxury sleeping options are nonexistent – if you'd prefer an international hotel with English-speaking staff and nonsmoking rooms, stay in Zhèngzhōu and visit Shàolín as a day trip.
Shàolín Temple has scores of stands in every conceivable location selling instant noodles, snacks and water. Hikers can also grab bags of peanuts.
In Dēngfēng, the local speciality is thickly cut handmade soup noodles (烩面; huì miàn). Head to the intersection of Aimin Lu (爱民路) and Songshan Lu (嵩山路) for a good choice of restaurants.
Lonely Planet China Page 85