Discover China

On 4 January we travelled by train from Beijing to Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province. The train journey took just over 5 hours to travel a distance of about 800 km, and while not high speed rail it was still a fast and efficient service in a very comfortable near-new train.

The high speed rail line between Beijing and Zhengzhou is currently under construction and when completed the travel time between the two cities will be reduced significantly.

That evening we enjoyed the night view of Zhengzhou from the city’s only revolving restaurant which is on the top floor of the Guang Dong Hotel where we are staying. The view includes nearby Erqi Square and Erqi Tower, a major landmark in central Zhengzhou, as well as the remains of the ancient city wall.

While in Zhengzhou I plan to visit the nationally significant Henan Museum. One of the oldest museums in China, the Henan Museum moved into its present distinctive building in 1998.  At present the museum has a collection of more than 130,000 cultural relics, of which more than 5,000 pieces are highly significant treasures.

At last another trip to China is very near. Over three weeks from the end of December we will visit China’s capital Beijing as well as Tianjin, located south of Beijing, Zhengzhou in central China, and possibly some other places too. Beijing has an abundance of historical and cultural attractions which we will explore over several days. As it is winter, impressive sites such as the Forbidden City and Summer Palace are likely to be framed in snow. From Beijing we’ll then take a 30-minute journey on one of China’s new high speed rail trains to the city of Tianjin, and then after that travel to Zhengzhou. I can hardly wait!

The heaviest snow falls for around 100 years have fallen in Henan province. These pictures on Sina show the heavy snowfalls – around half of the pictures show the capital Zhengzhou which we visited in August. It was very hot when we visited, and just four months later it is an amazingly different scene. Contrast the pictures of Zhengzhou’s tree-lined streets in snow now and when we visited in August.

Our August 2009 trip to Henan, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces was fantastic – amazing ancient villages, stunning mountain scenery, beautiful lakes, excellent shopping and dining, and of course the friendly Chinese people.

Our trip began in Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan province. There we visited the nearby Shaolin Temple and the Yellow River Scenic Area. After that we travelled to Anhui province to visit capital city Hefei, the ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun, beautiful Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), and the Yangze River city of Wuhu. We also briefly visited Qiandao lake and Hangzhou city in Zhejiang province, and finished the trip with a return visit to Xiangcheng Henan.

For the story of the trip see My China Trips – Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang 2009 and photos see the Galleries.

In less than a week I will be back in China again. I can’t wait—the last few days before the flight seem like an eternity! We will again visit Shenzhen briefly, then fly to Zhengzhou, capital of Henan. There we plan to visit the nearby Shaolin Temple, and also Yuntai Mountain. After that we travel to Anhui province to visit capital Hefei, the Yangze River city of Wuhu, Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) and nearby historic villages. We will finish the trip with visit to Xiangcheng Henan. Look for the story and photos here.