Zhengzhou-Kaifeng-Anyang

6-Day Cradle of Chinese Civilization Tour: Zhengzhou, Shaolin, Kaifeng & Anyang

Designed for American Travelers · 5-Star Hotels · Meals Included · Private Transportation · Dedicated English-Speaking Guide

Stand where Chinese writing was born, watch kung fu monks fly across a floor at the temple that began it all, and spend an evening inside the living painting of the Song Dynasty's greatest city. In Henan — the Central Plains, the very heart from which China took its name, Zhongguo — you trace 3,000 years of civilization from the oracle-bone capital of the Shang kings to the glittering canals of Northern Song Bianjing. This is the deep-history journey behind Beijing and Xi'an, with two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two of China's finest museums, and the legendary home of Zen and Shaolin kung fu.

Tour Highlights

• Yin Xu — Where Chinese History Begins to Be Written Walk the UNESCO-listed ruins of the late-Shang capital at Anyang, where ox scapulae and turtle shells inscribed 3,300 years ago revealed the earliest known Chinese writing. See the chariot-and-horse pits, the oracle-bone archive and the Tomb of Lady Fu Hao, China's first recorded female general.
• The National Museum of Chinese Writing In the world's only museum devoted entirely to Chinese characters, follow a script's breathtaking evolution from oracle-bone pictographs through bronze, seal and clerical forms to the characters used today — with hands-on oracle-bone rubbing. Free, advance reservation included; closed Mondays.
• Shaolin Temple & the Pagoda Forest — Birthplace of Kung Fu At the foot of Mount Song (part of the 2010 UNESCO "Centre of Heaven and Earth" site), meet the 1,500-year-old cradle of Chan Buddhism and Chinese martial arts. Watch a live kung fu demonstration, walk the temple halls, and wander the haunting Pagoda Forest of 248 monk stupas.
• Henan Museum — Treasures of the Central Plains Explore one of China's top national museums, home to the 9,000-year-old Jiahu bone flute (the world's oldest playable instrument) and the bronze owl-shaped wine vessel of Lady Fu Hao — a sweep of civilization from prehistory through the great dynasties.
• Kaifeng — Step Into "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" Enter the Song capital of Dongjing through the sprawling Millennium City Park, watch era-costumed reenactments on its streets, then wander Dragon Pavilion Park, the 1,000-year-old Iron Pagoda and Daxiangguo Temple as lanterns glow over the canal city by night.
• Exceptional Value, All-Inclusive Premium Tour Your package covers every private transfer, hand-selected 5-star and best-available heritage hotels, an expert English-speaking guide, all entrance fees, museum reservations and the Shaolin kung fu show, plus daily breakfast and signature Central Plains meals — no shopping stops, ever.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 | Arrival in Zhengzhou · Treasures of Henan Museum

• Meals: Dinner
• Overnight: Zhengzhou, 5-star hotel

Full day: Private pickup at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport or Zhengzhou East High-Speed Railway Station and transfer to your downtown hotel.

• Afternoon: Visit the Henan Museum, one of China's eight great national museums. Advance reservation included; closed Mondays — your guide adjusts the order if needed. Don't miss the Jiahu bone flute, the Lady Fu Hao owl zun, the cloud-patterned bronze Jin and the royal jade and gold of the Central Plains kingdoms.
• Evening: Stroll the Erqi Square landmark and the Dehua pedestrian street, then welcome dinner of Zhengzhou's famous braised lamb noodles (huimian) and warming pepper soup.

Day 2 | Shaolin Temple & Mount Song (Dengfeng)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Overnight: Zhengzhou
• Morning: Drive southwest to Dengfeng at the foot of Mount Song, the Central Sacred Mountain. Approx. 1.5 hours. Explore Shaolin Temple, founded in AD 495 and the cradle of both Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Chinese kung fu: the temple halls, the thousand-Buddha pavilion where generations of monks trained, and the sacred Pagoda Forest — 248 brick and stone stupas, the largest such forest in China. Both are part of the UNESCO Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth." Watch the thrilling Shaolin kung fu performance by student monks — forms, weapons, qigong and feats of discipline.
• Lunch: Simple vegetarian set lunch at the temple, in the tradition of monk cuisine.
• Afternoon (Optional): Ride the cableway to the Sanhuang Plank Walk on Mount Song for cliff-edge views, or visit the ancient Songyang Academy, one of the four great Confucian academies. Return to Zhengzhou in the evening.

Day 3 | Zhengzhou → Kaifeng · The Song Capital Reborn

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Overnight: Kaifeng, 5-star or best-available riverside hotel
• Morning: Drive east to Kaifeng, the Northern Song capital of Dongjing — in the 11th century one of the largest and wealthiest cities on earth. Approx. 1–1.5 hours; high-speed intercity train (~25 min) is an alternative. Explore the vast Millennium City Park (Qingming Shanghe Yuan), built to recreate Zhang Zeduan's masterpiece Along the River During the Qingming Festival: arched bridges, canal boats, Song-style shops and scheduled live performances of cavalry drills and Song-era street life.
• Lunch: Kaifeng's famed soup dumplings (xiao long bao) at a classic old restaurant — first bite, sip the broth.
• Afternoon: Visit Dragon Pavilion (Longting), the high-terraced site of the Song imperial palace overlooking Pan and Yang lakes, and the slender Iron Pagoda, a glazed-brick Northern Song monument of 1049 that has survived a thousand years of floods and earthquakes.
• Evening: Optional lakeside "Song Dynasty · Dream of the Orient" night spectacular, then the lantern-lit canal quarter and Gulou night market — try bucket chicken, fried jelly and sweet almond tea.

Day 4 | Old Kaifeng → Drive North to Anyang

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Overnight: Anyang, best-available comfort hotel
• Morning: Visit Daxiangguo Temple, founded in the 6th century and the most celebrated temple of the Northern Song, and the restored Kaifeng Prefecture (Kaifeng Fu), seat of the legendary upright Judge Bao, with its costumed court reenactment.
• Lunch: Yellow River carp with crispy baked noodles, a Kaifeng banquet classic.
• Afternoon: Drive north across the North China Plain to Anyang, heart of the ancient Shang world. Approx. 2.5–3 hours (about 200 km); there is no convenient direct high-speed train, so your private car keeps this transfer comfortable, with a rest stop en route.
• Evening: Check in, then wander the lantern-hung Ming–Qing lanes of Cangxiang Street and the multi-eaved Wenfeng Pagoda, with a first taste of Anyang's Daokou braised chicken.

Day 5 | Yin Xu · The Oracle-Bone Capital (UNESCO)

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Overnight: Anyang
• Morning (early): Enter Yin Xu, the ruins of the Shang Dynasty's final capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2006). In the Palace and Ancestral Temple zone, see the oracle-bone pit where 3,300-year-old inscribed turtle shells were found — the earliest known Chinese writing and the basis of the Shang king list — the replica of the massive Houmuwu bronze ding, and the Tomb of Lady Fu Hao, warrior-queen and high priestess. Use the site's free shuttle to the separate Royal Tombs zone, with the chariot-and-horse burial pits and royal tomb passages — quieter in the afternoon and especially atmospheric. A specialist guide is essential here; without one the site reads as pits and foundations.
• Lunch: Local Anyang flat-rice-noodles and fenjiang rice.
• Afternoon: Continue exploring the site's museum halls of bronzes and jade, then return to the city for an early rest.

Day 6 | Museum of Chinese Writing & Departure

• Meals: Breakfast
• Morning: Visit the striking National Museum of Chinese Writing (free, real-name reservation included; closed Mondays, last entry 16:30). Trace Chinese characters from oracle-bone and bronze inscriptions through seal, clerical and standard scripts to today's simplified forms; try an oracle-bone rubbing to take home, and catch the short introductory film.
• Lunch: Farewell lunch of Daokou braised chicken and Anyang specialties.
• Afternoon: Private transfer to Anyang East High-Speed Railway Station on the Beijing–Guangzhou line — roughly 1 hour to Zhengzhou East and about 2.5 hours to Beijing West — for your onward journey.We recommend a train after 14:30; please share your departure details when booking.

In Henan, history isn't behind glass — it's under your feet. From the first scratch of a character on bone to a monk's flying kick and the lanterns of the Song capital, you have walked through the chapter where the story of China begins.

What's Included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver throughout, including the Zhengzhou–Dengfeng, Zhengzhou–Kaifeng and Kaifeng–Anyang transfers and arrival/departure transfers
• Dedicated English-speaking guide for the full journey, with specialist on-site guidance at Yin Xu
• 5 nights' accommodation: 2 nights at a 5-star Zhengzhou hotel, 1 night at a 5-star or best-available riverside Kaifeng hotel, and 2 nights at a best-available comfort hotel in Anyang (daily breakfast included)
• All entrance tickets and reservations: Henan Museum and National Museum of Chinese Writing reservations (both free-entry, pre-booked with your passport), Shaolin Temple including the kung fu performance and Pagoda Forest, the optional Mount Song cableway if chosen, Millennium City Park, Dragon Pavilion, Iron Pagoda, Daxiangguo Temple, Kaifeng Prefecture, and the full Yin Xu site with its inter-zone shuttle
• Selected meals: 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, featuring Zhengzhou braised lamb noodles, Shaolin vegetarian food, Kaifeng soup dumplings and Yellow River carp, and Anyang Daokou braised chicken
• Bottled water in the vehicle and 24/7 on-trip assistance
• No shopping stops — a pure, privately escorted history and heritage experience

What to Know

• Route & pacing: This is a one-way journey — arrive in Zhengzhou and depart from Anyang, ending on the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed line (a natural link toward Beijing or back to Zhengzhou for a flight). We give the Dengfeng Shaolin day its own outing and reserve a full day for Yin Xu, which genuinely rewards a slow, guided visit.
• Two UNESCO sites: Yin Xu (2006) and the Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth" (2010) — the latter includes the Shaolin Temple compound, Pagoda Forest, Chuzu Hermitage and other Song-era monuments nearby. The Henan Museum, Museum of Chinese Writing, Kaifeng's parks and temples, and the Zhengzhou Shang-city walls are important national heritage sites but are not themselves UNESCO-listed.
• Museum closures: Both the Henan Museum and the National Museum of Chinese Writing are free but require real-name advance reservation and are closed on Mondays (except public holidays); last entry at the writing museum is 16:30. We schedule around the day of the week using your passport details — carry your passport every day — and can swap the order if your dates fall on a Monday.
• Best seasons: April–May and September–October are ideal — dry, mild and clear on the North China Plain. Summer is hot (30–38 °C) and can be hazy; winter is cold but uncrowded. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for the Shaolin mountain paths and Yin Xu's extensive open grounds.
• Walking level: Moderate. Expect large archaeological sites and temples with considerable ground to cover and some steps, though little strenuous climbing unless you choose the Mount Song plank walk (optional and skippable).
• Kaifeng night show & crowds: The Dream of the Orient evening performance and the night markets are most crowded on weekends and holidays; we book ahead and dine at slightly earlier or later hours for comfort.
• Food: Henan cuisine is savory and wheat-based (noodles, dumplings, buns, braised meats) and generally milder than Sichuan or Hunan food; spice can be added on the side. Vegetarian meals are easy to arrange, especially at Shaolin — please advise any dietary needs in advance.
• Connecting onward: Anyang East has frequent trains to Beijing (~2.5 h), Zhengzhou (~1 h) and points south on the Beijing–Guangzhou line. If you prefer to fly out, returning to Zhengzhou by train (~1 h) offers the widest airport choice; we're glad to build a Luoyang (Longmen Grottoes) or Beijing extension.