Long History and Splendid Culture |
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Henan, as one of the major birthplaces of the Chinese nation, has long been renowned as the "Miniature of China's History and Culture" and "Chinese History Museum". Human activities are proved to have existed here about 500,000 years ago. The sites of ancient cultural relics, like the sites of the 7,000-year-old Peiligang Culture, the 6,000-year-old Yangshao Culture and the 5,000-year-old Dahecun Culture, are scattered around in the province. From the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 B.C.) to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) in Chinese history, Henan had long served as China's political, economic and cultural center and more than 20 dynasties had initially established or later moved their capitals here. Of China's 8 major ancient capitals, 4 located in Henan: namely, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Anyang and Zhengzhou. Henan has the largest number of underground historical relics in China, while those above the ground ranking second. One eighth of China's historical relics are in Henan province. The inscriptions on oracle bones unearthed at the Ruins of Yin in Anyang, Henan, at the beginning of the 20th century are the earliest Chinese characters ever found in China, which ranks first among the 100 major archeological discoveries in China in the 20th century. In Henan there are as many as 96 major sites of historical and cultural relics preserved by the state as they are regarded as "national treasure", such as the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, officially listed as the World Cultural Heritage, Baotianman in Neixiang County which is a Man and Biosphere Reserve in the world, the Yuntai Mountain in Jiaozuo which is regarded as a geological park of the world, and the Songshan Mountain in Dengfeng.
There are a large number of great men in the history of Henan who were regarded as saints, like Laozi, the philosopher of the late Spring and Autumn Period and founder of Taoism, Du Fu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing, the medical scientist of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wu Daozi, the great painter of the Tang Dynasty, to name only a few.
Following are some of the illustrative examples of places of cultural interest in Henan province: the Shaolin Temple, the most famous temple in China; the White-horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China and the "Source" and "Ancestral Hall" of Chinese Buddhism; the Song Capital in Kaifeng, the most prosperous city in the Song Dynasty (960-1279); the native place of Yellow Emperor in Xinzheng, a holy place for domestic and overseas Chinese to seek roots and pay tribute to their ancestors; Henan Museum, a state-grade museum with a large number of invaluable national treasures; the Xiaolangdi water conservancy project on the Yellow River, and the Red Flag Canal which is known as the Milky Way on earth. The Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of the world-famous Shaolin Kungfu, and Chengjiagou in Wenxian County is the original place of the Chen-Style Tai Chi Boxing. The Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, and the Songshan Mountains, one of the five famous sacred mountains of China, are illustrative representatives of Henan's spectacular natural landscapes. The above mentioned attractions are both of great historic significance and tourist value. They are mostly scattered along the Yellow River Tour Line which links Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Kaifeng and Sanmenxia, forming a particular tourist itinerary called ¡°three points on one line¡±, which has already achieved initial success. This line has become a well-known sightseeing line both at home and abroad. In addition, the annual Luoyang Peony Fair held in April, the Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival held in September, the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival in October, and the Day of Cultural Heritage of Henan in November have enjoyed great fame both at home and abroad. |
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