Xinmi

Understand

The name Zhengzhou comes from a city in the Sui Dynasty, but its actual location was in modern day Chenggao. During the Tang Dynasty, the name switched here. The area remained an unimportant backwater until it was selected for development by the Chinese Government after 1949. Zhengzhou is now a major transportation hub in the center of the country, and a rapidly growing city. Zhengzhou City is located in the north-central part of Henan Province, where the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River divide. By the end of 2022, the resident population of Zhengzhou City was 12.8 million.

Orientation Zhengzhou administers 6 districts, 1 county, and 5 county-level cities:

Districts: Zhongyuan District, Erqi District, Guancheng Hui District, Jinshui District, Shangjie District, Huiji District County: Zhongmu County County-level cities: Xinzheng, Xinmi, Gongyi, Dengfeng, and Xingyang Dengfeng, Gongyi, Xinmi and Zhongmu County have separate articles on Wikivoyage.

History According to the division of "Shangshu - Yugong", Zhengzhou belonged to the "domain of Yuzhou" among the nine states in the ancient times. China's second dynasty, the Shang Dynasty, established its capital in Zhengzhou more than 3,600 years ago as the founding capital, Bo Du. During the Ming Dynasty, a reform of the nation's local establishment was carried out, with the introduction of a three-tier system of provinces, prefectures (directly subordinate prefectures) and counties, and the Guancheng County was transferred to Zhengzhou. At that time, Zhengzhou still had four counties, Xingyang, Xingze, Heyin, and Sishui, but they were subordinate prefectures (county-level). Together with Zhongmou, Xinzheng and Mi counties, it was subordinate to Kaifeng Prefecture. In October 1948, after the liberation of Zhengzhou by the Central Plains Field Army, Zhengzhou City was established in the urban area of Zhengxian County, directly under the leadership of Henan Province. In 1954, Zhengzhou City became t

Getting there

Zhengzhou City is a national transport hub for railway, aviation and mail. As of September 2023, Zhengzhou has 2 terminals, 2 runways, 162 air routes, 6 railway stations, 2 main railway lines, 6 high-speed railway lines, 9 metro lines, 11 motorways, and 37 BRT lines.

By plane 1 Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO IATA 郑州新郑国际机场) (about 30 km outside of town). It has one terminal, confusingly named Terminal 2. Terminal 1 is the old terminal that has been closed. An airport shuttle bus leaves from Zhengzhou Hotel, centrally located and costs ¥15. A public bus runs from the airport to the Aviation Hotel (民航酒店 Mínháng Jiǔdiàn) on Jinshui Road (金水路 Jīnshuǐ Lù). It costs ¥25. Taxis to the airport will cost around ¥120-140. While the distance implies it should only be ¥60, you're charged for the round trip driving. Bargaining seldom helps as locals pay this price as well. The airport is now served by the Zhengzhou Metro Line 2's Chengjiao (Suburban) extension. The first and last trains depart at 06:30 and 20:00 respectively. Additionally, mainline rail service connects the airport to Zhengzhou and Kaifeng (mostly to Zhengzhou East Station), at intervals fluctuating between approximately 30–60 minutes.

By train Zhengzhou is China's biggest train hub; you can get here from nearly every major metropolitian area in China. There are several arrivals each day from Beijing (about 11 hours, or 5½ hours by high-speed rail), Guangzhou (about 18 hours), Xi'an (about 5 hours, or 2 hours by high-speed rail) and Shanghai (about 14 hours, or 6 hours by high speed rail). Trains arrive from other places less often. The Hanoi to Beijing train also stops here. Be sure to clarify which of the two stations your train will arrive at or depart from:

2 Zhengzhou Station (郑州站) (in the main city centre). Serves all regular and some high-speed trains. 3 Zhengzhou East Station (郑州东站) (on the east side of town in the Zhengzhou New Area). Exclusively serves high-speed trains. 45 min

Getting around

The city's focal point is Erqi (February 7) Square (二七广场). This large public square comes alive at night, when an entire market fills the space with vendors and locals hanging out. From the square, several main streets fan out to different areas of the city. Since Zhengzhou was handpicked to serve as a transportation hub - and does not have a very long history as a large city - the urban planning is more noticeable here than in other places of China. This means there is plenty of green space, tree-lined streets and logical arrangement to the city. Zhengzhou is relatively spread out, but most sites are accessible by public bus, which costs ¥1 or ¥2 per ride - depending on whether or not there is air-conditioning, those with A/C being more expensive but usually less crowded. For access to Xinmi City, Xinmi Railway Station offers connections to Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and other cities. The Lianhuo Expressway and the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway provide quick access to downtown Xinmi.

By taxi Taxi fares begin at ¥8 in the day, and ¥10 late at night (after 22:00), with each kilometer after the second costing ¥1.5. All taxis are metered but sometimes the drivers will try to cheat foreigners. Local taxis and private car owners often ask '走不走'(Pinyin: zōu bǔ zōu, 'Going or not?') to solicit passengers.

By metro The Metro system has seven lines in operation:

Line 1 runs east-west that connects Zhengzhou Station, Zhengzhou East Station and a few other points of interest. Line 2 is a north-south route, and runs to Nansihuan (with through services to Zhengzhou International Airport on the Chengjiao line). You can transfer to Line 1 at Zijingshan (紫荊山) station. Line 3 is an L-shaped line connecting the northwest with the southeast. It runs south from the Henan Sports Center in the southern part of Huiji District and then turns east after reaching Erqi Square before eventually reaching Henan Orthopaedics Hospital in Guancheng District. Line 4 is another L-shaped line run

See

Historical sites 1 Shang Dynasty Wall Ruins (商城遗址, 商都遗址公园 Shang Capital Ruins Park), Intersection of Dongda Street and Chengdong Road, Guancheng Hui District (管城回族区东大街与城东路交叉口) (a few hundred metres east of Dongda Street Metro Station on Line 2; Bus # 206 and s162). Normally open 09:00-17:00. Opens at 06:00 during the first 15 days of Chinese New Year. You can see remnants of the wall in the east side of town. Be warned: these mounds are not terribly impressive. Free. 2 Zhengzhou Confucius Temple (郑州文庙), 301 Dongda Street, Guancheng Hui District (管城回族区东大街301号) (near the metro station of the same name on Line 3), ☏ +86 371 66322939. 08:00-17:30. The Zhengzhou Confucius Temple is one of the largest historical building complexes in Zhengzhou. the first temple was built here in the first century AD, but it has been rebuilt several times due to being repeatedly destroyed by wars and fires. The Dacheng Hall, which dates from the Qing Dynasty, is the main building of historical value. The o