Must-Visit Ancient Town Near Luoyang: Only 1 Hour Drive, Free Admission, Affordable Accommodation and Food

Recently, the first batch of "Beautiful Towns" in Henan Province was announced. Among them, three towns in Luoyang made the list: Luanchuan's Shimiao Town, Xin'an's Shijing Town, and Yiyang's Lianzhuang Town. Let's get to know Lianzhuang Town today~

Things or people named after lotus always give a fresh and refined beauty. Lianzhuang Town is exactly like that. It is located 19 kilometers west of Yiyang County seat. The area boasts abundant resources, convenient transportation, a long history, and profound cultural heritage. In addition, Provincial Roads Nanche Line and Anhu Line cross through the town, providing convenient transportation and obvious geographical advantages. Walking into Lianzhuang Village, you will see rows of distinctive Ming and Qing style village buildings coming into view.

The antique cultural walls and poetry and painting elements everywhere adorn the village with great elegance. Lianzhuang Village is named after Lotus Mountain (Lianhua Mountain) to its south, and is the hometown of Wang Bangrui, Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty. According to historical records, during his tenure as Grand Coordinator of Ningxia, Wang Bangrui suppressed bandit rebellions, dredged the Jiugou moats, and served as an official for 40 years, renowned for his integrity and frugality.

Within less than ten minutes from Lianzhuang Village, you arrive at Yangma Village. Yangma Village was once a base for Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period for land reclamation, raising warhorses, and producing military supplies. According to legend, because Yangma Village was near the Luo River, had fertile land, and was close to the capital Luoyang, Cao Cao designated it as an important base for stationing troops and raising horses. Around the horse farm, there were place names like Grassland and Drum Platform. Over time, people called this place Yangma Village (Horse-Raising Village).

On both sides of the main road in Yangma Village are vendors' stalls, with a dazzling array of various snacks and agricultural products, very eye-catching. Walk to the end of this road, then go down twenty or thirty steps to the south, and you will see the horse racing track in the village. The track is entirely dirt, suitable for riding horses to run. Next to it, there is a large drum for cheering on the horse racers.

On the high ground east of the track is a row of newly built thatched pavilions, with wooden pillars and thatched roofs, giving a strong ancient horse-racing atmosphere. Inside the pavilions are two rows of long wooden benches for spectators to sit and watch. Of course, visitors can also choose to ride horses. There are four horses on the track for trial rides. Several grooms in red clothes attentively serve visitors. For those who dare not ride alone, a groom will lead the horse around the track for a lap.

Now, after recent years of construction, the village not only has a horse racing track and a children's playground, but also many internet-famous amusement projects. For example, the high ground south of the track is an archery experience area for visitors. For ten yuan, you can shoot twenty arrows. It is very suitable for parent-child and family self-driving rural leisure tourism. Currently, the town is also building a colorful flower sea. Interested friends can go and take a look.

Route: Self-driving from Luoyang: High-tech Zone Heluo Road — S318 — Qingpi Avenue — Binhe South Road — Longquan Bridge — Anhu Line

Recommended attractions: Shangshuli, Binhe South Road, Yangma Village, Chenzhai Village