Exploring Ancient Central Plains: A Record of My Second Trip to the Central Plains
From mid-October to the end of November, I had a lot of work. After finishing it, I could finally go out. The long-awaited second trip to the Central Plains finally happened. Although it was delayed until winter and the weather had turned cold, I was still excited thinking about the cultural relics, historical sites, and museums I was about to see. Last year, when I went to Jinan, Qufu, Shijiazhuang, Shenyang, and Harbin, it was also very cold, but I didn't mind. Especially in Jinan, it felt quite moist, and the low temperature didn't feel too cold. So I thought Henan would be fine this time. Moreover, it's the off-season, so there are fewer people and prices are lower. In June 2019, my first trip to the Central Plains was limited by time. I only visited the Henan Museum, Kaifeng's Kaifeng Prefecture, and the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden. At that time, the main exhibition hall of the Henan Museum was under renovation, so the "Elephant Central Plains" exhibition displayed only a few artifacts, and many masterpieces were not shown. Now the main hall has reopened, and I was really looking forward to it.
After returning at the end of November, I kept working overtime and had no time to write the travel notes. It's been delayed until now, and there's still a lot of work. I can only record it briefly to keep a memory for myself.
DAY0: Kunming – Zhengzhou (Evening of November 25, 2020)
DAY1: Zhengzhou – Anyang – Yinxu Museum – National Museum of Chinese Writing – Youli City – Luoyang
DAY2: Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum – White Horse Temple – Luoyang Museum – Lijing Gate – Luoyang Old Street – Zhengzhou
DAY3: Shaolin Temple – Longmen Grottoes
DAY4: Henan Museum – Kunming
DAY0: Kunming – Zhengzhou (Evening of November 25, 2020)
To save an extra day, I followed my usual routine and left the night before. I arrived in Zhengzhou late at night, took a taxi to the Dukang Hotel, and booked the high-speed train tickets to Anyang for the next day in advance. The hotel was nice, with a subway station diagonally opposite, making it easy to leave early for Zhengzhou East Station to catch the morning train. Since I was short on time, I didn't even get a proper dinner and just ordered takeout.
DAY1: Zhengzhou – Anyang – Yinxu Museum – National Museum of Chinese Writing – Youli City – Luoyang
Three spots in Anyang: Yinxu Museum, National Museum of Chinese Writing, and Youli City. I had also planned to visit Yuan Shikai's Tomb (Yuanlin), but I calculated that there wouldn't be enough time. I had also read that Yuanlin was under renovation and only a small part was open. After getting off at Anyang Station, I quickly took a taxi to the first stop, Yinxu Museum. As planned, I needed to rely on taxis throughout Anyang; otherwise, I wouldn't have enough time to cover the spots.
【Yinxu Museum】
Yinxu Museum was a place I had long looked forward to because I could explore the history of the Shang Dynasty. I had seen online that there were almost no visitors, and indeed it was true. It was hard to find someone to take a photo for me. Due to time constraints, I skipped the Royal Tombs area. At the entrance, I saw a notice saying that the shuttle from the Palace and Temple Ruins to the Royal Tombs runs once an hour with a ticket.
My visiting route: Yinxu Museum – Oracle Bone Inscription Stele Forest – Chariot and Horse Pits – Northern Group of Temple Ruins – Oracle Bone Storage Pit – Stele Forest Corridor – Archaeological Excavation Site (though prohibited, as a passionate history enthusiast, I still wanted to go in; I entered and no one stopped me, but I didn't do anything inappropriate) – Echoes of Shang History – Fuhao's Tomb – Oracle Bone Discovery Site Stele.
At noon, I took a taxi to the famous Shengdeli restaurant. The driver was talkative. After chatting, I got his phone number and decided to hire him for the trip from the National Museum of Chinese Writing to Youli City and then to the high-speed rail station. He gave me a discount. Based on other people's guides and the menu, I ordered lamb meatballs, Daokou Braised Chicken, and noodles. Since I hadn't had breakfast, I ordered a lot. I tried to finish everything, but I was very full. The taste wasn't as good as I expected, but the service was nice. While eating, I tried to recharge my phone, but I found that my power bank was dead. I had to leave my phone at the restaurant's front desk to charge. When I left, it had 60% battery. I was worried because I still had two places to photograph, needed to take taxis, and use navigation, so I had to conserve battery.
【National Museum of Chinese Writing】
After lunch, I took a taxi to the second stop: the National Museum of Chinese Writing. I had made a reservation in advance as required and entered by scanning my ID card. There were very few visitors. The entire museum narrated the history of Chinese writing and introduced various scripts. I planned to spend two hours there. To save battery, I barely took photos. It had been freezing cold outside at Yinxu, but inside the museum, the heating made it feel hot.
After leaving the museum, I contacted the previous driver and headed straight to Youli City. On the way, I charged my phone using the driver's car charger.
Youli City is where King Wen was imprisoned and composed the Book of Changes (I Ching), hence the famous saying, "King Wen, after being imprisoned, deduced the hexagrams of the I Ching." Visitors were still scarce. I saw the tomb of Bo Yikao and walked through the Bagua Maze. After an hour of visiting, I quickly left because I had to catch the evening high-speed train to Luoyang.
There were many other historical sites in Anyang I had to skip due to time constraints, such as Yuanlin, Wenfeng Pagoda, and the Tangyin Yue Temple, which is very close to Youli City. They will have to wait for next time.
I stayed at the Z-Hotel in Luoyang. I chose this hotel because it was convenient to take a bus to the Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum the next day. After checking in, I had some work to do but didn't bring my laptop. I asked the front desk if I could pay to use a computer, but was refused. I decided to find an internet café. When I was about to leave, I saw someone in the hotel lobby fiddling with a laptop. I was delighted! After explaining my situation, that staff member lent me the computer. My impression of Henan people improved once again. After finishing the work, it was too cold and late to go out for a meal, so I ordered takeout: "Paobeng Chicken" (explosion-fried chicken), which tasted okay.
DAY2: Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum – White Horse Temple – Luoyang Museum – Lijing Gate – Luoyang Old Street – Zhengzhou
【Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum】
The next day, after an early breakfast, I rushed to catch the bus to the Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum. Bus 910 runs every 40 minutes. I figured there should be one around 8:00 am, and I didn't wait long. I arrived just after 9:00 am, right when the museum opened. After exiting, I saw a sign leading to the Archaeological Site Park. I asked the security guard at the gate and learned that it was a 2-kilometer walk to the site. I walked for a bit and then gave up. Later, the guard told me that an electric cart was available from the visitor center, but it only departs when there are at least 5 people. I waited a while, then gave up and took a taxi directly to the White Horse Temple.
【White Horse Temple】
The taxi fare was just over 20 yuan, quite convenient. Since it was the off-season, there weren't many tourists. The White Horse Temple is a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple; it's a must-visit.
【Luoyang Museum】
I had planned to visit Luoyang on a Friday because the Luoyang Museum is open until 8:00 pm. After leaving the White Horse Temple, I decided to take the bus to save money. But while I was happily exploring, my phone battery was about to die. I went to the service desk to ask where I could charge it. The staff member told me, "The museum will close soon, and shared power banks won't charge for long." I said, "Isn't it open until 8:00 today?" The staff replied that a notice had been posted yesterday that, due to the cold weather, starting this Friday, it would only be open until 5:00 pm. I was speechless. I quickly hurried to see the remaining exhibits.
After leaving at 5:00 pm, it was almost dark. I hesitated about whether to go for the Water Banquet (Shuixi). Fearing that the famous Guanji Water Banquet might have a long wait, I took a taxi to the Luoyang Water Banquet Garden flagship restaurant. But I saw it seemed to be hosting a banquet, so I didn't go in. Instead, I found a random nearby restaurant to eat, primarily to charge my phone.
【Lijing Gate】After dinner, since there was still time before the high-speed train departure, I took a taxi to Lijing Gate and Luoyang Old Street for a stroll. Before entering, I saw a shared power bank station, scanned one, and started charging my phone. Despite the cold weather, there were still quite a few people. I walked around for less than an hour, and my phone was charged. Then I took a taxi to Luoyang Longmen Station. The train at 21:31 was delayed, and I didn't arrive in Zhengzhou until after midnight. After taking a taxi to the hotel, it was past 12:00 am.
Due to the tight schedule, there were many historical sites in Luoyang that I didn't have time to visit. They'll have to wait for next time.
DAY3: Shaolin Temple – Longmen Grottoes
Today, I joined a day tour to Shaolin Temple and Longmen Grottoes. Shaolin—I've seen it in many martial arts movies since childhood, so I had to see it. The weather was very cold. I was glad I hadn't planned to also visit Sanhuangzhai. After watching the martial arts performance, a light snow began to fall. Mount Song was shrouded in fog. For lunch, the tour guide recommended the Water Banquet. Those who signed up in our group just made a full table. I realized that Henan cuisine is mostly soups and broths, and earlier I had noticed that some seemingly mild dishes had a slight spicy kick—it was actually pepper. I guess I really can't handle spicy food.
【Longmen Grottoes】
After getting off the tour bus at the visitor center, we had to take an electric shuttle. The shuttle surprisingly drove on the road, and the distance was not short. After getting off, we walked along the river to admire the statues. After finishing, we exited through a bridge, took another shuttle back to the visitor center. The Longmen Grottoes are a treasure of human culture and art. But due to their age and human factors, many statues are not well preserved.
When I arrived in Zhengzhou, I got off near Erqi Square. I checked the map and found that the Heji Stewed Noodles (合记烩面) recommended by the guide was not far. I walked there and also ordered spicy beef. It tasted great.
DAY4: Henan Museum – Kunming
【Henan Museum】
When I visited in June 2019, the main exhibition hall was under renovation, so only the "Elephant Central Plains" exhibition was open, and many masterpieces were not displayed. Now the main hall was in trial operation, so I had to go again. I overslept and arrived almost at 10:00 am. I quickly started the visit. Despite the cold weather and it being Sunday, there were plenty of people. After entering the main gate, on the right side, there were three rows of lockers. I finally found a locker in the last row to store my bag. The Henan Museum is truly one of the best in China. The artifacts are extremely significant. I saw all nine of its treasures, and I was thrilled.
My flight was at 5:00 pm. I left the museum at 2:30 pm, hurriedly took a bus, then transferred to the subway, and dashed to the airport. Fortunately, the transportation was efficient, and I didn't miss my flight.
The second trip to the Central Plains was successfully completed, and my travel plan for 2020 was also fully accomplished.
