Nanyang

Wolonggang, where Zhuge Liang once farmed; the Han Stone Relief Museum's carvings from the Western and Eastern Han; the well-preserved prefectural yamen and Neixiang County yamen; and Xixia's dinosaur eggs, Baotianman's forests and the Danjiangkou water source.

Nanyang, known in ancient times as Wan, lies in southwestern Henan in the Nanyang Basin, where Henan, Hubei and Shaanxi meet. Backed by the Funiu Mountains to the north, guarding the Tongbai Mountains to the east and bordering the Danjiangkou Reservoir to the southwest, it is a National Historic and Cultural City. This is where Zhuge Liang farmed before entering public life, and the hometown of Zhang Zhongjing, the “Sage of Medicine,” and Zhang Heng, the “Sage of Science.” Its remains from the Han era, when it was the “Southern Capital,” and its Han stone reliefs are famous nationwide, and it is also the head of the middle route of the South–North Water Diversion Project.

Key areas: ① Central city — the Wuhou Temple at Wolonggang, the Nanyang Han Stone Relief Museum, the Temple of the Sage of Medicine, the Nanyang Prefectural Yamen, the Prefectural Confucian Temple and the new Nanyang Museum can all be linked in one day; north of the city are Zhang Heng's Tomb and Mount Du (source of Dushan jade), and the Chinese Rose Expo Garden on the Bai River is in full bloom each Apr–May. ② West route — the Neixiang County Yamen is the most completely preserved county-level government office from imperial China; heading north into the mountains is Baotianman National Nature Reserve, and farther west is the Xixia Dinosaur Site Park, while Shifosi in Zhenping is China's largest jade-carving trading hub. ③ Xichuan in the southwest — the Danjiang Grand View Garden, Zuochan Valley, Xiangyan Temple and the Taocha canal head on the Danjiangkou Reservoir (Danjiang Lake) need a separate day. ④ East route — Shedian Ancient Town and its Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall in Sheqi, the Sizhou Temple Pagoda in Tanghe, and Qifeng Mountain in Fangcheng; farther east, Tongbai County is the source of the Huai River. Huazhou Academy in Dengzhou is where Fan Zhongyan wrote his “Memorial to Yueyang Tower.”

The climate is monsoonal, transitional between northern subtropical and warm temperate; Apr–May and Sep–Nov are best, summers are hot and rainy, and winters are on the cold side. Nanyang East Station is on the Zhengzhou–Chongqing high-speed line, connecting Zhengzhou, Xiangyang and Chongqing, and Jiangying Airport has domestic flights. Sights are spread out, so self-driving or hiring a car is recommended outside the city. Allow 3–4 days: one in the city, 1–2 for Neixiang–Baotianman–Xixia, and one for Xichuan or Sheqi. Local specialties include Nanyang braised noodles (huimian), Fangcheng huimian, Zhenping braised pig's head and Sheqi liquor.

Top sights

Where to eat