Sanmenxia

The "City of Swans": thousands of whooper swans winter on the Yellow River wetlands, plus Shanzhou's sunken courtyard homes ("underground siheyuan") and Hangu Pass, where Laozi is said to have written his classic.

Sanmenxia lies in western Henan on the south bank of the Yellow River, where Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi meet. Its name ("Three Gate Gorge") comes from the legend that Yu the Great, taming the floods, cut three channels through the gorge: the Gate of Man, the Gate of Gods and the Gate of Ghosts. The city administers Hubin and Shanzhou districts as well as Lingbao, Mianchi and Lushi. It is the type site of the Yangshao culture, the former land of the State of Guo and home to the ancient Xiaohan Road, and in recent years it has become famous as the "City of Swans". Best time to visit: from November to March whooper swans winter on Swan Lake, the most distinctive season of the year; spring and autumn suit Hangu Pass, the sunken courtyard homes and the ancient road; in June–July the Yellow River's water and sediment regulation lets you watch the dam release floodwater, and summer is also good for rafting in the Western Henan Grand Canyon in Lushi to escape the heat. Where to go: in the city, Swan Lake, Shanzhou Park, the Guo State Museum and the Miaodigou Museum can be linked on foot or by short taxi rides; Shanzhou District has the sunken courtyard homes, the dam and the Shihao section of the Xiaohan Road; Hangu Pass is to the west in Lingbao, and Yangshao Village is to the east in Mianchi. Getting there: Sanmenxia South Station on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway is about 1–1.5 hours from both Zhengzhou and Xi'an, while the conventional Sanmenxia Station is in the city center; for out-of-town sights such as Hangu Pass, Yangshao Village and the dam, driving or hiring a car is recommended. Allow 2–3 days: one day for Swan Lake and the museums in the city, one day for the sunken courtyard homes and the dam, and one day for Hangu Pass or Yangshao Village. It gets very windy by the river in winter; bring a telephoto lens for birdwatching and keep your distance.

Top sights

• Swan Lake National Urban Wetland Park – The signature attraction of “the City of Swans.” Every winter, tens of thousands of whooper swans fly in from Siberia to bathe and feed in…
• Shanzhou Pit Courtyards – Underground courtyard houses where “you see no houses when you enter the village, and no people when you hear voices.” Visitors can descend…
• Hangu Pass – The ancient road of the Qin Pass, where “one man at the pass can hold off ten thousand.” Legend says Laozi wrote the Dao De Jing here, maki…
• Sanmenxia Yellow River Park – An urban riverside park along the south bank of the Yellow River, with walkways and views across to the far shore. In winter, it is also a…
• Guo State Museum – A heritage museum built on the Guo State cemetery at Shangcunling. The Western Zhou chariot-and-horse pits and the jade-hilted iron sword a…
• Shanzhou Park & Baolun Temple Pagoda – A park on the ruins of the ancient city of Shanzhou, home to the Jin-dynasty Baolun Temple Pagoda, famous for an echo that sounds like frog…
• Miaodigou Site Museum – The type site of the Miaodigou type of the Yangshao culture. Its petal-patterned painted pottery offers a glimpse of life in the Central Pl…
• Sanmenxia Dam & Zhongliu Dizhu – The first large-scale water control project built on the main stream of the Yellow River in New China. Below the dam, the 'Zhongliu Dizhu'…
• Shihao Section of Xiaohan Ancient Route – A component of the Silk Roads World Heritage. Deep wheel ruts in the limestone road surface bear witness to the traffic between the Han and…
• Yangshao Village Site & Museum – The site where Swedish scholar Johan Gunnar Andersson excavated in 1921 and first named the Yangshao culture. It is regarded as the birthpl…
• Yuxi Grand Canyon – A valley scenic area in Lushi County with a series of waterfalls and pools. Gorge rafting and glass walkways are the main summer attraction…
• Kongxiang Temple – Said to be where Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism, was buried after his death. The temple houses a Bodhidharma Pagoda and…
• Yawu Mountain – A Taoist mountain in the Xiao Qinling range, where Emperor Zhenwu is said to have cultivated. Steep peaks, ancient summit temples and prime…
• Ganshan National Forest Park – A forest park in the Xiao Mountains about 30 km from Sanmenxia's city center. It is cool in summer and covered in red foliage in autumn, ma…

Itineraries

• Sanmenxia Yellow River Swans & Pit Courtyards Tour – Visit western Henan in winter to see swans in the Yellow River wetlands, stay near the underground pit courtyards, and…