Xinzheng 新郑市

History

People had settled here by the time of the Peiligang culture (裴李岗文化), about 8,000 years ago. Local tradition makes Xinzheng the realm of Youxiong (有熊国) and the birthplace and capital of the Yellow Emperor (黄帝). In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods the states of Zheng and Han (韩国) ruled from here in turn for 539 years, which is why the town is also called the Zheng-Han Ancient City (郑韩故城). Xinzheng County became a county-level city in May 1994.

Setting and landscape

The land is higher in the west than in the east. Hills in the west and southwest form the eastern edge of the Songshan range (嵩山); the highest is Mount Juci (具茨山), whose main peak, Fenghou (风后顶), reaches 793 metres, while the other summits stay below 400 metres. Xinzheng lies in the Huai River (淮河) basin. Its largest river is the Shuangji (双洎河), called the Wei (洧水) before the Qing dynasty; the second is the Huangshui (黄水河), the ancient Zhen (溱水).

What to see

The walls of the Zheng-Han Ancient City enclose an irregular triangle around the city centre where the Shuangji and Huangshui meet. They run for 20 kilometres and are 15 to 18 metres high, and the site was on the first list of national key protected sites in 1961.

The Hometown of the Yellow Emperor (黄帝故里), a national 4A scenic area on Xuanyuan Road (轩辕路), grew from a Han-dynasty shrine; a stele naming it Xuanyuan's hometown was set up in front of it in 1715, and it is the venue of the ceremony honouring the Yellow Emperor. Xinzheng Museum (新郑博物馆), 300 metres to the west, shows bronzes, moulds and weapons from the Zheng-Han capital and Peiligang grinding stones.

Outside the city, the Tomb of Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修墓), the Northern Song writer, lies 13 kilometres west at Ouyangsi village in Xindian (辛店镇) and became a national key protected site in 2006. Mount Juci, 15 kilometres southwest, is also called Mount Shizu (始祖山). The Peiligang Site (裴李岗遗址) in Xincun (新村镇) was listed nationally in 2001.

Food and local products

Xinzheng is known across China for jujubes (Chinese red dates), and jujube liquor is among the products made from them.

Getting oriented

Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (郑州新郑国际机场) lies within the city. The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway stops at Xinzheng Station (新郑站), the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed line runs through, and the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway crosses the city from north to south.

Highlights

• Zheng-Han Ancient City 郑韩故城: Capital of the states of Zheng and Han; 20 km of walls, a national key protected site since 1961.
• Hometown of the Yellow Emperor 黄帝故里: National 4A scenic area on Xuanyuan Road, first built as a Han-dynasty shrine; venue of the Yellow Emperor ceremony.
• Tomb of Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修墓: Cemetery of the Northern Song writer and his descendants, 13 km west of the city; national key protected site since 2006.
• Peiligang Site 裴李岗遗址: Early Neolithic site about 8,000 years old in Xincun; national key protected site since 2001.