'''Zhengzhou''' (?_B) is a city on the south bank of Yellow River (Huang He) in China. It is the capital of Henan Province.
Understand
The name Zhengzhou comes from a city in the Sui Dyansty, but its actual location was in modern day Chenggao. During the Tang Dyansty, the name switched here. The area remained an unimportant backwater until it was selected for development by the Chinese Government after 1949. Strategically located in the center of the country, Zhengzhou is now a major transportation hub and rapidly growing city. To travelers, Zhengzhou is a convenient start point to explore a series of Chinese cultural sites, like Kaifeng, Luoyang, Shaolin temple.
Get in
Zhengzhou is China's biggest train hub; you can get here from nearly every major metropolitian area in China. There are several arrivals each day from Beijing (about 11 hours), Guangzhou (about 18 hours), Xi'an (about 5 hours) and Shanghai (about 14 hours). Trains arrive from other places less often. The Hanoi to Beijing train also stops here.
Across from the train station, you will find a long-distance bus station. Buses leave regularly to almost anywhere you would want to go in Henan province. Buses may be less comfortable than the trains, but are cheaper and you don't have to push and shove your way in and out of the train. You're guaranteed a seat but sometimes buses wait to fill up, rather than leaving at a set time, and be aware that long-distance buses may be sleepers rather than seated if the trip is very long.
The airport is about 30 km outside of town. A public bus runs from the airport to the Aviation Hotel on Jin Shui Road. It costs \25.
Get around
The city's focal point is Erqi (February 7) Square (______?). This large public square comes alive at night, when an entire market fills the space with vendors and locals hanging out. From the square, several main streets fan out to different areas of the city.
Since Zhengzhou was handpicked to serve as a transportation hub - and does not have a very long history as a large city - the urban planning is more noticeable here than in other places of China. This means there is plenty of green space, tree-lined streets and logical arrangment to the city.
Zhengzhou is relatively spread out, but most sites are accessible by public bus, which costs \1 or \2 per ride - depending on whether or not there is air-conditioning, those with A/C being more expensive but usually less crowded.
Taxi fares begin at \6 in the day, \7 in the evening, and \8 late at night, with each kilometer after the second costing \1.5. All taxis are metered, and the drivers rarely, if ever, try to cheat foreigners.
See
The '''Erqi (February 7) Memorial Tower''' is a museum inside a rather garish double pagoda that looms over February 7 Square. Inside there are exhibits explaining the city's development.
Worth a visit is the monolithic pyramid-shaped Henan Provincial Museum on Nongye Road (??_H) in the north part of the city. Learn about ancient civilizations in the area (most of which were not based in Zhengzhou, but nearby cities such as Kaifeng and Luoyang), and even see a dinosaur bone or two in the area. While you're out there, pop into the Henan Museum of Science & Technology that's a fascinating insight into Chinese children's education. Play on crumbling science exhibits, gawk at the garish space tributes and meet local families, all for \5.
You can see remants of a Shang Dynasty Wall in the east side of town. Be warned: these mounds aren't terribly impressive.
'''Zhengzhou Zoo''' The Zhengzhou zoo is more depressing than it is impressive in any way. Some of their imported animals include turkeys and coyotes which might be interesting for a local but hardly for a foreigner. If you generally enjoy zoos, you may very well walk away sad at how the animals are cared for, or not in this case.
'''City parks''', especially Renmin Park (_l____?) on Erqi Road. Renmin Park has a theme park inside with a quaint Ferris Wheel that is worth riding, if only to forget, for a moment, that you are in Zhengzhou.
Do
Museum Area. One thing worth knowing about is that the museum area is also the area of the 2 branches of government - federal and communist - so the area is much nicer. We are talking trees and some flowers along with a more neighborhood feel that might remind you of Shanghai. Don't expect wild nightclubs, but it is a more pleasant place to be if you are looking for a walk. Er qi lou is fine, but a bit dirty, so see this other side of Zhengzhou if you get a chance. Also, some nice places to eat are in this area.
Henan Provincial Museum. REE. The Henan Provincial Museum is one of the three key museums in China along with one in Beijing. If you are into modern art, this is not the place for you. It is free, which is nice, and generally has acceptable squat toilets which are also free on the first floor. There is an English audio tour you can rent, and there are cheapish lockers to store your stuff. Come to see old pottery from the Song dynasty, old bells, bronzes, things like that, but anything more recent does not have English captions. Across the street is a coffee house that makes ok tea and coffee for about 30 RMB - reasonable, and comfortable chairs.
There's not a lot to do in Zhengzhou. A possible evening in Zhengzhou might involve eating at a Sichuan restaurant, getting yourself a bottle of whisky, getting crazy, and finishing off the evening at a 24-hour hot pot restaurant.
Another park worth going to is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_zhou_century_amusement_park/ century park] called shir chi quan le yuan in chinese.Its quite a huge amusement park n is 20-30 mins away from the er qi square.
Buy
Large department stores and international brands tend to be concentrated around Erqi (February 7) Square. The two major department stores are Kingbird (______) and Beijing Hualien (_k__??), which are next to each other. Both stores have supermarkets in their basements.
Some of the most interesting gifts can be purchased at the city's antique market. Most of the shop owners will have a calculator handy so you can bargain by typing in prices. Consider that you got a good deal if you pay half of what they originally quoted. The people are friendly but many of the shops sell fake antiques made to look old. Nevertheless there are interesting items that will decorate your walls or look great on a stand back at home. You can even impress your friends by telling them you bought them an antique from China.
Some of the small shops sell real antiquities. You'll know when you're buying one because the prices will rise dramatically from about \100 or less for fake goods to well over \5,000 for the real deal.
If you are a collector, China will not let foreigners take antiques out of the country that are over 200 years old or possibly even more recent items depending on their cultural value.
Make sure you know where your wallet is at all times. There are some unsavory characters in the markets. This is, in fact, true of Zhengzhou in general, which has a reputation for pickpockets. Buses are especially risky. Keep your wallet in your front pocket.
Eat
Chinese
Zhengzhou has a diverse array of fine Chinese cuisine. Its location at China's center means you can find almost any type of Chinese food here. The city's big enough to have a scattering of cosmopolitian restaurants, and while there are a number of fake Korean, Japanese, and Western options about, you will do best to stick with Chinese food.
Some of the finest restaurants are located on Jingsan Road (?_O_H). To find these restaurants, ask a taxi driver to take you to a restaurant called Xiaonanguo (______), located at ?_O_H_k16__, and just look around. You'll find a number of options about. Xiaonanguo itself is an excellent restaurant featuring regional dishes from all over China.
The night market in Erqi (Feburary 7) Square is a good place for a snack and scenery. There's the usual assortment of dumpling shops and noodle joints on every street and back alley. There's a good number of Sichuan restaurants, which make sense considering the proximity to the Province of Spice. '''Noodles''', especially the mutton noodle (Simplified Chinese:_r__?__ Pinyin: yangrouhuimian) and beef noodle (Simplified Chinese:_____f__ Pinyin: niuroulamian) are must-eat in Zhengzhou.There are three good yangrouhuimian restouants ,named "xiao ji ??"_C_ghe ji __?_h_C_gju feng yuan__??_h,there are many locations,ask a taxi driver to take you the nearest one,you will tast the best delicilous huimian in zhengzhou.
You should not miss a special breakfast in zhengzhou,that's hulatang in chinese,it's a special soup,tasted a littel spicy,you'd better go to shuhelu,that lulatang is best.
Other Asian
There is a Korean-style eating and drinking establishment called Tu Da Li near the corner of Wenhua Road and Huanghe Road. If you have an affinity for soju, this is the place for you.
Muslim halal Food is available all through out zhengzhou,with the banner on the entrance board saying Mata'am al muslimeen(Food of the muslims) in Arabic. The food tastes delicious.Once u go eat at these restaurants u just feel like coming back again especially those yangrou chuars(lamb kababs) taste yummy. The Muslim restaurant that's located in er qi square is nearby the mosque near Beijing Hualian Mall.
Western
A good place for Western cuisine is Crowne Plaza, which has an Italian restaurant and a Western-style pub. It offers a buffet during dinner including Brazillian Rodizio and a desert bar. There is also a smattering of pizza and pasta joints called Cappucino around the city.
New Island Coffee serves a plethora of dishes including Waffles and fajita style meat plate alongside a smattering of coffee and deserts and has several locations throughout Zhengzhou.
Cibo coffee is among the best Western restaurants in the city. It is located on Jin San Lu. You can order Chinese food by the plate or commonly high quality Western food in set meals of many courses. Each plate is a small portion but overall the set meals are a great deal, for 75-200 RMB you get many plates of very good food.
Drink
There are bars around the city, but the best area for drinking is around the tree-lined Wei Yi Lu. Target Pub is an ex-pat favorite, located on the southernmost block of Jing Liu Lu (?_Z_H) near the corner of Wei Yi Lu (?___H). Lao Wang, who speaks great English, is the proprietor of this laid-back reggae-style pub.
If you're interested in getting connected with foreigners living in Zhengzhou, try to find Hank. Hank is a Zhengzhou native who speaks excellent English, knows every episode of South Park by heart, and is the portal to all things remotely interesting going on in the city.
For an unusual drinking experience, consider the Western Pub, located in a bunker-like concrete building to the right of the Henan Provincial Museum on Nongye Road. This place features a cabaret-style show with a mix of song, dance, and jokes. Unless you understand Chinese, it will be mostly incomprehensible, yet the experience will give you insight into Chinese drinking culture. The place is noisy, smoky, crowded, and occasionally bizarre. You can order half-a-dozen or so bottles of beer by the bucket. Try to get there early, around 7 PM, as the show ends around 10 or 11 PM. This building also houses one of Zhengzhou's movie theaters.
Sleep
Zhengzhou isn't a major backpacker stop, so there are few cheap lodgings in the city. That said, there are some hotels that offer real value for money if you are more than two people.
As with most Chinese cities there are several a bit run down hotels to be found near train station. These might be your cheapest options. Most likely English is not spoken but you can get a room for as less as 50 RMB or even cheaper if there are two people splitting a bill for a double room. Bargain especially if you're staying more than one night.
Your best bet is the relatively new Home Inn [http://www.homeinns.com] chain. There are several locations around town. The most centrally located one is on Jiefang Road (_____H), a short walk from Erqi Square. Another good location is on Zhengyi Jie (_____X) near Jinshui Road (_____H). The rooms are super-clean with tile and laminate floors and a fresh coat of paint. Complimentary high-speed Internet hookups are installed in all the rooms, a standard going for around \180. They have a breakfast buffet for \10.
There is another chain of business hotels, called Home Hotel, that are scattered about the city. Their rooms are clean and have a style that invokes a SoHo loft more than a Chinese hotel
Jinjiang Inns's double room,one bed is normal,another bed is larger,so it's better for a family who take a kid.It's in No.92 hongqilu,another it's in No.46 middle hanghailu.__138-159/day/room
Guangzhou Hotel, located on Erqi Road near the corner of Jinshui Road, caters toward business travelers, but still is very reasonable. Doubles start at around \240 with a discount. Just ask at the front desk.
Erqi Hotel has a central location, right in the main square. This might be a little loud at night, and you have to pay for the space. Full service rooms are about \250, but there are budget ones available with shared bathroom for \150. This can be hard to get, however.
Londoo Hotel, located on Erqi Street close to Erqi Square, is a massive Chinese-style business hotel with well-worn carpets and paper-thin walls, but otherwise functional, "clean" (for Zhengzhou) rooms. A discounted standard room goes for \190.
Get out
Henan awaits:
Go to the Shaolin Temple. One of China's most famous attractions, the temple is about two hours from Zhengzhou. It's an easy day trip. Bus leave opposite the train station every 20-30 minutes all morning. Be warned: many of the bus tickets are actually tours, that may spend most of the day at auxilary sites or eating lunch instead of the Shaolin complex. These tours do not include entrance fees. Try to make sure you're going on a direct bus, or hire a van, if you want to see it on your own.
Kaifeng is a laid-back town about 90 minutes to the east of Zhengzhou. Enjoy ancient temples and an escape from Chinese skyscrapers. Kaifeng was the capital of several dyansties before it slid into irrelavence the last 200 years.
Another great city nearby by is Luoyang, home to the Longmen Grottoes. The city itself is worth a look, with an interesting old section and easy walking downtown. It's about three hours by bus, which leave Zhengzhou every hour or so. An express - the "elephant bus" or kuai che - costs \40.