I’m going to Henan during the Spring Festival. Do you have any recommended attractions?

Henan is the root of Central Plains culture and one of my favorite cities. I travel to Henan every year to relax and unwind. When traveling to Henan during the Spring Festival, I highly recommend the treasure attraction: Shaolin Temple. Because during the Spring Festival, you can go to the Songshan Shaolin Temple to pray and experience the most traditional Spring Festival flavor. There, there is still the strongest flavor of the New Year. Let’s talk about some related strategy experiences.

Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple was built in the 19th year of Taihe (495) in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was built by Emperor Xiaowen to house the Indian eminent monk he admired, the Venerable Bhattacharya, near the capital Luoyang. It was built by imperial decree at the northern foot of Shaoshi Mountain in Wangshan Mountain. The permanent residence of Shaolin Temple covers an area of ??about 57,600 square meters. The current abbot is Shaman Shi Yongxin, the 47th and 33rd generation heir of Caodong Zongzong. Shaolin Temple is a world-famous Buddhist temple and the ancestral temple of Zen Buddhism in Chinese Buddhism. It occupies an important position in the history of Chinese Buddhism and is known as "the most famous temple in the world". Shaolin Kungfu is famous all over the world because of the continuous development and research of Shaolin Kungfu by successive generations of Shaolin monks. It is known as "the Kungfu in the world comes from Shaolin, and Shaolin Kungfu is the best in the world". Ticket: 80 yuan Opening hours: 08:00-16:30 (all day); last admission time: 16:00 Address: Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area, Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province Best viewing time: suitable for all seasons, Best in spring and autumn

Transportation guide:

External transportation:

1. Take the bus from Zhengzhou Long-distance Bus Station to Dengfeng, get off and stay where you are Transfer to CMB and you'll be there in less than half an hour. There is also a direct tourist bus in front of the train station.

2. Take a bus from Luoyang Long-distance Bus Station to Dengfeng, and it will take about 90 minutes to reach the Shaolin Temple crossing.

3. Xuchang City on the Beijing-Guangzhou Line and Ruzhou City on the Zhiliu Line can both be reached within 2 hours.

Inner city transportation: You can get there by taking buses 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8.

Self-driving: Xuchang City on the Beijing-Guangzhou Line and Ruzhou City on the Zhiliu Line can both be reached within 2 hours.

Recommended tour route:

Essential Tour Route 1: Shaolin Temple → Bodhidharma Cave → First Ancestor Temple → Second Ancestor Temple → Sanhuangzhai

Essential Tour Route Two: Shaolin Temple → Songshan Academy → Taishi Mountain → Laomu Cave → Junji Peak → Luya Waterfall → Zhongyue Temple

Essential tour route three: Shaoshi Mountain → Sanhuangzhai → Shaolin Temple

Main attractions:

Songshan Shaolin Temple was very large in its heyday. Unfortunately, in 1928, the warlord Shi Yousan burned down the Shaolin Temple, destroying all the major buildings such as the Tianwang Hall and the Main Hall. Only the mountain gate, Lixue Pavilion, Thousand Buddha Hall, etc. are left. The main buildings seen now were rebuilt later. The scenic area includes Pagoda Forest, Shaoshi Que, First Ancestor Temple, Bodhidharma Cave, Second Ancestor Temple, Yongtai Temple, Liantian Peak, Sanhuangzhai, Mountain Gate, Stele Forest and Stele Corridor, Tianwang Hall, Main Hall, Sutra Pavilion, Abbot’s Room, Shaolin Martial Arts Hall, Thousand Buddha Hall, Lixue Pavilion, etc.

Must-see attractions:

1. Mountain Gate

Shanmen is the gate of Shaolin Temple. It was built in the 13th year of Yongzheng reign of Qing Dynasty (1735) and renovated in 1974. On the forehead are the three characters "Shaolin Temple" written by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. The six-character seal "Treasure of Kangxi's Imperial Pen" is engraved in the upper center of the plaque. There is a pair of stone lions in front of the mountain gate, male and female facing each other, carved in the Qing Dynasty. There are two stone squares symmetrically erected on the east and west sides of the eight-character wall of the mountain gate. The outer banner of the east stone square reads the four characters "Ancestral Origin of Truth" and the inner banner reads "Bhaduo Chuang"; the inner banner of the west stone square reads "Mahayana Resort". , the outer banner reads: "Song Shao Zen Forest". The main entrance of the mountain gate is a three-bay, single-eaves hilltop building. It sits on a two-meter-high brick platform, with hard mountain-style side doors and splayed walls on the left and right.

2. Main Hall

The Main Hall is located behind the Tianwang Hall. The Main Hall is the central place for Buddhist activities in the temple. It is known as the three major Buddhist halls together with the Tianwang Hall and the Sutra Pavilion. The original building was destroyed in the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928) and rebuilt in 1986. There are statues of Sakyamuni, Medicine Buddha and Amitabha in the hall. In the middle of the hall hangs the four characters "Precious Tree Fragrant Lotus" written by Emperor Kangxi personally. There is a statue of Guanyin on the back wall of the screen wall, and there are statues of Eighteen Arhats on both sides. The hall enshrines the statues of Sakyamuni, Amitabha and Medicine Buddha. A statue of Guanyin hangs behind the screen wall, with eighteen Arhats standing on both sides. The temple on the east side of the Main Hall is the Kinnara Hall, which was rebuilt in 1982.

3. Sutra Pavilion

The Sutra Pavilion is located behind the Main Hall. The Sutra Collection Pavilion, also known as the Dharma Hall, was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed in the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928) and rebuilt in 1994. It is a place where monks store scriptures and preach. There are eight million volumes of books in the Sutra Pavilion. This is the place where the monks store the sutras and preach. There is a white marble reclining Buddha statue donated by a Burmese disciple of Shaolin Temple in 1996. There is a large iron pot under the platform of the Sutra Pavilion. It was cast in the Wanli year of the Ming Dynasty. It was a small pot used by the Shaolin Temple monks at that time for cooking. To the southeast of the Sutra Pavilion is the Zen Room, where monks meditate. The West Zen Room opposite is the hall responsible for receiving guests.

4. Bodhidharma Cave There is a natural stone cave on the upper part of the middle peak of Wuru Peak behind Shaolin Temple. It was the place where Patriarch Bodhidharma faced the wall for nine years, and it is called Bodhidharma Cave. Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, meditated on the wall of this cave for nine years from 527 to 536 AD. Bodhidharma Cave faces the southwest. The entrance of the cave is built with an arch made of bluestones. The cave is about seven meters deep and more than three meters high and wide. There are three stone statues on the platform inside the cave. In the middle is a seated statue of Bodhidharma, with his disciples on both sides.

According to records in "Shuo Song" of the Qing Dynasty, there was a small stone pagoda on the upper left side of the cave, but the pagoda has long been destroyed. There are four words "original face" inscribed on the east wall of the cave. On the stone wall on the west side of the cave, there are four characters "Facing the Wall and Cave Sky".

Food Guide:

Boiled Carp Noodles

Baked Carp Noodles is a traditional dish in Kaifeng. It is composed of "Sweet and Sour Fish" and "Baked Noodles" "A combination of two famous dishes. It is characterized by jujube red color, soft and delicious flavor, baked noodles as thin as hair, fluffy and crispy. ?

Milk noodles

Milk noodles are made by fermenting soy milk at an appropriate temperature to become sour, then putting it into a pot and heating it to about 80° until the liquid surface becomes a mushroom-like slurry. While bathing, add a little sesame oil and stir repeatedly. When it boils, add mixed noodles. Stir continuously until it becomes a paste. Then add the prepared salt, chopped green onion, green beans, celery, leeks, and peppers. The slurry noodles are complete. .

Pipa cake

It is a pastry without filling. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong asked the palace chef to make dim sum in the shape of pipa strings. It has the characteristics of milky white and bright color, soft and sweet taste. It makes people have endless aftertaste after eating.

Shaolin Babao Cake

Shaolin Babao Cake is a traditional food of Shaolin monks. It is made of Ganoderma lucidum, Hericium, Tremella, Ginkgo, Fungus, Song mushroom, Shiitake mushroom and Poria. The crispy food has therapeutic effects and can strengthen muscles, activate collaterals, refresh people, and keep fit. It is a traditional food of Shaolin monks and has a history of more than a thousand years.

Tao Si Bao

"Tao Si Bao" is a masterpiece that has been handed down for hundreds of years by the Dongchen family of famous chefs in Kaifeng. It combines the four flavors of duck, chicken, pigeon and quail into one. The birds are named after the layers of each other and their complete shape. ". The "Four Treasures" are unique in that they combine the strong, fragrant, fresh and game flavors of chicken, duck, pigeon and quail into one. The four whole birds are layered with each other, and each one is complete without a single bone. .

Tongzi Chicken

Tongzi Chicken is a famous specialty of Kaifeng. It is made from local high-quality Jun hens and is simmered in a century-old soup. It is golden in color, fat but not greasy. Tender, crispy and fragrant.

Tips:

We have often seen that Shaolin Temple requires a bachelor degree or above to recruit monks. Many people think this is a rumor, but in fact this statement is true. , but the description is not very accurate. In today's Shaolin Temple, it is true that ordinary people are not able to become monks in it, but only college students who have graduated from Buddhist colleges are qualified, so study hard.