Located at Chishuigou, Wuliqiao Township, Xixia County, 6km from the county seat and 2km from No.312 National Highway, Yunhua Bats Cave Scenic Spot is a scenic spot for sightseeing, in-cave adventures and summer escape. It has been listed as a key nature reserve.

The cave has typical Karst terrain features. Owing to many cloud-like patterns on the walls and the presence of many bats, it is named Yunhua Bats Cave. Inside the cave are underground passages, underground rivers, stalactites and so on. There are many zigzags in the cave and it sometimes leads to a part as high as over 60m, while other times only low enough for a man to get through by bending his body. Sometimes it is as wide as 80m, while other times it is only 1m in width. Many minor caves connect each other, making an impressive network. The stalactites in the cave take on different shapes, which gives people a lot of associations. The rock formations, through flexural folding and water erosion, have shaped many natural frescos, which makes one feel like entering an art gallery.

In the cave live seven kinds of nearly 100,000 bats, among which some are rare species in the world. During the daytime, they rest by hanging themselves back downward. When surprised, they turn their heads, shake their ears and make sounds. When they go out in search of food, it takes hours and makes a spectacular view. Before the dawn, they hover at the cave entrance for a while and rush into the cave, making an even more wonderful scene. The rivers in the cave flow non-stop and many pools and lakes are formed. When the underground river flows, one can only hear the sound without seeing the river, which undoubtedly lends a note of mystery to the place.

Located in the Nanzhao County of the He'nan Province at the south foot of Mountain Funiu and the north border of the Nanyang Basin, the Zhenwuding Peak Resort, composed of the Zhenwuding Scenic Area and the Baichi Pond Scenic Area, is a part of the Zhenwuding section of the World Geologic Park of Mountain Funiu.

It is 28 kilometers away from the Nanzhao County seat, 250 kilometers from Zhengzhou and 99 kilometers from Nanyang. The Resort is an ideal tour land of both water spectacles like waterfalls, ponds and others like valleys, mountains, forests and flowers, with its distinct characters of Taoism culture.

Covering 100 square kilometers in the central part of Mountain Funiu, Zhenwuding Peak Resort will be developed into a world class scenic area as shown by the national layout. It has an integrated landscape of majestic air and elegance including steep peaks, odd stones, high cliffs, secluded valleys, towering forts, flying waterfalls, deep ponds, booming flowers, virgin forests, unusual birds, rare animals in addition to human landscapes.

The transitional climate from subtropical to temperate zone here has blessed this area with rich biological resources including intact natural ecosystems, virgin forests extending to the horizon and a large amount of plants and animals considered as “living fossils”. Elementary surveys show that there are more than 2,900 kinds of plants and their mutations including 1,055 kinds of medicine herbs in addition to 264 kinds of wild animals living here, among which 29 kinds of plants and 21 kinds of animals are specially protected by the nation.

This is an area with forest coverage of over 98%, an annual precipitation of 1,200 mm and an average temperature of 14.6℃ with the top temperature below 25℃ in summer. What's more, it has distinct four seasons with booming flowers in springs, luxuriantly green trees in cool summers, colorful leaves in autumns and crystal winters in silver. With superior beauty and fun, Zhenwuding Peak Resort is really a blessed gift from the nature.

The beauty of the water in the Resort is represented by the spectacles of waterfalls and ponds newly discovered in the Baichi Scenic Area. As the saying goes, “the water nourishes the beauty of the mountain while the mountain decorates the charm of the water”. The Resort is a perfect combination of the elegance of southern China and the majesty of the north. Comparing with neighboring scenic areas, the Resort enjoys more tour resources and a bigger variety of tour products to be developed, manifesting advantages.

The Baichi Scenic Area of Waterfalls and Ponds, the masterpiece of the Resort, impresses tourists with fresh natural enjoyment. This Area is a spectacle of waters, as dozens of ponds and waterfalls embrace each other closely along gorges arms in arms in an area of 2 square kilometers, which is an unmatched wonder in the whole nation.

The Zhenwu Peak with an altitude of 2,102 meters is the second highest peak of Mountain Funiu. The steep peak of crags thrusting into the sky, Zhenwu Peak has a splendid view with huge fancy stones and hills. The major peak represented by the Zhenwu Peak and the Toad Stone has an absolute altitude even higher than famous mountains such as the Five Saint Mountains including Mountain Taishan, Mountain Huangshan, Mountain Lushan, Mountain Jiuhua, Mountain Qingcheng, Mountain Yandang, Mountain Wudang, etc. By standing on the peak, it is such an enjoyment to stretch your sight into the endless horizon of the sky with the sun rising on a misty sea of dawn clouds or rosy dusk, or to overlook mountains after mountains undulating below within hundreds of kilometers. With majestic cliffs and vivid peaks resembling animals, towers or waterfalls, the Resort is a substantial museum of natural art.

The beautiful landscape here is also a cradle for fancy stories. This area is said to be the place where God Zhenwu cultivated himself. The Goddess Palace, the said lecture hall of the Goddess, is embraced by stone walls in floating mist on the top of a lonely steep peak, emitting an air of mystery. The virgin forest of pines, maples and hundreds of areas of bamboo is dotted with colorful booming flowers including florid Indian azalea of thousands of acres, making a splendid view. Here is the home of eagles, leopards, giant salamanders, wild hogs, roes and other rare birds and animals as well as the rich field of valuable Chinese herb medicines including those well-known “Three Treasures of Mountain Funiu”.

The steep peaks, fancy stones, brisk waters, exuberant forests, florid flowers and casual clouds of the Resort has given birth to a wonderful land of beauty, leisure and fun for tour, recreation, exploration and scientific research as well as a rising new star of unique elegance and charm in the central China tourism.

Located in Nanyang City, a historic town in the southwest of He'nan Province, it is the memorial site built to commemorate Zhang Zhongjing, a great doctor in the Eastern Dynasty who is reputed as the “Medical Sage” and a great man in the world history of medicine. As a key cultural relic protection unit, it consists of a cluster of Han-styled architectures.

Up nine stairs, there stands a pair of imposing gate towers on which one can see far beyond. On the towers the symbol of power, there is a pair of vermilion birds set, which signals direction and auspicious. Under the yellow glazed tiles, a tablet hangs on the front gate, which reads “Yi Sheng Ci”, shining with solemnity and dignity. On the red painted gate hangs a bronze ring which weighs around 150kg. As the largest door ring in the world, it looks magnificent and awe-inspiring.

What's in the eyes is a huge screen wall after stepping into the gate. Made of a whole stone, it is 3.5m in both length and width. The inscription on the wall is “A Biography of Zhang Zhongjing, the Medicine Sage” by Huang Zhuzhai, a late TCM doctor. On both sides of the wall hang a pair of couplets which sum up the dialectic diagnosis about Traditional Chinese Medicine. On the back of the screen wall writes the preface to Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases by Zhang Zhongjing himself which states his reasons to take on medicine as his lifelong career.

Zhang Zhongjing (159 A.D-219 A.D) was born in Nanyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Ling in Han Dynasty, he first began his career as a government official. When the plague prevailed in He'nan, he quit his post as prefect and returned home. His devotion to medicine paid off with his master piece, Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases. The pioneering work integrated the applications of mechanism, therapy, prescription and medicine in TCM and shaped the unique medical theory of differential diagnosis. The book is honored not only by doctors in the country but also by those in Japan, DPRK and western countries.

Walking into the front gate, one can see the statue of the medical sage standing in the middle of the yard. Behind the statue is a hexagon pavilion where there are some inscriptions written by the national leaders. Around the yard rise ten statues of renowned doctors who had devoted themselves to the development of TCM.

On the two porches along each side of the yard, there are over 200 steles illustrating works such as The Group Paintings of Zhang Zhongjing, Comments on Renowned Doctors in History, Paintings of Renowned Doctors in History and so on.

The Group Paintings of Zhang Zhongjing in the eastern porch represents his glorious life by stone carving techniques in Han Dynasty. Hua Tuo, a distinguished doctor in his time highly spoke of Zhang Zhongjing's book as “a book to bring a man back to life”. Sun Simiao, reputed as the Medicine King in the Tang Dynasty, said “the book is magical.” A professor with the Medical School of Washington University said that though the theory of relativity was established by Einstein, Zhang Zhongjing had put it into practice 1,800 years ago. The whole human race is proud of a man like him. The Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, an authoritative organization, had listed Zhang Zhongjing as one of 29 greatest doctors in the history of medicine.

In the western porch hang image stones of 117 distinguished doctors from the period of Fuxi to the Qing Dynasty, on which the life and career of each doctor is recorded. Not only have these outstanding doctors contributed a lot to the prosperity of our country, but also earned high reputation in the world history of medicine.

Another famous sight in the place is Baishou Pavilion. On the wall, there is a collection of writings of various calligraphers from Wang Xizhi to Zheng Banqiao. More impressively, the writings are about one Chinese character, Shou, which means longevity. The TCM has made great contributions to the human race. The name of Baishou Pavilion is given to wish everyone has a long and healthy life.

Walking along the grey stone pavement and into a red three-hole arch door, there is the back of the temple where stands the graveyard of the medicine sage. In front of the tomb stands a gravestone, erected by Zhang Sanyi, an official in Nanyang, on which inscribed The tomb of Zhang Zhongjing, the medicine sage. At each corner of the tomb is a stone carved goat head representing good luck and on top of the tomb is a lotus pedestal, representing the high virtues of Zhang Zhongjing.

Passing the tomb and across the secondary hall, an old courtyard is before the eyes, where there are the main hall and eastern and western side halls. On the main hall hangs a pair of couplets and in the hall various versions of Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases are on display, and other documents donated by medical institutions and individuals home and abroad. In the eastern and western side halls are exhibited unearthed cultural relics, among which the “Three Treasures” are the most famous.

1. Pottery Figurines of acupuncture of Eastern Han Dynasty, the First-Grade Cultural Relics

These figurines, 24cm high and 7cm wide, have simple shapes and show all the acupoints of the body. Nearly 1,000 years earlier than bronze figurines of acupuncture and moxibustion, they have enormous academic and artistic values and are compiled into Complete Collection of Chinese Arts. The duplicates will be on display at China Museum of History.

2. The Gravestone of Zhang Zhongjing, the Grade Two Cultural Relic of the State

The gravestone, erected in 330 A.D., only 111 years from the year Zhang Zhongjing died, has high academic, historical, and artistic values.

3. Wooden Carved Version of Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, stored in Baiyun Tower

Collected by Zhang Shaoshen, the 46th generation grandson of Zhang Zhongjing, it had passed through many hands before it was preserved. In 1982, Mi Bo, the president of the Shaanxi Research Institute of TCM followed Huang Zhuzhai, his master's wish, and sent it to the Temple of Zhang Zhongjing (Yi Sheng Ci).

The place has illustrated to us the long history of Chinese Civilization and diligence and wisdom of Chinese people. With the rise of TCM craze, it has gained more and more respect from the world. Since its reconstruction, the Yi Shi Ci Museum has established contact with academic institutions from more than 20 countries and regions. In April, 1994, the first Zhong Zhongjing International Seminar was held in Nanyang. With a series of academic exchanges, Zhang Zhongjing's medical theory has become a link between China and the world and continued to benefit the whole human race.

Located in Sanlimiao, Danshui Township, 25km from Xixia County seat and 2.7km from No.312 National Highway and Ningxi Railway, the Xixia Dinosaur Remains Park is the central area of Mountain Funiu Geo-park in Xiaxia County and the Nanyang National Natural Reserve area of Dinosaur Egg Fossils.

As a large park of dinosaur remains, it integrates the functions of popularization of science, sightseeing, amusement and research. The main sights include the Geological Science Square, the Museum of Dinosaur Egg Fossils, the Remains of Dinosaur Eggs and the Simulated Dinosaur Garden. It took 3 years to complete the project with an investment of more than RMB 60 million made by the county government and Longcheng Group.

The dinosaur remains come as the deposit of fault-depression basins in Cretaceous Period. Xixia Basin is the sedimentary deposit resulting from three major structural elements, i.e. the Qinling Fold Belt, the North China Platform and the Yangtze Platform. At the end of Mesozoic Era, the Qinling Tectonic Belt had bred a series of paralleled depressions. According to experts, these basins came as the deposit in Cretaceous Period and therefore its name was derived, the Cretaceous Fault Basin. The egg horizon lies in Xiping, the highest place in Danshui Basin where there are over 1,000 eggs exposed and at least 16 egg-bearing horizons have been found underneath. It is confirmed that the egg fossils can be divided into 6 families, 9 genus and 13 species. The Macroelongatoolithus, found in Xixia, are currently the only type worldwide. Gaogouzu, where Prismatoollthus gebiensis were found, is the 3rd place in the world where there are such fossils. The dinosaur egg-fossils unearthed in Xixia top the world in terms of number, category, distribution and preservation. The discovery of huge amounts of dinosaur skeletons has earned the place a new name, “the Ninth Wonder of the world”.

Over 60 million years has passed. The Xixia Park of Dinosaur Remains has provided an ideal scientific research base to study the changes of earth and heavenly bodies, natural disasters and the habit, habitat and the extinction of dinosaurs. As a brand new park for science and tourism, it will guide you through the evolutionary process of 0.54 billion years.

Sheqi Shanxi-Shaanxi Commercial Guild Hall is located at Sheqi County, 45km to the northeast of Nanyang City.

Sheqi County borders Biyang County to the east, Wancheng District of Nanyang to the west, Fangcheng County to the north and Tanghe County to the south. As a noted commercial town since ancient times, Sheqi Town was originally built in the Period of Spring and Autumn and reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty. As one of the 4 famous towns in He'nan, it enjoys a fine reputation which is described as “Among the towns in the country, Shedian (another name for Sheqi) is the most thriving one.” As a commodity distribution centre, Shedian is the hub of nine provinces across the south and north. Businessmen from 13 provinces gathered here. Among the fellowship guild halls, there are Shanxi and Shaanxi Guild Hall, Hubei Guild Hall, Jiangxi Guild Hall, Guangdong Guild Hall, Fujian Guild Hall and so on. In this small town with a population of 130,000, there are 72 ancient streets and a dozen of them are well preserved. In July, 1989, it was listed among the first group of historic towns.

Located in the town centre, the Shanxi and Shaanxi Commercial Build Hall, a palace-styled architectural complex, consists of a cluster of ancient buildings. It was built during the last tide when the ancient architecture art had reached its peak and the businessmen in Shanxi and Shaanxi decided to build the best of its kind. Huge investment, numerous craftsmen and fine selection of building materials had made the construction project the largest at the time. As a result, the guild hall represented the peak of decoration and architecture art. Thanks to its important location across the south and north, the completed work blended harmoniously the essentials of southern and northern architectures and made itself a unique architectural classic. In summary, there are ten features of the hall.

1. The Best Guild Hall in the Country

Among over 80 ancient architectural complex in the country, this hall boasts of the largest scale, good preservation, fine decoration and rich connotations of commercial culture. In 1988 it was listed among the third group of key cultural relic protection units approved by the State Council. Other similar guild halls, such as Xiqin Guild Hall in Sichuan and Shanshan Guild Hall in Shandong, have an area of over 3,000m2 for each, which is smaller than that of the guild hall in Sheqi, which covers an area of 13,000m2. Many authorities in ancient architecture have highly acclaimed the hall. Lv Jimin, the former director-general of the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, said that it is the finest achievement ever in architectural history. Shan Shiyuan, the vice president of the Palace Museum, said it tops the world with its splendor and magnificence. The Shanxi and Shaanxi Commercial Guild Hall has therefore established its status as the No.1 Guild Hall in China.

2. The Best Glazed Screen Walls

The screen walls in the hall are unique in its decoration art. As a special component in Chinese ancient architecture, generally it has two styles. One is the Haiman style that features patterns of dragons and sea, such as Jiulong Screen Wall in Beijing and Shanxi. The other is the Hezi Style that focuses on the central part of the screen wall decorated with brick carvings or stone carvings. Usually the central part shapes like an oval or diamond and therefore is called Hezi, literally a box. Most guild halls and other ancient architectures took this style for the screen walls. Impressively, the screen wall in Shan-Shaan Guild Hall integrates the two styles and puts together a colorful and meaningful picture using glazed auspicious items such as lucky animals, plants, spirit beasts, tablets, couplets, characters of Happiness and Longevity, and so on.

3. The Best Iron Flag Pole

Iron flag poles are typical of the Temple of Guan Yu (a general in the period of Three Kingdoms who is greatly respected for his loyalty to his master). The two poles in the guild hall were erected in 1543 AD in the Qing Dynasty. They weigh over 25,000kg and stand over 20m. According to the inscription, at the completion, there left an extra sum of money. There was no need to make any addition to the splendid architecture and yet the money had to be spent on the construction. Two iron flag post were erected, which stood in front of the gate. There were numerous Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Halls in the country. Only in Zhuxian Town and here, flag poles could be seen. Currently, the iron flag poles in Zhuxian Town were lost. The experts say the iron flag poles here are the best in comparison with those of other similar architectures.

4. The Best Opera Theatre

There are many ancient opera theatres in China, among which Xuanjian mansion is the best for its imposing structure and fine decoration. Built in the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (around 1800 A.D.) in the Qing Dynasty, the mansion stands 24m high. As a building in traditional Chinese style, the gate is facing south and the stage north. On the tablet that hangs up on the stage flies out another eave rafter. The whole mansion structure was decorated with beautiful wooden, stone carvings and paintings. On each side stands the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, which are unconventional building complexes. The three buildings have formed an artistic whole. Yang Tingbao, the late director-general of the Society of Chinese Ancient Architecture and principal of Nanjing University, showed special fondness to the building cluster and took surveys and photos with his graduates. In his words, “It is a classic of Chinese ancient opera theatres”.

5. The Best Stone Carvings

Represented by stone torii and columns in the guild hall, the stone carvings here mirror various carving techniques adopted in Chinese ancient architecture. The representative pieces include animals like tigers, lions, unicorns, fruits like pomegranates, peaches and birds, flowers, auspicious decoration patterns and so on. Among others, the character story carvings integrate the essentials of painting and sculpting skills and give people an artistic experience.

6. The Best Wooden Carvings

The wooden carvings, as stone carvings in the guild hall, represent a high artistic level. They appear in every possible part on the buildings from architraves, sparrow braces to bracket sets. In main structure as Xuanjian mansion, Dabai Hall, Dazuo Hall, Yaowang Hall and Mawang Hall, the perspective carving is used on architraves and sparrow braces. Speaking of the artistic features of the wooden carvings, the picture composition, the lines and the shapes are finely created. The story carvings vividly represent the characters. It’s no exaggerating that every detail is done with extreme care and attention. Luo Zhewen, Zheng Xiaoshuo, the famous experts in the field acclaimed that the carving art can be comparable with the craftsmanship of Lu Ban, the founder of the architecture industry in ancient China.

7. The Stele with the calligraphy of Empress Dowager——Cixi

There is a stele in front of Dazuo Hall——the main hall, on which are written two Chinese characters, literally dragon and tiger——the symbol of power and strength. The stele is 0.42m wide and 0.80m high. On the top is a royal stamp in seal script, which reads “written by the Empress Dowager Cixi” and so is on the left. Right in the middle is carved two characters of dragon and tiger in cursive script. As the non-government organizations, few guild halls had the honor to get a Queen's writing and certainly this adds another point to its credit.

8. The Best Embroideries in the Qing Dynasty

There is a collection of over 40 embroideries in the guild hall, 5 of which were appraised as Class One items by the Bureau of State Cultural Relics. In addition, two pieces were sent on display in Switzerland, Denmark and so on.

9. Daofang Palace

Daofang Palace functions as the residential place for Taoist priests and the place to receive government officials. As the evidence of the contact between a business organization and government, there are enormous research values in it. In style, it integrates the essentials of court yards in the north and garden buildings in the south.

10. The Best Business Morals Steles

There are nine steles in the guild hall, seven of which are related to business morals and relevant activities about the establishment of the guild hall. Among them, the Stele of Rules on Scales Regulated by the Guild was first made in 1725 and remade in the first year of Emperor Tongzhi. The Stele of Guild Rules was erected in the 50th year of Emperor Qianlong. The rest includes the Stele of the Responsibilities of Guozai Hang (Logistics Industries), the Stele of the Establishment of Chunqiu Tower, the Stele of the Iron Flag Pole, the Stele of Reviving Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall and the Stele of the Reconstruction of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall. The first three steles provide valuable evidence on the study of the commerce development and the code of Sheqi in the Qing Dynasty. As the earliest and the most comprehensive steles of the similar guild halls that deal with business moral codes, they deserve their reputation as the No.1 in China.