At the junction of Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and He'nan Provinces, located in the east of He'nan Province, Shangqiu City borders the Yellow River to the north and the Jiang-huai Plains to the South. It is known as “the eastern gateway of He'nan Province” and important commercial centre, linking the east and west of China.

Shangqiu, as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, has a long history and rich culture, which is extensive and profound. The legend has it that in the period of Five Lords, Zhuangxu, Diku had ever established capital here. In the 16th century B.C., after emperor Shangtang eliminated Xia Dynasty, he founded Shang Dynasty here. In addition, Shangqiu served as the second capital in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126 A.D.).  
Long history and splendid culture have left numerous human landscapes for Shangqiu, making it a city with amazing characteristics. The ancient Shangqiu built in the year of 1511 is well preserved, making it a major historic and cultural site under state protection together with the tomb group of western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-8 A.D.) in Mountain Mangdang of Yongcheng city. The jade suit sewn with gold thread unearthed in the Han Tomb of Mountain Mangdang caused a great sensation when exhibited in America and Singapore. Tombs of princes Liangxiao and Liangqiu, with a great scale, were excavated in the mountain and are acclaimed as the peak of perfection; murals in Han tombs are earlier than that of Dunhuang--- the most famous ones in China.

Shangqiu is also the birthplace of fire. As early as 10 thousand years ago, Suirenshi (a legendary ruler of ancient China who discovered how to use fire) discovered how to make fire here, which ushered in a new epoch of history of human civilization. Therefore, Shangqiu is believed to be the cradle of fire.

Shangqiu abounds with fine scenery and historical interests: Tomb of Suiren, Wenya terrace to memorize Confucius, Qingling Terrace——record of love tragedy in history, the Tomb of Zhuangzi——founder of Daoism, the well-known Han tomb group in Mountain Mangdang, the Mulan Temple to show respect to the heroine Mulan; Baiyun (white cloud) Temple, one of the four famous temples in central China, Yingtian Academy——Fan Zhongyan, Chinese famous poet and politician studied there and many other sights.

As to the local snacks, you cannot miss Iron wok eggs, the Ran steamed fish, the Xu round rice dumpling, Roast chicken, sugar-stick with sesame seeds and Jing fried sliced dough with sesame seeds.