Dengfeng (登封)
Dengfeng used to called Yangcheng in ancient times. It sits at the foot of Mount Song, which is one of China's most sacred mountains. There are many monuments in Dengfeng that are inscribed in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. The most famous one of these is the Shaolin Monastery and its surrounding Pagoda Forest. The monastery consists of a complex of temples and the pagoda forest boasts some 250 pagodas. The site has been built over as period of many centuries and construction started as far back as the 5th century AD. Other interseting sites in Dengfeng include:
- Taishi Que Gates (太室闕). These gates were built in 118 AD, in front of what would later become the Zhongyue Temple.
- Zhongyue Temple is a Taoist temple that dates from the 5th century. It includes Juni Hall, which is a large hall for sacrificing to the gods. In the hall are the two oldest surviving statues in China. The were erected in 118 AD.
- The Shaoshi Que Gates were built in 123 AD, during the Han Dynasty.
- The Qimu Que Gates are a pair of gates built in 123 AD. They include depictions of visitation by emissaries from the Roman Empire.
- Songyue Temple Pagoda dates from 511. Its innovative architecture stood example for many pagodas that were later built.
- The wooden Huishan Temple dates from the 12th century.
- The Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory was built in the 13th century and aided in creating surprisingly accurate calendars.
- Fawang Temple is a Buddhist temple built during the Tang Dynasty.
Dengfeng is a popular tourist destination and as a result, the city offers a wide variety of accommodation, café's and restaurants. It has excellent road, rail and air connections with the rest of China.
; "Image 1 - Pagoda forest [200kB]")
; "Image 2 - Zhongyue temple [180kB]")
; "Image 3 - Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory [182kB]")
; "Image 4 - Shaolin Monastery
[214kB]")