Nanyang, located in the west of Henan Province, is a Water City.
Baihe River, the mother river of Nanyang, crosses the Nanyang
center city. Baihe River, together with Mei Xi River, Sanli River,
and Wenliang River constitutes a network of rivers and lakes and
also forms a unique city landscape.
Nanyang is one of birthplaces of the Chinese civilization with a
long history. As early as four or five hundred thousand years ago,
the Nanzhao apeman had multiplied his descendants here. In
the Warring States period, it has already become the famous
smelting center in China. During the Western Han Dynasty, business
was omnipresent and property ranked first in the whole country. In
the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was the place for Emperor Guangwu to
gain his fame and fortune. So it is called Nandu or Di Xian g (the home of emperors). The place raised and brought up
Fanli who was an outstanding strategist and business saint; the
great scientist Zhang Heng and the Medical Saint Zhang Zhongjing
from whom the people benefited from generations to generations in
the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Military Marquise Zhuge Liang was a
famous statesman and strategist in the Three Kingdoms, etc. These
historical personages attract worldwide attention. Nanyang is one
of the first opened historical cities. It is also the Han culture
gathering place and the main tourist resort in Central Plains. At
present, there are about 40 world famous places of historical
interest and charming natural sights with high aesthetic and
cultural value. Among them, Wuhou Temple, the Temple of Medical
Sage, Zhang Heng Tomb, The Gallery of Han Paintings and the
Magistrate Office of Neixiang County all have a fascinating appeal
to tens of thousands of tourists every year. Besides, there are
also Danxia Temple, Xiangyan Temple, Shuilian Temple, and Shanxia
Hall and so on. The best rest resorts are Baotianman and Taibaiding
National nature reserves and Danjiang Reservoir, Shirenshan
Mountain (southern foot of Shirenshan Mountain), Laojieling, Baihe
scenic spot and such natural spots. In 1933, the fossils of
dinosaur eggs discovered in Nanyang basin have been praised as “the
World Cultural Heritage” by the United National Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization. And the protective
development of Dinosaur egg fossils is listed as the 21st century
world project.