Pingdingshan Travel Guide

 

Chinese Name: 平顶山市 (píng dǐng shān shì)
Population: 5,207,700
Area: 7,882 square kilometers (3,043 square miles)
Location: in the central region of Henan Province, east-central China
Administrative Division: 4 districts (Xinhua, Weidong, Zhanhe, Shilong); 4 counties (Baofeng, Jiaxian, Lushan Yexian); 2 county-level cities (Ruzhou, Wugang)
Area Code: 0375
Zip Code: 467000
GDP (2018): CNY 213.523 billion (USD 32.269 billion)

Located in the central Henan Province, Pingdingshan neighbors Luoyang to the northwest, and the capital city Zhengzhou is 135 kilometers (84 miles) of road mileage from the city. In the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC - 771 BC), Pingdingshan was a vassal state named Ying State. This state used the eagle as a totem, so Pingdingshan is also called Eagle City. It has the largest coal field in central and southern China, with 10 billion tons of raw coal reserves. Pingdingshan is rich in tourism resources and the total number of scenic spots ranks second in Henan. Visitors are able to see the world's highest copper Buddha in Shiren Mountain, view stunning natural scenery and enjoy hot springs after a fulfilling visit. It also has many temples and preserves the ruins of official Ru Kilns and a county government office of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The 1,500-year old Wind Hole (Fengxue) Temple with 83 pagodas outside is a top attraction you cannot miss.

Pingdingshan City enjoys a warm temperate continental monsoon climate, bearing superior natural environment. It has four distinct seasons and there are thirty-one rivers in total, constituting an interlacing water network. Its annual average temperature is about 15°C (59°F).

 When to Go: spring and autumn

 History: About eight thousand years ago, there area human settlers living in this region. It was the domain of the Ying and Jie tribes inhabited there before the Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-221BC). During the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC), Pingdingshan was partly and successively belonging to several kingdoms. Through thousands years of development, the city has made a great pace since the large-scale exploitation of coal ore in the 1950s.

 Physical Features: Pingdingshan lies along the Funiu Mountains in the west, and links the spacious and flat Huanghuai Plain in the east. Therefore, the terrain of this city generally declined from east to west.

 Special Local Products: persimmon, tobacco leaf, Zisha (purple-clay) pottery, Lushan silk, Chinese gooseberry, monkey-head mushroom, Ru Porcelain