Sanmenxia
Sanmenxia (三门峡; Sānménxiá) is a city in western Henan with 2.2 million inhabitants.
Understand
Sanmenxia is on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Sanmenxia city is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. During the Warring States period, this city guarded the strategic pass between the Qin forces in the Wei Valley to the west and the kingdoms of the North China Plain to the east. It is here that Laozi wrote the Dao De Jing, the founding charter and source of Taoism.
In 1921, the first of late Stone Age paintings were found in MianChiXian Yangshao village. These paintings showed a Chinese matriarchal society. The patterned painted pottery is one of the important features of what came to be known at Yanghao culture.
Today, the city is mostly known for the dam of the same name, built in revolutionary fervor with the semi-mythical goal of clearing the Yellow River. Tourists come during the rainy season to witness massive discharges of the river's water.
Get in
Get around
See
Hangu Pass (函谷關) - Historic pass guarding the Qin state in the Wei valley to the west against the state to the east. The pass is so important that during the Warring States period, the North China Plain was known as "East of the Gate" (关东). Today's gate structure was built after 1992 and is of questionable authenticity.
Do
Buy
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Royal Hotel International Sanmenxia (Located in Sanmenxia Scenic Area near the highway and railway to Zhengzhou and Xi’an), ☎ +86 398 2966000. It features dining and conferencing facilities. The guestrooms range from presidential suites to standard rooms which are equipped with satellite TV and a mini bar. Internet available against surcharge. Discounted rates from ¥158 without breakfast.
- Sanmenxia Mingzhu Hotel, 57 Xiaoshan Road, ☎ +86 398 2821508. Three star hotel from 1995. The hotel houses four restaurants, serving a combination of Cantonese, Sichuan and Western cuisines. Other facilities include KTV, a sauna center, a hair and beauty salon, and a bar featuring live entertainment. Free internet. Discounted double rooms from ¥220 including breakfast.
Connect
Go next
| Routes through Sanmenxia |
| Lanzhou ← Xian ← | W  |
→ Luoyang → Zhengzhou |