Dengfeng (; postal: Tengfeng) is a

county-level city A county-level city () is a County-level divisions of China, county-level administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China. County-level cities have judiciary, judicial but no legislature, legislative rights over their own local or ...

Henan Province Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...

, China. It is under the administration of the

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

Zhengzhou Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, China. Located in northern Henan, it is one of the nine National central city, national central cities in China, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. Th ...

. Dengfeng has an area of and a population of 630,000. It occupies the southwestern corner of Zhengzhou and is its westernmost

county-level division The administrative divisions of China have consisted of several levels since 1412, due to mainland China's large population and geographical area. In the People's Republic of China, the constitution provides for three levels of government. Ho ...

. Dengfeng is located at the foot of the Mount Song, one of the most sacred mountains in China. The city is one of the most renowned spiritual centers of China, and is home to various religious institutions and famous temples such as the Taoist Zhongyue Temple, the Buddhist

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

(a renowned center for martial arts), as well as the Confucian Songyang Academy and the Gaocheng Observatory, hence its poetic expression derived from Chinese literature as the spiritual "center of heaven and earth". Parts of the city were inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2010.

History

The first

Xia dynasty The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...

capital, Yangcheng, was built west of Gaocheng Township on the Ying River under the sacred Mount Song. The famous

Shaolin Monastery Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

, traditionally considered the origin of

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

, is located in Dengfeng where they teach adults as well as children martial arts. It is also a famous tourist attraction.

Administrative divisions

As of 2012, the city is divided to 3 subdistricts, 8 towns and 5 townships. ;Subdistricts ;Towns ;Townships

UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2010, UNESCO inscribed several of the most renowned sites of Dengfeng onto its

under the title "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in 'The Center of Heaven and Earth'." The World Heritage Site includes several historic gates, temples, a Confucian academy and the Gaocheng Observatory:Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Center of Heaven and Earth." UNESCO World Heritage Center
/ref> *Taishi Que () Gates: Gates built in front of what would become the Zhongyue Temple in 118 AD, with carved reliefs of animals, trees, and spirits. *Zhongyue Temple: A Taoist temple constructed in the 5th century, during Kou Qianzhi's reforms. Includes Juni Hall, a large hall for sacrificing to the gods, two stone statues built in 118 AD that are the oldest surviving stone statues in China. *Shaoshi Que Gates: Han dynasty gates (dating to 123 AD), with pictures of horses galloping, a circus, and

cuju ''Cuju'' or ''Ts'u-chü'' ( zh, t=蹴鞠, p=cù jū) is an ancient Chinese football game, that resembles a mix of basketball, association football and volleyball. FIFA cites cuju as the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is docume ...

, and ancient football game. *Qimu Que Gates: A pair of gates built in 123 AD, with images that depict scenes of cockfights, floods, and visitation by the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

* Songyue Temple Pagoda: Built between 508 and 511, it had very innovative architecture and became a template for many future pagodas. *

and its Pagoda Forest: A complex of temples and over 240 pagodas, built over 1300 years starting in the 5th century. A major sacred site for Buddhism. *Huishan Temple: A wooden temple built in the 12th century on the site of the astronomer Yi Xing's residence. *Songyang Academy: Created in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, it was considered one of the four greatest academies of classical learning in China. Contributed to the dissemination of Confucianism across China. * Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory: an observatory built in the 13th century to accurately measure the world and create precise calendars. Other notable sites in Dengfeng include the Fawang Temple, a Buddhist temple built in the Tang dynasty.

Climate

Transportation

* China National Highway 207 * Dengfeng Tourist Railway

Gallery

File:Mt. Shaoshi Cliff - 少室山峭壁 - panoramio - Aaron Zhu.jpg, Mt. Shaoshi File:The Observatory, Dengfeng, 2015-09-24 08.jpg, Gaocheng Observatory File:The Dengfeng Observatory1.jpg, Dengfeng Observatory File:Huishansi dadian.JPG, Huishan Temple File:Songshan Shaolin (4).jpg, Shaolin Temple File:Shaolin Monk Cemetery - panoramio.jpg, Pagoda Forest, Shaolin temple File:登封少室阙.JPG, Shaoshi Que File:Songshanfawangsi.JPG, Fawang Temple File:Fawang Temple Pagoda Dengfeng.JPG, Fawang temple Pagoda File:Pagoda of Songyue Temple, 2015-09-25 20.jpg, Pagoda of Songyue temple File:登封太室阙.JPG, Taishi Que File:Училище Сунъян шуюань 1.jpg, Songyang Academy File:中岳庙内2.jpg, Zhongyue Temple File:Shaolinsi chuzuan dadian.JPG, Chuzu Temple File:Medicine Monk Statue @ Shaolin Temple - panoramio.jpg, Monk Statue at Shaolin Temple

Education

* Henan University of Technology Dengfeng Campus（河南工业大学登封校区）

References

External links

*
Official website Unesco
{{Authority control Zhengzhou World Heritage Sites in China County-level divisions of Henan Cities in Henan