Gaocheng Observatory (Gaocheng Town, Dengfeng)
Built by Guo Shoujing in 1276 in the Yuan dynasty, it is the oldest observatory surviving in China; the observational data for the Shoushi Calendar were measured here, matching the accuracy of the current Gregorian calendar three hundred years earlier
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 08:30-17:00
- Ticket
- Free
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Built by Guo Shoujing in 1276 in the Yuan dynasty, it is China's oldest surviving observatory; the observational data for the Shoushi Calendar were measured here, achieving accuracy comparable to the modern Gregorian calendar three centuries earlier. In front of the platform stands the Zhou Gong Gnomon, a Tang-dynasty stone pillar: legend has it that the Duke of Zhou used an earthen gnomon here to measure the sun's shadow and determine the "center of the earth", giving tangible proof to the "center of heaven and earth" cosmology. It was listed as a World Heritage site in 2010, and the name of Gaocheng Town comes from the phrase "great task accomplished".
Getting there: Dengfeng self-drive / shuttle bus
Photos
More in Zhengzhou
- Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area (Dengfeng)
The cradle of Chan (Zen) Buddhism: the temple was founded in 495 in the Northern Wei dynasty, where Bodhidharma faced a wall in meditation for nine years and founded the Chan school; the saying "all kung fu under heaven comes from Shaolin" has made Shaolin kung fu a calling card of Chinese culture
- Songyang Academy (Dengfeng)
One of the four great academies of the Song dynasty; its forerunner was the Northern Wei Songyang Temple. Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi lectured here, and the famous tale of "standing in the snow at Cheng's gate" comes from disciples of the two Chengs, from where Neo-Confucianism spread far and wide
- Zhongyue Temple (Dengfeng)
The largest ancient building complex among the Five Sacred Mountains; its forerunner was the Qin-dynasty Taishi Shrine. The Daoist Zhongyue Temple stretches in depth along a central axis of eleven successive courtyards, earning the nickname "Little Forbidden City"
- Sanhuangzhai (southern foothills of Mount Song)
The finest section of Mount Song's quartzite landscape: the cliff-hugging "Sanhuang plank walkway" is set into sheer precipices, and walking it offers a close view of the "five generations under one roof" strata profile recording Mount Song's 3.5 billion years of geological change—the core of the Mount Song Global Geopark
- Henan Museum
The grand showcase of Central Plains civilization; its nine signature treasures span eight thousand years: the Jiahu bone flute (8,000 years old, with a seven-note scale) rewrote world music history, the Fu Hao owl zun (Shang) and the Duling square ding (unearthed in Zhengzhou) represent the pinnacle of bronze art, the Lotus and Crane square hu (Spring and Autumn) and the cloud-pattern bronze jin (Chu) show matchless craftsmanship…
- Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty Capital Site Museum
The ruins of the 3,600-year-old city walls of Bo, the Shang dynasty capital, lie right around the museum; the rammed-earth ramparts still rise above ground after three thousand years—the physical basis of Zhengzhou's name as the "Shang Capital"