Dengfeng

Dengfeng
登封
—  County-level city  —
登封市
The Taoist Zhongyue Temple
Dengfeng
Location in China
Coordinates:
Country China
Province Henan
Prefecture Zhengzhou
Area
 • Total 1,220 km2 (471 sq mi)
Population
 • Total 630,000
 • Density 516.4/km2 (1,337.5/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Website http://www.dengfeng.gov.cn/
Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth" *
Country China
Type Cultural
Criteria iii, vi
Reference 1305
Region ** Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 2010 (34th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List
** Region as classified by UNESCO

Dengfeng (Chinese: 登封; pinyin: Dēngfēng; Postal map spelling: Tengfeng) is a county-level city in Zhengzhou, Henan province. In ancient times, it was known as Yangcheng (simplified Chinese: 阳城; traditional Chinese: 陽城; pinyin: Yángchéng).

Dengfeng has an area of 1220 square kilometers and a population of 630,000.[1]

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 centres of China, home to various religious institutions and temples, such as the Taoist Zhongyue Temple, the Buddhist Shaolin Temple, as well as the Confucian Songyang Academy, hence its poetic expression derived from Chinese literature as the spiritual "centre of heaven and earth".

Contents

History

The first Xia Dynasty capital Yangcheng was built west of Gaocheng Township on the Yin River under the sacred Mount Song.

The famous Shaolin Monastery, traditional origin of Zen, is located in Dengfeng.

Sites

In 2010, UNESCO inscribed several of the most renowned sites across Dengfeng onto its World Heritage List under the title "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth"."[2] The World Heritage Site includes several historic gates, temples (including the renowned Shaolin Temple), a Confucian academy and the Gaocheng Observatory:[3]

Transportation

References

  1. ^ (Chinese)Introduction to Dengfeng, Official website of Dengfeng Government, visited on April 12, 2008.
  2. ^ Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth." UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  3. ^ Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth." UNESCO World Heritage Centre

External links