Dengfeng登封

Foot of Mount Song: Shaolin kung fu, pagoda forests and the Centre of Heaven and Earth.

Suggested stay

1 days

Editorial guides

Arrive at

Dengfeng railway · 40 min from Zhengzhou

Best season

Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Why stop here

Three reasons to get off the train

In motion

Morning training, before the gates open

Shaolin Temple · 1:48

1 editorial guides

Where Chan Buddhism and kung fu share one courtyard

4.63 h 30 min|¥80

History & people

495 CECultureWei, Jin & Six Dynasties

Built on Song Mountain for an Indian monk; the martial tradition grew later, around the temple's land and its guards.

1050sCultureSong

The academy below Song Mountain became a centre of the moral philosophy that shaped later imperial education.

1276 CEPeopleYuan

A gnomon tower at Dengfeng measured the sun's shadow for a calendar that stayed in use for centuries.

Local food

Food notes for this county are still being gathered. The provincial food index covers the wider region.

Notes from the field

“Skip the staged show at noon and watch the actual practice session at 7am. Different world.”
Daniel Ortiz · Video channel
Shaolin Temple

Getting here

Rail times below are planning estimates, not timetable data. Confirm departures before booking.

Nearby by rail