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In the early summer of this year, the China Storyteller Partnerships kicked off its journey in Henan province. Over five days, journalists, experts and content creators from the United States, Spain, Russia, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Vietnam, South Korea and Egypt traveled deep into the province's cities, Zhengzhou and Luoyang. Centering on the theme "Witness the Backbone of Manufacturing, Experience the Splendor of Ancient Capitals", the delegation focused on smart manufacturing, inland opening-up, cultural heritage preservation and cultural tourism innovation.
"I love China so much," said Ira Nova, a Russian content creator who has lived in China for six years. She shared her life experiences with China Daily Website, professing her admiration for "Made-in-China" products and its cutting-edge technology. She also hopes that exchanges between the two countries will grow and warmly encourages people to visit China.
Reporter: Song Yi
Video: Xu Jiayi, Liu Kaiwen (intern)
Ahead of International Museum Day on May 18, an American reporter and a Russian blogger go on a fun relic scavenger hunt at the Han-Wei Luoyang Ancient City Site Museum. Come and see the incredible ingenuity of ancient Chinese people!
The Meet in Zhongyuan, Discover China through Henan – 2026 China Storyteller Partnerships Henan Tour was held in Zhengzhou, Henan province this week.
Under the theme of "Witness the Backbone of Manufacturing, Experience the Splendor of Ancient Capitals", the tour brought together international journalists, foreign online content creators, and Chinese and foreign experts to experience a dynamic and innovative China.
Below is some of what the delegation discovered in Zhengzhou.
During the 2026 China Storyteller Partnerships Henan Tour, we visited a "robot school", the Central Plains Humanoid Robot Training Facility. The facility, which covers over 10,000 square meters, trains 149 robots of various types to unlock new skills. Let's take a look at how robots are "schooled"!
International journalists, content creators and experts embarked on an immersive journey to experience a dynamic and innovative China.
Titled "Meet in Zhongyuan, Discover China through Henan — 2026 China Storyteller Partnerships Henan Tour", the five-day event brings together over 20 participants as they start their visit to Zhengzhou and Luoyang. The group will explore advanced manufacturing clusters, inland transportation hubs, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and time-honored ancient cities, and create content for global audiences.
Geoff Thompson, editor-in-chief of Luxembourg-based media G-Media Sarl, noted that his previous trip to Henan was an eye-opener, leaving him deeply impressed by the province's economy as well as cultural heritage.
"Two years later, I am thrilled to be back, and I am fascinated to see how the country, the province and the region have changed, including both Zhengzhou and Luoyang, and getting to know many fellow journalists and content creators," he said.
Thomas Jay Hopkins, an American reporter with China Daily, emphasized that firsthand experience is irreplaceable for understanding China.
"The essence of China is held within the people and the culture they are eager to share, something that can only be appreciated through firsthand experience," he said.
Following the ceremony, participants enjoyed an evening stroll with boat trip at Ruyi Lake, and a performance was held, which Russian content creator Ira Nova called "spectacular".
Her impression was echoed by Lithuanian content creator Julia Bosianok, who described the river performance as "magical and very advanced".
"This show weaves dance, martial arts and history into the experience, giving me a real taste of local culture that you can't get from just watching the skyline," she said.
Egyptian content creator Ahmed Elseny, who has lived in China for eight years, shared his thoughts on his mission and the impressions of China's technological development.
"My mission is to act as a bridge, bringing the reality of China's technological leaps to my audience," Elseny said. He added that the precision engineering at the BYD factory and the powerful performance he experienced on the track are clear evidence of Chinese excellence.
"I'm thrilled to share these insights with my followers and highlight how brands like BYD are setting new benchmarks for the world," he noted.
"I loved learning about the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone and how it helps China manufacture, assemble and export the products so efficiently. In addition, the businesses that were established there, like the BYD factory. Its size really impressed me," Spanish vlogger Rodriguez Pascual Noelia said.
"It feels like stepping into the heart of old China — ancient yet surprisingly alive. I'm really hoping to see the real Henan next. The old streets, the local food, those grottoes everyone talks about, and I'm especially looking forward to going to Luoyang!" Nova said.
"I found Henan full of vitality and rapidly transforming into a modern, strong province, including advanced manufacturing. Especially after witnessing with my own eyes its role as an international railway hub connecting the world, I am more convinced that Zhengzhou and Henan are emerging as global centers," Choi Heon-kuy from NewsPim, a South Korea news and media agency, said.
Co-hosted by China Daily, the Information Office of the Henan Provincial Government, and Henan Daily, the tour leverages global voices to present a comprehensive, authentic image of Henan as both a cradle of Chinese civilization and a dynamic engine of modernization.
As part of the 2026 China Storyteller Partnerships Henan Tour, a delegation of foreign content creators and overseas journalists visited the Mixue headquarters in Zhengzhou for an immersive exploration of the Chinese national-trend beverage brand. Let's explore what they discovered during the tour.
A five-day storytelling event bringing together nearly a dozen international journalists and content creators kicked off in Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Monday, with participants sharing expectations for deeper firsthand engagement with Chinese culture, industry and new media trends during the trip.
The "Meet in Zhongyuan, Discover China Through Henan – 2026 China Storyteller Partnerships Henan Tour", which runs through Friday, is jointly organized by China Daily, the Information Office of the Henan Provincial Government, and Henan Daily.
Journalists, experts and content creators from countries including the United States, Luxembourg, Vietnam, South Korea, Spain, Russia, Lithuania and Egypt are taking part in the event.
According to organizers, the tour will take participants along two main routes across Henan — one tracing the backbone of China's manufacturing industry and technological innovation, and the other exploring the ancient capitals.
"The essence of China is held within the people and the culture they are eager to share, something that can only be appreciated through firsthand experience," said Thomas Jay Hopkins, who came to China about eight months ago.
Hopkins, a reporter with China Daily, also noted the rapid rise of China's micro-drama industry, describing it as an emerging media format distinct from traditional television and film. "It's a major economic driver right now, attracting huge audiences and generating substantial revenue," he said.
"I know AI is also widely used in micro-drama production, and this is definitely a growing trend," he added.
At the launch ceremony, some participants also shared their views on the use of artificial intelligence in media production.
Geoff Thompson, editor-in-chief of G-Media Sarl in Luxembourg, said he has instructed staff members to view AI as an aid but not to rely on it for writing tasks. "We can use AI translation tools like Google Translate just to understand reference materials," Thompson said."But when it comes to creating original content, we do not use AI, and we do not use any AI content generation tools."
"We launched the China Storyteller Partnerships in 2023 as a warm, vibrant home for content creators worldwide — a platform for foreign journalists, experts and social media creators who are passionate about China to share their stories," said Xing Zhigang, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily.
According to Xing, the partnership has since expanded into a network of members from nearly 50 countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkiye and Mexico.
Ping Ping, head of the Information Office of the Henan Provincial Government, described Henan as a province steeped in history with a strong economy. She said the province is eager to collaborate with international creators in telling authentic Henan stories to global audiences.
"Let foreign journalists, experts and content creators speak and see for themselves, so they can present an innovative, open and civilized Henan to the world," she said.
"My visit to Henan in 2024 was an eye-opener, both regarding the economy as well as cultural heritage," said Thompson, adding that he was excited to return and see how the province had changed.
Spanish vlogger Rodriguez Pascual Noelia, who has lived in China for six years, said this was her third visit to Henan.
"I'm really glad to be here, and eager to learn more about this ancient northern capital and the heritage of the Song Dynasty (960-1279)," she said. "I'm looking forward to exploring more about this province."
At the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province, conservation workers armed with geological radar, infrared detectors and 3D modeling technology are racing against time to preserve a great Chinese cultural treasure.
The carvings at this UNESCO World Heritage Site began in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and continued during the Western Wei Dynasty (535-556) to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960) period. The Longmen Grottoes is made up of more than 2,300 caves and niches and over 100,000 Buddhist statues. But after centuries of weathering, water seepage and microbial erosion, protecting the stone carvings has become an increasingly urgent task.
Today, the Longmen Grottoes is a vivid example of Henan's efforts to strengthen cultural heritage protection and ensure the continuity of Chinese civilization through both technological innovation and systematic preservation.
"Protection is the theme of cultural heritage work. It always comes first," said Yu Jie, Party secretary of the Longmen Grottoes Research Institute. He said that the responsibility of the institute is not only to preserve these treasures, but to pass them on and communicate their value to future generations.
In recent years, the institute has accelerated scientific conservation efforts. A new cultural relic protection technology center equipped with six specialized laboratories now supports research into rock weathering, seepage damage and microbial growth affecting the grottoes.
"We have shifted from primarily rescue-oriented protection to preventive and systematic protection," said Ma Chaolong, a specialist at the Grottoes Protection Research and Heritage Monitoring Center, Longmen Grottoes Research Institute.
At key sites such as Guyang Cave and the Binyang Caves, conservators have introduced upgraded anti-weathering materials and suspended scaffolding systems that minimize direct contact with the cliff walls during restoration work.
Researchers are applying advanced technologies including portable Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and geological radar for nondestructive analysis, while 3D printing technology has been used to reinforce cave structures.
Digital technology is also reshaping public access to the ancient site. The institute has completed high-precision 3D mapping of the grottoes and launched virtual reality cave tours, livestream programs and digital exhibitions, allowing audiences worldwide to experience Longmen online. Through digital exhibitions and online communication, the institute is making the cultural value of Longmen more visible and easier for students and children to understand.
Talent cultivation has become another major priority. In 2025, the institute recruited 17 new professionals specializing in fields such as materials science, chemistry and geology, marking the largest intake of technical talent in its history. Five additional doctoral candidates are being jointly trained with Zhengzhou University to strengthen the next generation of conservation specialists.
The preservation of Longmen Grottoes reflects broader efforts underway across Henan, one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. In recent years, the province has advanced the project tracing the origins of Chinese civilization while strengthening research and protection of oracle bone inscriptions, bronze culture and major archaeological sites. These include the Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC) city site and the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties Luoyang city site.
Henan has also worked to improve cultural relic protection regulations and promote the transformation of heritage preservation from "passive protection" to "active inheritance". This combines conservation with public education, digital communication and cultural innovation.
From the towering Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang to the oracle bone inscriptions of Anyang, Henan province is turning its profound historical legacy into a vibrant engine for tourism growth, cultural revival and public well-being.
As one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and home to the Yellow River ancient capitals cluster, Henan is leveraging heritage to build its national cultural tourism brand, while accelerating the integration of culture and tourism into a pillar industry that benefits both urban and rural communities.
Stretching along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, Henan served as the political and cultural heartland of ancient China. More than 20 dynasties established capitals in Henan, leaving behind monumental sites such as the Erlitou Ruins, believed to be the capital of the middle and late Xia Dynasty (c. 21st century-16th century BC), in Luoyang; the Shang Dynasty capital ruins in Zhengzhou; the Yinxu Ruins, the late Shang capital, in Anyang; and the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) capital in Kaifeng.
Today, these former capitals are no longer silent relics of the past. Through digital technologies, immersive performances, museum upgrades and heritage conservation projects, they are being transformed into dynamic cultural destinations attracting visitors from around the world.
Longmen Grottoes welcomed 8.51 million visitors in 2025 and is expected to receive more than 9 million this year. Benefiting from China's 10-day visa-free transit policy, the number of overseas visits to the site in 2025 has surged eightfold from 2024.
In Anyang, the Yinxu Ruins is home to China's earliest known writing system: jiaguwen, or oracle bone inscriptions. It has become a key destination for visitors seeking to explore the origins of Chinese civilization. Interactive exhibitions and live performances recreate Shang Dynasty rituals and storytelling traditions, bringing ancient history to life.
Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, one of China's earliest museums, has also become a major cultural landmark. Housing more than 170,000 artifacts, the museum showcases relics ranging from an 8,000-year-old bone flute to Shang bronze ware and Tang Dynasty treasures, offering visitors a panoramic view of Chinese civilization.
To strengthen the cultural tourism sector, Henan has rolled out a series of policies and development plans. Provincial authorities have issued guidelines for building Yellow River Ancient Capitals cultural tourism and introduced measures to stimulate tourism consumption and foster new cultural business models.
The province is also cultivating emerging sectors including immersive performances, digital cultural products and creative tourism experiences. Henan enterprises in cultural and related industries above designated size generated revenue of more than 224 billion yuan ($32.9 billion) in 2025, while the revenue of new cultural business formats reached 51.3 billion yuan with a year-on-year increase of 27.5 percent.
Tourism is increasingly becoming a source of employment and rural vitalization. From homestays and cultural workshops to intangible heritage performances and countryside tourism projects, local residents are finding new opportunities linked to the booming visitor economy.
Across the province, themed campaigns such as Henan, Where China Began and the 2025 Weibo Travel Night are helping traditional culture resonate with younger audiences and international travelers alike.
Henan has also strengthened its global outreach. In 2025 alone, the province hosted multiple international tourism and cultural promotion events and organized overseas marketing campaigns targeting key markets. The province received 935,000 overseas visits in 2025, up 60.5 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, new media platforms are amplifying Henan's appeal. Videos, livestreams and social media campaigns centered on archaeology, museums and ancient capitals have generated billions of online views, helping the province build a fresh and accessible cultural image.
For many visitors, traveling through Henan is not only a journey through ancient capitals but a way to understand the continuity of Chinese civilization. As heritage sites are revitalized and tourism development reaches deeper into communities, Henan is demonstrating how cultural preservation can generate economic vitality, enrich public life and strengthen cultural confidence.
fanzitong@chinadaily.com.cn
From offshore wind power and new energy vehicles to aerospace and shield tunneling machines, high-end bearings by Luoyang Bearing Group are replacing imported products in sectors once dominated by international manufacturers.
According to the China Bearing Industry Association, LYC has an irreplaceable role in the industrialization and self-supply of high-end equipment and major products in China. The company's rise mirrors the broader transformation underway across Central China's Henan province, where innovation-driven manufacturing and expanding global connectivity are reshaping one of China's industrial heartlands.
One of LYC's most notable achievements lies in wind power bearings. In the late 1990s, China's wind turbine bearings were heavily dependent on foreign suppliers. Today, LYC has emerged as a global leader in the sector.
According to Dong Hanjie, assistant general manager of LYC, its breakthrough came with the development of 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine main shaft bearings, regarded as a landmark achievement in China's wind power equipment industry. The product has been installed in the world's first mass-produced 16-MW offshore wind turbine platform and has withstood multiple typhoons during operation.
"When it comes to the manufacturing of main shaft bearings for 16-MW offshore wind turbines, we have gone from playing catch-up to keeping pace with the global leaders, and are now leading the way," said Dong.
According to the company, LYC now holds one of the world's largest market shares in wind turbine main bearings, while the market share of traditional foreign manufacturers in China has steadily declined.
The company has also made rapid advances in the booming new energy vehicle sector. Its wheel hub bearings are used in vehicles produced by leading Chinese automakers.
Inside its intelligent manufacturing workshops, fully automated production lines can complete a wheel hub bearing every 15 seconds, while digital inspection systems conduct real-time monitoring throughout the manufacturing process. Workers on the production floor are now primarily responsible for equipment maintenance and system management rather than traditional manual operations, reflecting the company's transition to intelligent manufacturing.
Dong said that engineers at LYC overcame key technical challenges involving low-friction torque and high-sealing performance. These are two critical but often conflicting requirements for improving vehicle energy efficiency and durability. The technological breakthrough helped the company quickly gain market recognition from domestic automakers including BYD.
In the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, or ZAEZ, just over 100 kilometers from Luoyang, BYD's massive production base has become another example of Henan's manufacturing upgrade. Rows of newly assembled electric vehicles continuously roll off production lines before being transported via the China-Europe freight train service, sea and highways to overseas markets including Central Asia.
The rapid rise of the Automobile City in the ZAEZ highlights Henan's role in China's new energy vehicle supply chain. Supported by an increasingly complete industrial ecosystem covering batteries, auto parts, logistics and smart manufacturing, the province is accelerating the formation of advanced manufacturing clusters.
Henan's strategic location at the intersection of several major transport corridors has also strengthened its role as a national logistics hub. The ZAEZ's new energy vehicle export distribution center adopts dedicated channels, China-Europe Railway Express services and one-stop customs clearance. It has shortened the export lead time of complete BYD vehicles to Europe to 12 days, a cut of over 40 percent.
From high-end bearings to electric vehicles, Henan is steadily building a more innovation-driven industrial structure. Official data show the province's industrial economy has maintained steady growth momentum in recent years, with advanced manufacturing and strategic emerging industries becoming key growth drivers.
In 2025, the province's industrial value added from enterprises above designated size grew by 8.4 percent year-on-year.
The province has also intensified efforts to build smart factories, digital workshops and green manufacturing systems. Enterprises are increasingly integrating industrial internet platforms, big data and artificial intelligence technologies into production processes to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Products manufactured in Henan are now reaching global markets through a growing network of open platforms, including Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, bonded zones and cross-border e-commerce channels.
From giant bearings supporting offshore wind turbines to smart factories producing next-generation electric vehicles, Henan's industrial transformation offers a vivid illustration of how China's inland provinces are moving from traditional manufacturing toward innovation-led, globally connected development.
fanzitong@chinadaily.com.cn
A general swears an oath to his troops: anyone who tramples the wheat will die. Moments later, his own horse bolts, flattening the precious stalks. The stage — dark, charged — holds its breath. To honor his word without sacrificing his life, the warlord Cao Cao draws his sword, seizes his hair, and slices. In ancient China, cutting one's hair was almost as shameful as losing one's head. With that single gesture, 1,800 years collapse. For a moment, the boundary between stage and history blurs. The field beneath Cao Cao's feet is no longer a set; it feels real.
This is Echoes of Guandu: Where Wheat Whispers History, a 35-minute play staged on the very battlefield where history once pivoted. It's one of nearly 800 minutes of back-to-back daily performances at "Unique Henan: Land of Dramas", a dizzying complex of 21 theaters and 56 interlocking spaces in Zhengzhou, the capital of Central China's Henan province. This is the kind of place where stories don't simply unfold — they sit down beside you and stay with you forever.
Outside the entrance, visitors first encounter a seven-hectare field that changes with the seasons- red sorghum one season, golden wheat the next- stretching before a 328-meter-long rammed-earth wall. Walk through the gate, and the theater's grid spaces open up. Inside, history does not sit quietly behind glass. It erupts from the stage, rises from the earth and whispers from the seat beside the viewers.
Performers shout in Chinese, and few foreign visitors follow every word. Yet many walk out with tears in their eyes.
"It's difficult for overseas students to fully understand the performances, but they really put thought into following the stories," said Bian Ting, a Chinese-Spanish educator who runs a Mandarin language school in Spain.
She visited the Unique Henan theater complex for the second time after having brought her students there last year. "It makes history come alive for them," she said.
Bian was part of a tour group of about 40 overseas Chinese school leaders on a weeklong inspection of international study travel offerings last month.
The group visited the theater complex and other cultural sites to explore potential study-tour collaborations.
Opened in 2021, the Unique Henan theater complex is unlike most attractions that draw overseas visitors. In the interlocking grid spaces and theaters — one of the largest theater clusters in China — wheat seeds rain down as villagers tell stories of famine and survival, while railway workers sprint across tracks that seem to extend into the audience.
Many described it as a place where they feel history rather than simply learn it.
This captivating world was brought to life by Wang Chaoge, a director known for creating immersive performances tailored to tourist destinations across China. By the end of 2025, the complex had logged more than 58 million visits.
Liu Kaipeng, the complex's brand director, said that more than 80 percent of visitors come from outside Henan, and people from over 50 countries and regions have visited the site.
Liu said the site is actively removing barriers for international visitors. "We now offer multilingual directional signage and optimized payment systems. Next, we will work with overseas influencers to help visitors from all cultural backgrounds understand Central China's culture," he said.
For now, overseas Chinese visitors are spreading the word themselves.
"This theater truly provides an immersive experience. It has deepened my affection for the land of Henan," said Apple Rouse, vice-president of the US-based Chinese American Youth Association, who returned to Henan after more than two decades. "As an overseas Chinese, I feel deeply proud of how China has developed."
For Hardy Wang Haoyu, vice-president of the Canada-based North American Youth Federation, the experience reshaped his thinking about identity.
"After three decades overseas, I've come to see China not just as our path back, but sometimes as our way forward. Some of the answers we're looking for may actually lie in China," he said. "For those of us living deep in the West, bridging two worlds, China can be a solution to the challenges we face."
Qi Xin in Zhengzhou contributed to this story.
No knowledge of Chinese is required to be moved at "Unique Henan · Land of Dramas". The theater complex in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, features 21 theaters, 56 interlocking spaces and nearly 800 minutes of nonstop performances each day.
A seven-hectare wheat field serves as a central prop, while a 328-meter-long rammed-earth wall frames the space and history unfolds around visitors through immersive staging.
Watch the video to experience "Unique Henan".
Henan province made new achievements in economic and social development while taking new steps in modernization during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–25).
In the early 1950s, Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang stood before a niche on the southern wall of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave at the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan province.
For a long moment, he gazed at a statue of a bodhisattva whose face had long been destroyed. Yet, what he saw was not ruin, but a spirit of grace that reminded him of the line "Startled swan, roaming dragon" from Cao Zhi's (192-232) Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River.
That year, the statue inspired Mei's opera, The Goddess of the Luo River.
Today, more than seven decades later, groups of young students make their way to the grottoes site, where they wear virtual reality headsets and enter the cave where the statue stands. They see not only the fragmented beauty that moved Mei, but also a digital restoration of a face erased by time.
These experiences are just a glimpse of what awaits study tour participants at Longmen Grottoes, one of China's largest cave temple complexes and a UNESCO World Heritage site that represents "the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art".
"We don't just bring cultural relics to life," says Ma Jialun, a representative of the cave site. "We want every participant to become a carrier of civilization."
Under professional guidance, visitors shape their own clay Buddha figures in art workshops and paint patterns from the grottoes' lotus-flower ceilings onto silk fans, brushstroke by brushstroke.
The programs at Longmen Grottoes are part of Luoyang's broader efforts to immerse visitors in a tangible experience of its history and culture hidden in its abundant museums and UNESCO World Heritage sites.
In late March in Beijing, Luoyang unveiled five study tours focused on archaeological exploration, Yellow River culture, and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, aiming to appeal to travelers' cultural curiosity and enthusiasm.
"Beijing and Luoyang are both among the eight great ancient capitals of China," says Zhang Xu, an official from the Luoyang municipal bureau of culture, radio, television, and tourism.
Luoyang encourages travelers to explore the roots of Chinese civilization across the ruins of five ancient capital cities, explore 112 museums, and witness three UNESCO World Heritage sites.
"The city is a living museum of Chinese history," he notes.
Luoyang has established more than 100 study bases offering over 1,600 courses covering a wide range of topics, forming a comprehensive spectrum of information from the dawn of civilization to modern technology.
For the upcoming season, the city has prepared 900 tour routes tailored to meet the diverse needs of study travelers.
With multiple ancient emperors having paid homage here, the Longmen Grottoes have been systematically developing study tour activities since September 2021, transforming the weight of history into hands-on educational programs.
For adults, the site invites scholars to lead participants into the caves for on-site academic exchanges alongside its own experts, while senior guides provide up-close art appreciation. "Visitors find it unforgettable and immersive when they watch experts engage in live scholarly debate," Ma notes.
For younger students, experience and creation are emphasized. Thirteen original courses cover areas including technology and intangible cultural heritage. One particularly inventive program uses 3D-printing technology to create 1:1 replicas of relief carvings and inscribed stelae, allowing students to experience traditional rubbing techniques firsthand.
"As students brush and press, they capture the details of the Longmen Grottoes' content," he explains.
If the Longmen Grottoes are a brilliant jewel in Luoyang's historical crown, the city's museums form a three-dimensional narrative of "what makes China".
At the Erlitou Site Museum of the Xia Capital, visitors can explore the origins of Chinese civilization through more than 30 courses.
A course on the path of technological innovation in Xia Dynasty (c.21st century-16th century BC) handicrafts is offered for visitors to vicariously feel what it's like to be Xia artisans, as they try their hand at pottery, bronze casting, and turquoise inlay, recommends Yang Kexin, a representative from Luoyang's cultural and museum system.
"Visitors can gain an intuitive understanding of the innovative spirit that has been part of the Chinese nation since ancient times," Yang says.
At the Luoyang Museum, the summer Little Museum Specialist series turns students into docents, restorers, cultural creative designers, and curators.
"Through immersive, task-driven activities, they evolve from visitors into inheritors," Yang explains.
For those interested in ancient mystic sacrificial rituals, the Luoyang Museum of Ancient Tombs takes them underground, with courses on murals and brick carvings that reveal ancient views on life and death.
The relatively new Han-Wei Luoyang Ancient City Site Museum, which opened last year, allows students to walk the Silk Road through a specially designed study guide that evokes a time when Luoyang was a Silk Road's eastern terminus.
It leads them through the museum's galleries with a series of tasks: locating artifacts that traveled from distant lands, including a Byzantine gold coin, Persian silverware and Western glassware; tracing trade routes on a map; and imagining the crowded streets of Tongtuo (copper camel) Street, the city's main boulevard, where foreign merchants once gathered.
Inside the museum, a digital exhibition brings that lost world into view. Developed by Harvard University's CAMLab, the immersive installation uses holographic projection and 3D modeling to reconstruct the ancient capital. The museum also offers hands-on experiences beyond the screen. Participants can try their hand at simulated archaeological digs or piece together replica eave tiles.
Beyond these core venues, specialized museums offer their own experiences. At the Sui-Tang Dynasties Grand Canal Cultural Museum, visitors become part of the waterway in an immersive theater program where they are cast as merchants or boatmen traveling the artificial waterway that once connected Beijing to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.
Visitors can also try their hand at Tang Dynasty (618-907) three-color glazed pottery at the Luoyang Sancai Art Museum, where skilled craftsmen guide them through the entire production process.
"A museum is a great school," Yang says, encouraging visitors to measure history with their footsteps in Luoyang.
For those who want to understand not just how China's civilization was shaped but how its modern industry was built, there is China YTO. Founded in 1955, this leading agricultural and construction machinery manufacturer exposes visitors to a grittier side of the city's story.
"Young people can understand the struggle and pride of an era among gears and steel," says Guo Yushi, from the company's Dongfanghong industrial tourism program.
Stories about the first female tractor driver in China and the major pioneers who built the industry from nothing will be shared. A bus tour then passes the well-preserved Soviet-style buildings before arriving at the advanced assembly line for large-wheel tractors, where one tractor rolls off every three minutes.
Thirty percent of China's tractors are produced here, and they have been exported to more than 150 countries, Guo notes.
Hands-on activities include a clay tractor workshop and a tractor assembly model class, she recommends.
Zhang Nan, a representative of Beijing's travel industry, observes that a rising number of students across the country have opted for study tours.
Experts attribute the trend to a shift in expectations, as parents and educators no longer want passive sightseeing; they seek destinations where young people can touch, make and ask.
"The universal feedback is that the destinations that truly move people are those that explain culture thoroughly and make the experience profound," Zhang Nan explains.
Luoyang has stood out as a top destination, she adds.
"Luoyang's history is not a cold display but a living scene in which you can participate," she says.
ZHENGZHOU -- China's first one-million-cubic-meter-level salt cavern hydrogen storage demonstration project has been officially put into operation in Pingdingshan, Central Henan province, marking a new phase of industrialization for the country's hydrogen energy chain.
"Salt cavern hydrogen storage is a key technology to break the bottleneck of large-scale hydrogen storage and transportation, and to support the construction of a new energy system," said Yang Chunhe, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, at the commissioning ceremony of the project on Saturday.
The project was conducted based on the high-quality salt rock resources of a gas storage and salt chemistry company under the China Pingmei Shenma. Its key technological breakthroughs were led by the Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the participation of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) in design and construction.
The project aims to create a salt cavern with a water-soluble volume exceeding 30,000 cubic meters and achieve a hydrogen storage capacity of 1.5 million standard cubic meters, said Liang Wuxing, deputy chief economist of China Pingmei Shenma.
At present, the project uses two compressors to inject hydrogen at a pressure of 15 MPa and a rate of 2,000 standard cubic meters per hour.
"The project has verified the long-term sealing capacity and engineering feasibility of hydrogen storage in layered salt rocks," said Yang.
The engineers of the project pledged to explore new pathways for the large-scale utilization of hydrogen power, and actively promote diversified application scenarios such as hydrogen-blended natural gas, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks, and hydrogen-fired boilers.
In a quiet corner of a cultural and creative park in Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan province, a special restaurant offers more than cuisine from Taiwan — it serves a sense of belonging and acts as a bridge connecting hearts across the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Opened in 2024 by Lan Wen-chuan, 46, a native of Yilan county, Taiwan, the restaurant, Daodao Guilai, carries deep emotional significance.
"It holds my longing for my hometown," Lan said.
Lan's mother is originally from Luohe, Henan. Her parents have run a restaurant in Taiwan for many years — a connection she only fully understood after traveling to Zhengzhou more than two decades ago on a work assignment.
"My family saw it not as leaving home, but as coming back," she said.
After years of running an online business and experiencing life in Henan, Lan decided to open the restaurant after hearing friends from Taiwan and Zhengzhou say the city lacked authentic Taiwan flavors.
Drawing on her family's experience in the restaurant business, she set out to create a space that felt like home.
Upon entering the restaurant, guests are greeted by decor that captures the essence of Taiwan, including retro radios, old posters and hand-painted wall art.
"I wanted every detail to tell a story of shared memories," Lan said.
The menu features Taipei-style braised pork rice, oyster omelette, beef noodles, three-cup chicken and shrimp crackers. Lan even returned to her hometown to study from more than a dozen night market stalls to perfect her oyster omelette.
"One of my happiest moments is hearing a parent say their picky child finished a whole bowl of braised pork rice," she said.
The restaurant has become a gathering place for young people from Taiwan living in Henan. Lan said she hopes to help newcomers adjust to life on the mainland — from applying for residence permits and medical insurance to offering career advice.
She encouraged people from Taiwan to experience the mainland firsthand.
"Don't understand the world only through what you hear. Come and see it with your own eyes," she said.
Lan said that many young visitors from Taiwan are surprised by the convenience of delivery apps and the pace of development.
"What they see is completely different from what they heard back home," she said.
Xu Chu-qiao, 24, from Kaohsiung, started working at the restaurant after graduating from Zhengzhou University.
"For me, coming to the Chinese mainland to study and work is also a process of broadening my horizons," Xu said. "It's best if you come and see for yourself — that's the only way to truly experience and understand."
A plaque displayed prominently on the restaurant wall reads: "People on both sides of the Strait are one family."
Hsi Yun-lung, a diner born in New Taipei, said the familiar elements remind him of home.
"It feels like being back in my hometown. Being able to eat these dishes in Zhengzhou is truly special," he said.
For Lan, food is the most natural bridge.
"Many dishes from Taiwan originated on the mainland and developed their own character, much like simplified and traditional Chinese characters. Different in form, but the same at heart," she said.
Contact the writers at qixin@chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese people at home and abroad gathered together at the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor in Xinzheng, Central China's Henan province, on Sunday, sharing cultural identity among all Chinese people.
Dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC), the ritual carries on a tradition spanning more than 2,500 years.
This year's ceremony followed the nine standardized procedures recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
Along with the rituals, online worship events were held to allow global participation and interaction, according to the Henan Daily.
The annual ceremony has grown into a landmark cultural event for Chinese communities worldwide, acting as a spiritual bond connecting Chinese at home and abroad.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Henan Entrepreneurs Convention took place on Saturday in Zhengzhou, Henan province, with the theme "New Development of Henan, New Opportunities".
Nearly 600 delegates, including representatives from China's Top 500 enterprises, industry leaders, and investment institutions, attended the event.
Liu Ning, secretary of the Communist Party of China Henan Provincial Committee, addressed the opening ceremony, saying Henan has deeply integrated into the Belt and Road Initiative and RCEP cooperation, coordinating air, land and sea silk routes to help companies connect to global markets and embed themselves in global industrial and supply chains, truly achieving "buy globally, sell globally".
At the same time, the province continues to build a better business environment to support the long-term growth of Henan merchants, Liu added.
Song Youju, chairman of Shenzhen SROD Industrial Group, and a native of Dengzhou, Nanyang city, Henan, said, "We are witnessing the province's improving business environment and strong support for returning Henan entrepreneurs."
Founded in 2009, the company is a national-level "Little Giant" enterprise specializing in embodied intelligent special-purpose robots for confined spaces.
The company provides intelligent inspection and customized solutions for specialized robotics industries, with a focus on emergency safety.
"Rooted in our hometown bond, we sincerely call on Henan business leaders to unite and seek shared growth," Song said.
In spring, Luoyang in Henan province moves at a gentler pace. Peonies bloom in succession — never loud, yet effortlessly elegant. Since the Sui and Tang (581-907) dynasties, the city and its famed flower have been deeply intertwined, shaping a cultural legacy of grace and refinement. Each blossom feels like a quiet page of history opening in the spring light.
The ongoing "Peony Capital" Global Al Creators Competition, hosted in Luoyang, Henan province, invites Al creators worldwide to submit digital artworks centered on the city's culture.
The competition seeks to explore new pathways for the modern expression of traditional culture and build an internationally influential platform for Al creative exchange.
