新乡市

Why this place

Xinxiang is on the north bank of the Yellow River, and its Huixian county grows rice that is fed by the river's silt — one of the northernmost rice-growing areas in China. Behind the city the Taihang Mountains rise abruptly, with the Wansian cliff path and the Guoliang tunnel road cut by hand through the rock.

What to see

• The Guoliang tunnel road, cut through the cliff by villagers in the 1970s — and the village on top
• Wansian Mountain and the Bailong cave
• The Yellow River floodplain and its rice fields
• The Zhengzhou Yellow River scenic area, an hour away

What to eat

• Yuanyang rice, from the Yellow River silt plain — genuinely good
• Henan noodles and the local stewed lamb

Best time

April–May and September–October