History

The history of Shangqiu ("Hills of Shang") is closely related to the very beginning of Chinese history. The tradition dates back to the Three August Ones and Five Emperors periods (c. 25th century BC), when the legendary Emperors Shennong, Zhuanxu and Ku were said to be living in the present Shangqiu area. The son of Emperor Ku, Qi (契), who helped Yu the Great to control floods, was enfeoffed the area of Shang, who also became the ancestor of the ancient Shang. Shangqiu was also reportedly one of the capitals defended by the Xia emperor Xiang, troubled by rebellions in his reign. The thirteenth generation grandson of Qi (契), Tang overthrew the ruling Xia dynasty and founded the Shang dynasty, with its first capital at Nanbo (南亳, south of Shangqiu). Around the 11th century BC, the Shang dynasty was replaced by the Zhou dynasty. The royal descendants of the Shang dynasty were enfeoffed the area of Shangqiu, which later became the state of Song.

The Song capital, known as Suiyang, was located at present-day Nanguan (南关) in the south of Shangqiu's urban area. The Song was a major power during the Spring and Autumn era, but declined during the Warring States era and eventually fell to the Qi and Wei in 286 BC. In the Han dynasty, Suiyang served as the capital of the Liang Kingdom. King Xiao of Liang (r. 169 BC – 144 BC) stayed loyal to the Emperor Jing of Han in the Rebellion of the Seven States, during which a failed siege of Suiyang caused the collapse of the main rebel army. The king was also a famous patron of arts and literature who hosted some of the best known Han poets, such as Zhuang Ji and Sima Xiangru, in the Liang capital.

From the Cao Wei dynasty to the early Sui dynasty, Suiyang was the seat of Liang Commandery (梁郡). It became the seat of Song Prefecture (Songzhou) in 596 AD. During the An Lushan rebellion in the Tang dynasty, a ten-month-long siege of Suiyang in 757 turned the tide of the war to the Tang's favor.

Before he ascended to the imperial throne as the Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin was the jiedushi (military governor) of Guidejun (歸德軍), a region centered in Songzhou. Thus, he chose "Song" as the name of the new dynasty he founded in 960. The city was the southern capital of the Northern Song dynasty under the name Nanjing. Shangqiu was the first in a series of temporary capitals that the Song Dynasty government moved to during their retreat from the north, when most of northern China had been conquered by the Jurchens in the Jin–Song wars. The Song court had retreated south to the city from their original capital in Kaifeng, after it was captured by the Jurchens in the Jingkang Incident of 1127. The court moved to Shangqiu because of its historical importance to Emperor Taizu. The symbolism of the city was meant to secure the political legitimacy of the new Emperor Gaozong, who was crowned emperor of China in Shangqiu on June 12, 1127. The capital was again moved in 1128 to Yangzhou, and finally to Hangzhou in 1129. In the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Shangqiu was governed as Guide Prefecture (歸德府). The current name appeared in 1545, when a new Shangqiu County was created to administer the city and its surrounding areas.

climate

Shangqiu is located at the junction of Henan Province, Shandong Province, Jiangsu Province and Anhui province. It has a warm temperate sub-humid monsoon climate with four distinct seasons, sufficient light, mild climate and moderate rainfall. The spring is warm and windy, the summer is hot and rainy, the autumn is cool and the sunshine is long, and the winter is cold and less rain and snow. The annual average temperature here is about 14℃, the annual average sunshine duration is 2200-2400 hours, the annual precipitation is about 700 mm, and the frost-free period is between 207-214 days. The best time to visit is spring and autumn.

By train

Shangqiu is one of the large railway hubs in China. The Longhai Railway (Lianyungang - Lanzhou), Jingjiu Railway (Beijing - Kowloon), Xulan High-speed Railway (Xuzhou - Lanzhou) and the under-construction Shanghang High-speed Railway (Shangqiu - Hangzhou) pass Shangqiu. Shangqiu has railway connections to nearly all major cities in China.

Shangqiu has two railway stations. When you ride a train, be careful about which station you should go, because the distance between the two stations is 8 km and can take you more than 30 minutes by bus or 15 minutes by taxi from one station to the other.

🌍 Shangqiu Railway Station (商丘火车站), Zhanqian Road, Liangyuan District. The main railway station in Shangqiu. On the Longhai and Xulan High-speed Railway. (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Shangqiu South Railway Station (商丘南站), Nanjing Road, Liangyuan District. The relatively smaller railway station in Shangqiu. Mainly serves the train along Jingjiu Railway. (updated Apr 2019)

By bus

Long-distance buses arrive Shangqiu frequently from nearby major cities such as Zhengzhou and Xuzhou and smaller cities such as Zhoukou, Bozhou, Heze and Kaifeng. You can buy a ticket from the long-distance bus station or wave to the passby buses on their route.

🌍 Shangqiu Central Bus Station (商丘中心汽车站, 303汽车站), Zhanqian Road, Liangyuan District. Just across the Zhanqian Road from Shangqiu Railway Station. The first choice for passengers to transfer from train to bus. (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Shangqiu Main Bus Station (商丘客运总站), Kaixuan Road, Liangyuan District. The older long-distance bus station. (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Shangqiu Wanli Bus Station (商丘万里汽车站), Zhongzhou Road, Liangyuan District. Local buses service to nearby small cities and towns. (updated Apr 2019)

By bus

All the long-distance bus stations serve to the counties under the administration of Shangqiu.

City bus service is available in Liangyuan and Suiyang districts. Majority of the bus routes pass Shangqiu Railway Station, so it is nearly possible to go to any places with only one transfer there. But miserably, there is a lacking of direct bus routes for the same area in the city. Therefore, even two places are on the same side of the city, you still have to go to downtown to transfer at the railway station.

By taxi

By bicycle

Shared bicycles are available across downtown and major towns in counties.

Downtown

🌍 The Ancient City of Shangqiu (商丘古城). The origin of Shangqiu and has a history of over 4,000 years. The present buildings on the ground were mainly built in Ming Dynasty, and most of the buildings before Ming Dynasty are buried because of flooding of the Yellow River. It is surrounded by moat called Southern Lake (南湖). The main attractions include City Wall (城墙), Gongyang Gate (拱阳门), Gongchen Gate (拱辰门), Zhangxun Temple (张巡祠), Yingtian Academy (应天书院), Zhanghui Hall (壮悔堂) and Mu's Siheyuan (穆氏四合院). (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Ebo Temple (火神台). The temple that sacrifices the god of fire, who is also the ancestry of Shang's people. The name of "Shangqiu" origins from here (Shang = Shang's people; Qiu = small hill, where this temple is built). (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Shangqiu Museum (商丘博物馆). The main museum of Shangqiu. Introduce the history of Shangqiu. (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Zhang Xun Memorial Temple (张巡祠), ☏ +86 370-6099989. Located at the south gate of the ancient city of Shangqiu, it was built in memory of Zhang Xun, the hero who was martyred to defend Suiyang in the "An Shi Rebellion". The hall was built in 1990, covering an area of 40,700 square meters, 370 meters long from north to south, 100 meters wide from east to west, from south to north for the square area, building area and cemetery garden area three parts, the whole building is magnificent, majestic, is the central Plains area of the largest imitation Tang architecture. ¥100. (updated Sep 2023)

Inner suburbs

🌍 Huanghegudao National Forest Park (黄河故道国家森林公园). The Yellow River flew through here before 1855. Now it is a popular recreation area for all Shangqiu citizens. (updated Apr 2019)

Outer suburbs and counties

🌍 Mangdang Mountain (芒砀山), Yongcheng. The only natural hills in Shangqiu, with the highest altitude of 156.8 meters. Clustered tombs of the kings of State of Liang in Han Dynasty. Many delicacy cultural relics were excavated and reserved in the museum nearby and Henan Museum in Zhengzhou. (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Homeland of Mulan (木兰故里), Yucheng. The homeland of Hua Mulan (花木兰). (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Homeland of Zhuangzi (庄子故里), Minquan. The homeland of Zhuangzi (庄子). (updated Apr 2019)

🌍 Fengcheng Lake (凤城湖), Sui County. The county seat of Sui County before Qing Dynasty, flooded by the Yellow River and became a lake. Good resort place for citizens in Sui County. The tomb of Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) is on the island of the lake. (updated Apr 2019)