I recently scanned three China travel guides for information about Zhengzhou and here’s what I learned: It’s definitely not a tourist site.
The Lonely Planet guide describes Zhengzhou as a “rapidly modernizing smog-filled metropolis with few relics from its ancient past (courtesy of the Japanese air force, which bombed the city flat).’’ DK Eyewitness Travel calls the city “a stopover en route to Kaifeng, Luoyang and the Shaolin Temple.’’ And National Geographic Travelers doesn’t even mention Zhengzhou in its 400-page guide. Not exactly Disneyland. Or Shanghai.
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I’ve also learned that Henan University of Technology is in Zhengzhou’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone in the northwest part of the city. These high-tech zones, spread throughout China, are basically mini-cities designed to attract cutting-edge companies and research facilities. They also attract universities like Henan, which built a new campus in the zone. (The old campus is in a different part of town.) According to Wikipedia, the library, gym and science building on the new campus are “grand, magnificent and spectacular. They match each other well in radiance and beauty, giving a unique style and an elegant taste to the university.’’ Sounds like that was written by a school publicist – or maybe the Zhengzhou Chamber of Commerce.
