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Voykit pocket guide · China
Ruzhou
汝州
Give Ruzhou one full day: Ru porcelain and the Confucian Temple in the morning, Fengxue Temple in the afternoon. Two nights if you add Jiufeng Mountain.
Ruzhou is a county-level city in West Henan, run by Pingdingshan, about 1,400 years old and named after the North Ruhe River. It is the home kiln of Ru porcelain, the finest of the Song-era wares, and holds a temple complex and pagoda forest that most Henan itineraries skip. Sights sit 10-20 km apart, so a car or taxi day beats buses. One night covers the core; two nights if you want the mountains.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 汝州
- Best months
- Apr-May, Sep-Oct
- Avoid
- Jul-Aug (heat and heavy rain), Jan-Feb (cold, sparse snow)
- Stay
- 1-2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200-350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350-600 excl. bed · High ¥600+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ¥15-30 |
| Noodle soup (braised noodles) | ¥12-25 |
| Local eight-bowls set meal | ¥40-80 |
| Beer: draught in a restaurant / can at a shop | ¥10-20 / ¥4-8 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | ¥8-12 |
| City bus ride | ¥1 (several lines free) |
| Fengxue Temple entry | ¥30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CGO · Zhengzhou Xinzheng International
- High-speed rail to Zhengzhou then onward to Pingdingshan or Luoyang; check connections
- LYA · Luoyang Beijiao
- Closest airport; about 1.5-2 h by road to Ruzhou
Typical fares
- Taxi flagfall
- ¥5 for 2 km (1.2 mi), then ¥1/km, night surcharge after 22:00¥5 for 2 km (1.2 mi), then ¥1/km, night surcharge after 10:00 PM¥5 for 1.2 mi (2 km), then ¥1/km, night surcharge after 22:00¥5 for 1.2 mi (2 km), then ¥1/km, night surcharge after 10:00 PM
- City bus
- ¥1 on paid routes; several routes free
- Shared e-bike
- ¥2 per 30 minutes
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
City buses run 06:20-18:00 (winter to about 17:30); several lines are free, paid routes cost ¥1. Taxis start at ¥5 for 2 km (1.2 mi), then ¥1/km, with a night and Spring Festival surcharge. Shared bikes and e-bikes cost ¥1-2 per 30 minutes. Fengxue Temple, Jiufeng Mountain and the kiln sites need a taxi or car.City buses run 6:20 AM-6:00 PM (winter to about 5:30 PM); several lines are free, paid routes cost ¥1. Taxis start at ¥5 for 2 km (1.2 mi), then ¥1/km, with a night and Spring Festival surcharge. Shared bikes and e-bikes cost ¥1-2 per 30 minutes. Fengxue Temple, Jiufeng Mountain and the kiln sites need a taxi or car.City buses run 06:20-18:00 (winter to about 17:30); several lines are free, paid routes cost ¥1. Taxis start at ¥5 for 1.2 mi (2 km), then ¥1/km, with a night and Spring Festival surcharge. Shared bikes and e-bikes cost ¥1-2 per 30 minutes. Fengxue Temple, Jiufeng Mountain and the kiln sites need a taxi or car.City buses run 6:20 AM-6:00 PM (winter to about 5:30 PM); several lines are free, paid routes cost ¥1. Taxis start at ¥5 for 1.2 mi (2 km), then ¥1/km, with a night and Spring Festival surcharge. Shared bikes and e-bikes cost ¥1-2 per 30 minutes. Fengxue Temple, Jiufeng Mountain and the kiln sites need a taxi or car.
See and do
Known for
- Ru porcelain kiln sites
- Fengxue Temple and its pagoda forest
- Ruzhou Confucian Temple and Ru Tie calligraphy
- Jiufeng Mountain scenic area
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fengxue Temple and Pagoda Forest | Taxi or car from the city centre, about 11 km (6.8 mi) via Shuangyong Road and Guliang AvenueTaxi or car from the city centre, about 6.8 mi (11 km) via Shuangyong Road and Guliang Avenue | About 30-40 min each way |
| Jiufeng Mountain scenic area | Car or taxi to Mailing Town, about 25 km (16 mi) south; shuttle buses run from the city, check timesCar or taxi to Mailing Town, about 16 mi (25 km) south; shuttle buses run from the city, check times | About 1 h each way |
| Ruzhou Guipo (Strange Slope) | Bus route 7 or a taxi, about 9 km (5.6 mi) northeast of the centreBus route 7 or a taxi, about 5.6 mi (9 km) northeast of the centre | About 30 min |
| Luoyang | High-speed or conventional rail via Pingdingshan or Zhengzhou; check connections | About 2-3 h |
Sleep
- Wangsong Square and Zhongda Street
- City centre: pedestrian street, buses, taxis, most hotels and food within walking distance.
- Ruzhou Station area
- Chaoyang Middle Road east; practical for a late arrival or early departure, quieter at night.
- Rudong New District (Danyang Lake)
- Newer hotels near Danyang Lake; needs a taxi for everything else.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| To this address, please | 请到这个地址qǐng dào zhège dìzhǐ |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Sights are spread 10-20 km apart; without a car, budget taxi fares and confirm the return trip.
- Some kiln and archaeological sites are open ground with little signage; check locally before travelling.
- Summer brings concentrated rain and 30 °C-plus heat; spring is dry.
- Bus and taxi hotlines are Chinese-language only; have your destination written in Chinese.
Ruzhou is a low-crime county-level city; the real risks are road traffic, unlit archaeological sites and summer heat. Keep to lit streets at night and agree taxi fares or use the meter.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ruzhou yet. Suggested stay: 1-2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ru porcelain kiln sites
- Fengxue Temple and its pagoda forest
- Ruzhou Confucian Temple and Ru Tie calligraphy
- Jiufeng Mountain scenic area
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ruzhou Municipal Government: www.ruzhou.gov.cn/
- Wikivoyage: Ruzhou, revision 5203481 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5203481
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Ruzhou汝州
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Ruzhou; most countries keep embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Zhengzhou or Shanghai. US citizens: American Citizen Services at the Beijing embassy.
Show your hotel's Chinese name and address to taxi drivers; English is rare outside hotels.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/ruzhou). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.