With the establishment of the first Yellow River dam - Sanmenxia Key Water Control Project in 1957, Sanmenxia city was built up as a newly industrial and tourist city on the ancient Shanzhou relics. According to the legend that King Yu tamed the flood and hacked the mountain into three gorges- human gate, god gate and ghost gate, Sanmenxia city obtains the name. Today, Sanmenxia city has become the economic, communicational, cultural center at the junction of Henan, Shanxi,Shaanxi provinces. 
Facts of Sanmenxia
Chinese Name: 三门峡 (sān mén xiá)
Population: 2,218,000  
Area: 10,496 square kilometers (4,053 square miles)
Nationalities: Han, Hui
Administrative Division: 1 district (Hubin); 3counties (Mianchi, Shanxian, Lushi); 2 county-level city (Yima, Lingbao) 
Seat of the City Government: No.47, Xiaoshan Zhong Lu, Hubin District,Sanmenxia City

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History of Sanmenxia
Sanmenxia city is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Five or six thousand years ago, large clan tribes arose here. According to the legend, Yu the Great, the ancient hero of controlling torrential flood in prehistoric time, slipped up the high mountain into three gorges. Hence the city gained its name of Sanmenxia (three gate gorges). As an important headstream of Chinese civilization, it was the central region of the Xia (21st - 16th century BC) and Shang (16th - 11th century BC) dynasties. Shanxian was established in the northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), part of the northern Dynasty (186-581), and continued into the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

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What to see in Sanmenxia?
Located in the west of Henan Province , Sanmenxia City is seated at the convergence of the Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. Within the province, it neighbors Luoyang in the east and Nanyang in the south. The city is also bounded on the west by Shangluo and Weinan of Shaanxi Province. In the north, it is separated from Shanxi Province by the Yellow River.  Sanmenxia City with mountains and hills makes up over ninety percent of the city's total territory. Mountain ranges fall and rise, forming gullies all over the city.
Sanmenxie city has six National key cultural relics protection sites and twenty-five provincial level sites and libraries which collect over 70,000 pieces of cultural relics.
The three excavations ,ruins of Yangshaocun Cul-ture , Miaodigou Culture relicts, Shangyang city relicts and the tomb of Guo state, are concluded into the 100 archaeological discoveries of the 20th century in China.

Hanguguan Pass	Sanmenxia Dam	Yellow River Wetland Park
Yangshao Grand Canyon	Yuxi Grand Canyon	Shanzhou Silo-cave

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How to get to Sanmenxia?
The traffic of Sanmenxia city is conveinient, the Longhai railway and Lianhuo highway traversing from east to west, 310 and 209 national highway intersecting in vertical and horizontal and it cost only 1 hour from the zhengzhou west station to xi 'an or Zhengzhou by the high speed passenger special railway line.Sanmenxia Yellow River highway bridge and the Sanyun highway connect Shanxi province and Henan province, and the Yellow River water transport can reach Tongguan directly. The upcoming Yunshi railway, Sanzhe, Zhenglu highway will form a interwining traffic cross.In that case, Sanmenxia city will soon become the transport hub of the upper Midwest.
The local Long-Distance Bus Station is located in the east section of Xiaoshan Lu. The city is a little over an hour's drive from Luoyang.

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When to visit Sanmenxia?
Located in the middle latitude inland area, Sanmenxia city boasts a warm temperate continental monsoon climate. The average temperature over a year is 13.2 ℃, the annual average sunshine 2,354.3 hours, the frost-free period 184-218 days, and the average annual rainfall 550-800 mm. Due to the complexity of topographical features, Sanmenxia city formed a multivariate climate of warm temperate zone, temperate zone and cool temperate zone.
When to Go: spring and autumn. But in every winter, thousands of white swan fly here from remote Siberian to wintering. White and beautiful swans, green rippling Yellow River water and dark and thick losses  form a unique scenery.

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Sanmenxia Travel Tips
Special Local Products: apricot, apple and jujube of Lingbao City, black fungus and Chinese gooseberry of Lushi County, dried persimmon of Yingchi County.
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0398-2935003
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China Branch: No. 15, Xiaoshan Zhong Lu, Hubin District
China Post Branch: No. 5, Xiaoshan Xi Lu, HUbin District

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