The Yellow River Scenic Area, about 30 kilometres north of Zhengzhou, is where the Yellow River — the mother river of Chinese civilisation — flows through a landscape of dramatic loess hills and wide sandy bends before spreading across the North China Plain. The area has been a site of reverence in China for millennia; the river is associated with the mythological Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people, whose statue stands on the hillside above the river.
The viewpoint above the river — reached by a steep climb or cable car — gives a panoramic view of the Yellow River's wide, shallow, silt-laden channel stretching to the horizon. The contrast between the red loess cliffs and the yellow-brown water is striking. On clear days the river seems to fill the entire landscape. There is also a memorial garden and a large museum dedicated to Yellow River history and hydraulics. It is a worthwhile half-day excursion from Zhengzhou, particularly for anyone interested in Chinese geography and history.