Flight QW6096/5 operated by Qingdao Airlines began providing commutes today between Zhuhai and Nanyang City in Henan Province and will continue them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until Aug 9.

QW6095 departs Nanyang (Jiangying) Airport at 11:40 am and arrives at Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport at 2:05 pm, while QW6096 leaves Zhuhai at 2:55 pm and lands at 5:15 pm. An economy-class ticket, with a 38 percent off regular prices, costs as little as 520 yuan ($74).

Wuhou Shrine in commemoration of Zhuge Liang

The prefecture-level city borders Hubei and Shaanxi provinces and is about 300 km (186 miles) from the provincial capital Zhengzhou City. It lies in southwest Henan Province midway between Xi'an and Wuhan. It is south of Funiu Mt and north of the Hanjiang River, hence its name.

Nanyang was the first capital of the State of Shen, an important region for iron and manufacturing during the Han Dynasty, and a business and luxury center in the Dong Han period. Dinosaur egg fossils have been found in a basin there.

The city was one of the starting points of the ancient Silk Road and six metropolises of the Western Han Dynasty (206 bce to 24 ce). It is also where Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) began his journey to the throne and where Liu Bei, founding emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms (220-280) period, famously visited hermit strategist Zhuge Liang's hut three times to ask for his help in reunifying the country.

This famous historic and cultural city is home to 13 national and 79 provincial key cultural relic protection units, including Wuhou Shrine, the Neixiang County Government Office, Xiangyan Temple, and Grave of Zhang Heng (78-139, Chinese mathematician, astronomer, and geographer).

Neixiang County Government Office [Photos courtesy Guanhai App]