Shenzhou Bird Park sits in Luohe, Henan, on more than 600 mu of land. It grew out of the old Kaiyuan Forest Park and now leans hard into a bird theme: bird performances, hands-on interaction, and a bit of education all in one. There are separate areas for ancient birds, desert birds, South American birds, and a Bird Song Forest, plus a bird egg museum, a bird specimen museum, and various bird shows. It is also a zoo, a museum, an amusement park, and a performance venue at the same time, so a visit can easily turn into a full afternoon.
After the Double Eleven shopping rush, I finally had a proper break. The time off was long enough, but the weather did not cooperate at first. The first two days were gray, windy, and rainy. It only warmed up on the third day. I had planned to stay home, but both the Little Princess and the Little Nurse had the day off, so staying inside felt like a waste.
I first suggested Nanhai Temple in Runan County, Zhumadian. People say it is the largest temple in Asia. It is not far from home, about an hour by car according to the map, and the best part is that there is no mountain to climb. The Little Nurse did not want to go. She suggested the forest park instead, which is the current Shenzhou Bird Park. I thought about it and agreed. It was closer, and by then it was already past ten.
We took the Xiluo Expressway and got there in about half an hour, parking at the east gate. The autumn scenery along the way was genuinely lovely.
We did not go straight in through the east gate. We wanted to wander around Heshang Street first and then enter from the north gate. It was quite quiet. The other reason for using the north gate was lunch: it was already midday, so we planned to eat before going in.
We had planned to grab something casual, but a quick look around showed that a Changshenyu Supermarket had opened nearby. It is a well-known local chain, so we went in for a look. There is food inside too. I forgot to take photos of this part, but the supermarket and meal came to about 100 yuan. That is also why I said I would not come back next time.
After we came out, I bought two admission tickets on Meituan. The regular price was 50 yuan, and the discount brought it to 45. Children under 1.2 meters get in free. At the entrance we ran into a kind person who gave us an unused all-inclusive ticket, which meant we could try the amusement rides without paying extra.
The maple grove inside was really nice, especially with the Ferris wheel behind it. I thought about taking the Little Princess up for a ride, but she was scared and did not want to go, so we let it go. The all-inclusive ticket covers those rides. It costs around 120 yuan, while a single ride is usually 10 to 20 yuan. My advice is to buy it only if the child is above 1 meter, and honestly 1.1 meters is safer, because many rides will not let smaller children on. In the end the Little Princess could not do much, so we passed the ticket on to someone else.
The artificial lake is fairly large, with the bird area in the middle. There are all kinds of birds, and some are right beside the walking paths. You can rent a boat and go out on the lake, but it was windy that day.
The peacock garden has been renovated. It used to have a fence; now it is open. The peacocks are not afraid of visitors at all. Whatever you do, do not hold food in your hand. They have learned the trick and will chase you. Two geese were mixed in with the peacocks, and I suspect they are formidable characters in their own right.
Past that is the core area of Shenzhou Bird Park. Most of it is birds, some familiar and some I had never seen. The last time I came was in summer, when they were clearing silt and there was not much to see. This time most of the exhibits were open. Sitting on a bench in the sun was quite pleasant.
I do not know whether other people have fed animals in a zoo, but some animals really are slow. Throw food right next to them and they do not seem to notice, while the others steal it. The Little Nurse said it was because they were not hungry. The small one in the photo below went swimming right after being fed.
Locals still call this place the Forest Park. When it was first built, a lot of it was water-based attractions, and there was no admission fee. When I was in middle school, I used to come here with friends by bus or bike on Sundays and summer holidays. It is a good memory. These days it has been developed much more thoroughly, and many places that used to be planted with trees now look very different.
The amusement park was probably the Little Princess's favorite part, and she seems to have a knack for that sort of thing. The maple trees there also have their own character. After playing for a while she started to sweat, so I did not let her keep going for too long.
At 15:10 there was a performance called Peacock Flies Southeast, plus a bird show. The peacock part is basically a flock gliding from the north side to the other side. It is not that exciting. The bird show was better, about 30 minutes long, with performing birds doing tricks. Children love it. I rarely watch shows when I travel, but going out with a child makes me think I should watch more of them. It is a chance to learn something too.
After the show we went back to the amusement park. As far as I could tell, the all-inclusive ticket only covered two rides there: a little car ride and the carousel. The Little Princess went on them six times. When she was done, we gave the rest of the ticket to other parents, since a single ride costs 10 yuan.
By then it was about time to head home. On the way out we passed the bird specimen museum and looked inside.
Further on there were some animals, which we have seen countless times. I took a few quick photos. The Little Princess had seen most of them before too.
At the gate I took a photo of the entrance, and that was the end of the visit. We had thought about stopping for snacks, but the Little Princess was clearly tired, so we went straight home. On the way we stopped at a PetroChina station to use a coupon for 30 yuan off a 200 yuan fill-up. The Little Nurse checked the Ping An app and found another coupon for the following month, effective on the first. The station staff said they seem to have them every month, sometimes 20 yuan, sometimes 30. From now on I will check for coupons before refueling.
A few practical notes. If you are going with a child, the all-inclusive ticket is best for kids above 1.1 meters. Many rides will not let smaller children on. A holiday outing with your own little one is still a good choice, but this is also flu season. The Little Princess went to school for one day and came home with a fever. It turned out to be a mycoplasma infection. The hospital was packed. A few days earlier the Little Nurse had said that a colleague had stopped sending their child to school, and then our Little Princess got sick. There were no beds at the hospital, so we treated the fever at home for the time being. Sometimes I really do not know what to make of kindergarten management. Once one child has a fever, it seems to go around the whole class, and it is almost impossible to avoid.
Also remember to get the flu vaccine for family members in March and September. It usually costs around 150 yuan and protects for about six months. It still helps. At least the symptoms are clearly less severe.