Zhengzhou (/dʒɛŋˈdʒoʊ, dʒʌŋ-/;[3] simplified Chinese: 郑州; traditional Chinese: 鄭州; pinyin: Zhèngzhōu), also spelt Zheng Zhou

and alternatively romanized

as Chengchow, is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in the central part of the People's Republic of China.[4] Located in north-central Henan, it is one

of the National Central Cities in China,[5] the centre of Central Plains area, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the

province.[6] The Zhengzhou metropolitan area (including Zhengzhou and Kaifeng) is the core area of the Central Plains Economic Zone.[7][8]

The city lies on the southern bank of the Yellow River.[9] Zhengzhou is a major hub of China's national transportation network, with railways connecting

Zhengzhou to Europe[10] and an international airport.[11] Zhengzhou is a National Civilized City [zh] and a State-list Famous Historical and Culture City.[12]

As of 2020, there are two World Cultural Heritage Sites in Zhengzhou. The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) is China's first futures exchange. Zhengzhou

Airport Economy Zone is China's first Airport Economy Zone.[13]

As of the 2020 Chinese census, the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou had a population of 12,600,574 inhabitants, whom 10,260,667 lived in its built-up (or metro)

area made of 6 urban districts plus Zhongmu county, Xinzheng and Xingyang cities now largely being conurbated.[14][15] The city had a total GDP of 1.014

trillion (RMB) in 2018.[16][17] Greater Zhengzhou was named as one of the 13 emerging mega-cities in China in a July 2012 report by the Economist

Intelligence Unit,[18] and officially named as the eighth National Central City[19] in 2017 by the central government in Beijing.[20]

Zhengzhou is a major city for scientific research, appearing among the world's top 100 cities as tracked by the Nature Index.[21] The city is home to several

national key universities in China, notably Zhengzhou University, Henan University, Henan Agricultural University, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, and

Henan University of Technology.[22]

History[edit]

Main article: History of Zhengzhou

The Shang dynasty established Aodu (隞都) or Bodu (亳都) in Zhengzhou.[23] This prehistorical city had become abandoned as ruins long before the First

Emperor of China in 260 BC. Since 1950, archaeological finds in a walled city in Eastern Zhengzhou have provided evidence of Shang dynasty settlements in the

area around 1600 BC.[24][25] Outside this city, remains of large public buildings and a complex of small settlements have been discovered. The site is

generally identified with the Shang capital of Ao and is preserved in the Shang dynasty Ruins monument in Guanchen District.

The Shang, who continually moved their capital due to frequent natural disasters, left Ao at around 13th century BC. The site, nevertheless, remained occupied;

Zhou (post-1050 BC) tombs have also been discovered.[26] Legend suggests that in the Western Zhou period (1111–771 BC) the site became the fief of a family

named Guan. From this derives the name borne by the county (xian) since the late 6th century BC—Guancheng (City of the Guan). The city first became the seat

of a prefectural administration in AD 587, when it was named Guanzhou. In 605 it was first called Zhengzhou—a name by which it has been known virtually ever

since.[27]

The name Zhengzhou came from the Sui dynasty (AD 582), even though it was located in Chenggao, another town. The government moved to the contemporary

city during the Tang dynasty. It achieved its greatest importance under the Sui (AD 581–618), Tang (618–907), and early Song (960–1127) dynasties, when it was

the terminus of the New Bian Canal, which joined the Yellow River to the northwest. There, at a place called Heyin, a vast granary complex was established to

supply the capitals at Luoyang and Chang'an to the west and the frontier armies to the north. In the Song period, however, the transfer of the capital eastward to

Kaifeng robbed Zhengzhou of much of its importance.[citation needed]

In 1903 the Beijing–Hankou Railway arrived at Zhengzhou, and in 1909 the first stage of the Longhai Railway gave it an east–west link to Kaifeng and Luoyang; it

later was extended eastward to the coast at Lianyungang, Jiangsu, and westward to Xi'an (Chang'an), Shaanxi, as well as to western Shaanxi. Zhengzhou thus

became a major rail junction and a regional center for cotton, grain, peanuts, and other agricultural produce.[citation needed] Early in 1923 a workers' strike
began in Zhengzhou and spread along the rail line before it was suppressed; a 14-story double tower in the center of the city commemorates the strike. On June

10, 1938, Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army opened up the dikes retaining the Yellow River at Huayuankou between Zhengzhou and Kaifeng, in an

effort to stem the tide of invading Japanese; however, the ensuing 1938 Yellow River flood also killed hundreds of thousands of Chinese.[28]
Zhengzhou also has a locomotive and rolling-stock repair plant, a tractor-assembly plant, and a thermal generating station. The city's industrial growth has

resulted in a large increase in the population, coming predominantly from industrial workers from the north. A water diversion project and pumping station, built in

1972, has provided irrigation for the surrounding countryside.[citation needed] The city has an agricultural university.

In July 2021, record breaking floods left over a million people displaced [29] and at least 300 people dead.[30]

Geography[edit]

Located just north of the province's centre and south of the Yellow River, Zhengzhou borders Luoyang to the west, Jiaozuo to the northwest, Xinxiang to the

northeast, Kaifeng to the east, Xuchang to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest. With the land within its administrative borders generally sloping

down from west to east, Zhengzhou is situated at the transitional zone between the North China Plain to the east and the Song Mountains and Xionger Mountains

to the west, which are part of the greater Qinling range. The city centre is situated to the south of the middle reach of the Yellow River, where its valley broadens

into the great plain. Zhengzhou is at the crossing point of the north–south route skirting the Taihang Mountains and the mountains of western Henan. The

prefecture spans 34° 16' ~ 34° 58 N latitude and 112° 42' ~ 114° 14' E longitude, covering a total area of 7,567 square kilometres (2,922 sq mi), including the

metropolitan area, which covers 1,284.89 km2 (496.1 sq mi), and the city centre, which occupies 709.69 square kilometres (274.0 sq mi).[31]

Jialu River, a tributary of the Huai River, flows through Zhengzhou

A section of the Yellow River passes by the northern edges of the urban area, extending 150.4 km (93.5 mi) within Zhengzhou prefecture. However, Jialu River, a

secondary tributary of the Huai River, is Zhengzhou's main urban river and flood channel.[32] The Jialu enters Zhengzhou from Xinmi to the southwest, and turns

to the southeast within the city. Mountains loom over the western counties of Gongyi and Dengfeng while the easternmost county of Zhongmu is a vast, fertile

floodplain, with the counties in between being hilly transitions.

Climate[edit]

Zhengzhou experiences a monsoon-influenced, four-season humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa), with cool, dry winters and hot, humid

summers. Spring and autumn are dry and somewhat abbreviated transition periods. The city has an annual mean temperature of 15.4 °C (59.7 °F), with the

monthly 24-hour average temperature ranging from 1.0 °C (33.8 °F) in January to 27.8 °C (82.0 °F) in July.[33] The frost-free period lasts on average 220 days.

Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −17.9 °C (0 °F) on 2 January 1955, 27 December 1971 and 1 February 1990 to 43.0 °C (109 °F) on 19 July

1966.[34][35]

Rainfall is primarily produced by the monsoonal low during summer; in winter, when the vast Siberian High dominates due to radiative cooling from further north,

the area receives little precipitation. During the summer season, the city is also often affected by tropical depressions, which bring additional amounts of rain. The

annual precipitation is about 630 millimetres (25 in). With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 37 percent in January to 49 percent in April and May,

the city receives 1,905 hours of sunshine per year, which is around 43% of the possible total.[33]

show
 Climate data for Zhengzhou (1991–2020 normals)

In 2019, there were 177 good days in Zhengzhou, an increase of 9 days year-on-year, and 48.5% of the good days reached the standard.There were 24 days of

heavy pollution, 9 days less than last year.[39]

2021 Flood[edit]

On July 20, 2021, "The heaviest hour of rainfall ever reliably recorded in China crashed like a miles-wide waterfall over the city of Zhengzhou on July 20, killing at

least 300 people, including 14 who drowned in a subway tunnel." Although an emergency alert was issued the day before the flood, businesses and subways

remained open. From 4pm to 5pm on July 21, 7.95 inches of rain fell. A collapsed retaining wall allowed water to pour into subway tunnels. "The Chinese

government now appears to be acknowledging missteps by local officials, as well as the possibility that severe weather events will become increasingly

common."[40]

Administration and demography[edit]

Map including Zheng County (labeled as 鄭縣 CHENG-HSIEN (walled)) (AMS, 1955)

Zhengzhou is divided into 6 urban districts, 5 county-level cities and 1 county. These subdivisions are likely to undergo significant changes in the near future due

to increasingly rapid urban expansion and urban planning.

The municipality is home to 8,626,505 inhabitants (2010 census) and 6,35 million in its built up area made of 6 urban and suburban districts, Xingyang and

Xinzheng cities and now Zhongmu county largely being urbanized, making the city one of the main built-up areas of the province.[41]

Map
 Jinshui

Erqi

Huiji

Guancheng

Zhongyuan

Shangjie

Xingyang

(city)

Xinzheng

(city)

Dengfeng

(city)

Xinmi

(city)

Gongyi

(city)

Zhongmu
 County

Name Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Population

Area (km2)

(2010)

City proper

Jinshui District 金水区 Jīnshuǐ Qū 1,588,611 242

Erqi District 二七区 Èrqī Qū 712,597 159

Huiji District 惠济区 Hùijì Qū 269,561 206

Guancheng Hui District 管城回族区 Guǎnchéng Huízú Qū 645,888 204

Zhongyuan District 中原区 zhōngyuán Qū 905,430 195

Suburban

Shangjie District 上街区 Shàngjiē Qū 131,540 64.7

Satellite cities

Xingyang 荥阳市 xíngyáng Shì 613,761 908

Xinzheng 新郑市 Xīnzhèng Shì 758,079 873

Dengfeng 登封市 Dēngfēng Shì 668,592 1220

Xinmi 新密市 Xīnmí Shì 797,200 1001

Gongyi 巩义市 Gǒngyì Shì 807,857 1041

Rural

Zhongmu County 中牟县 Zhōngmù Xiàn 727,389 1393