Capital · Historic city · Industrial centre · Henan
Zhengzhou
郑州
Shang city and crossroads of China's railways
Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan, on the southern bank of the Yellow River where it leaves the hills for the plain. Built on a Shang-dynasty city of about 1600 BCE, it grew in the twentieth century as the junction of China's north–south and east–west railways and is today one of the country's main transport and logistics hubs, with the Shaolin Temple and Mount Song within its municipality.
Key facts
Overview
Zhengzhou's history begins with the Shang: walls of rammed earth nearly seven kilometres around, built about 1600 BCE, still run through the centre of the city. The name dates from the Sui dynasty, which named the prefecture after the ancient state of Zheng, whose capital lay at nearby Xinzheng.
The modern city was made by railways. The Beijing–Hankou line (1906) and the east–west Longhai line crossed here, and today Zhengzhou East is where two of China's main high-speed lines intersect. The city has grown into a metropolis of more than twelve million people, with electronics assembly, automotive and food industries, a major cargo airport and freight trains to Europe.
Names and nicknames
商都
“Shang capital”
From the Shang city whose walls survive in the centre.
绿城
“Green City”
From the plane trees planted along its streets from the 1950s.
The city the train brought
火车拉来的城市
Popular description of its growth from a county town into a metropolis after the railways arrived.
History
After the Shang, the area lay between the capitals of Luoyang and Kaifeng and was a prefectural town for most of imperial history. The Beijing–Hankou railway workers' strike of 7 February 1923, violently suppressed, is commemorated by the Erqi Memorial Tower. In June 1938 the Yellow River dykes were breached at Huayuankou north of the city. Zhengzhou became the provincial capital in 1954 and was designated a national central city in 2016. In July 2021 record rainfall caused severe floods in the city.
c. 1600 BCE
Shang city of Zhengzhou
One of the earliest Shang capitals, often identified with Ao; its walls and bronze workshops were excavated from the 1950s.
583
Zhengzhou named
The Sui dynasty gave the prefecture its present name.
1906
Beijing–Hankou railway
The line through Zhengzhou, later crossed by the Longhai railway, turned the town into a junction.
7 February 1923
Railway workers' strike
The strike on the Beijing–Hankou line was crushed by the warlord Wu Peifu; the Erqi (“2–7”) Memorial Tower commemorates it.
1954
Provincial capital
The capital of Henan moved from Kaifeng to Zhengzhou.
20 July 2021
Zhengzhou floods
Record rainfall flooded streets and a metro line, causing many deaths and prompting reforms of urban flood management.
Landmarks
Museum
Henan Museum
河南博物院
One of China's leading museums, with Jiahu bone flutes, Shang bronzes, Tang tri-colour figures and Song ceramics.
Historic site
Shang City walls
郑州商城遗址
Rammed-earth walls of the Shang city in the east of the centre, with a site museum.
Historic site
Erqi Memorial Tower
二七纪念塔
Twin-towered memorial of 1971 at the city's central crossroads, commemorating the 1923 strike.
Nature
Yellow River Scenic Area
黄河风景名胜区
Hills on the south bank with views over the river and statues of the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor.
Modern landmark
Zhengdong New District
郑东新区
Planned business district around Ruyi Lake, with a skyscraper nicknamed “the big corn cob”.
Neighbourhoods
Erqi
二七商圈
The traditional shopping centre around the memorial tower and the railway station.
Zhengdong
郑东新区
The new east with the CBD, the convention centre and the high-speed station.
Airport Economy Zone
航空港区
Industrial and logistics city around Xinzheng airport in the south.
Food
Braised noodles
烩面
Wide pulled noodles in mutton broth, the city's everyday meal.
Hulatang
胡辣汤
Peppery breakfast soup, eaten with fried dough or pancakes.
Mutton soup
羊肉汤
Clear mutton soup with flatbread torn into it.
Culture
Zhengzhou is a centre of Henan opera and of Central Plain culture, with the Henan Museum as its cultural anchor. The ceremony honouring the Yellow Emperor in nearby Xinzheng, the martial-arts schools of Dengfeng and the Shaolin Temple give the municipality a strong traditional identity alongside its modern commercial one.
Getting around
- Zhengzhou Metro has an extensive network, including a line to Xinzheng airport and lines to Zhengdong.
- Zhengzhou East is the main high-speed station at the crossing of the Beijing–Guangzhou and Xuzhou–Lanzhou lines; Zhengzhou station serves the old centre, and Zhengzhou Airport station serves intercity lines.
- Intercity railways link the city with Kaifeng, Jiaozuo and the airport.
Day trips
Shaolin Temple and Mount Song (Dengfeng)
少林寺
The monastery and the historic monuments of Dengfeng, south-west of the city.
Kaifeng
开封
The Northern Song capital, a short trip east by intercity rail.
Gongyi
巩义
Du Fu's birthplace, the Northern Song imperial tombs and the Kangbaiwan merchant manor, west of the city.
Yellow Emperor's hometown (Xinzheng)
黄帝故里
Shrine to the legendary ancestor of the Chinese, south of the city.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government — Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Zhengzhou — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Henan
- Luoyang洛阳Historic city · Cultural centre · Industrial centreCapital of thirteen dynasties, the Longmen Grottoes and the peony
- Kaifeng开封Historic city · Cultural centreBianjing, capital of the Northern Song, city built on cities
- Anyang安阳Historic city · Cultural centreYin, the last Shang capital, where Chinese writing was found
- Dengfeng登封Historic city · Scenic area · Cultural centreMount Song and the Shaolin Temple, “the centre of Heaven and Earth”
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