Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou is the capital and largest city of Henan Province in China. With a population of over 12 million people, it is China's 11th largest city. Located in north-central Henan at the edge of the Xiong'er Mountains and beside the Yellow River, Zhengzhou has been an important place for over 4,000 years and is considered part of the cradle of Chinese civilization.

As one of China's nine national central cities, Zhengzhou plays a key role in politics, the economy, and transportation. The city has grown quickly since the 1990s and now has a large economy with many businesses and markets. Zhengzhou is also known for its universities and research centers, and it is home to important sites like two World Heritage Sites and a UNESCO Global Geopark. The city is a major hub for travel and trade in the region.

Etymology

The settlement was first called "Guancheng", meaning "City of the Guan", named after the Guan family who ruled the area as a city-state.

In 583 AD, it became the seat of a prefecture and was renamed "Guanzhou", with "zhou" meaning a prefectural administrative division. The character Zheng (郑) refers to the Zheng state, which once governed the region.

History

Main article: History of Zhengzhou

The city of Zhengzhou has a very long history. It began during the Shang dynasty around 1600 BC, when a settlement called Aodu or Bodu was built there. Archaeologists have found evidence of this ancient city in a walled area in eastern Zhengzhou.

Over time, Zhengzhou grew and changed names. It became an important place during the Sui, Tang, and early Song dynasties, especially because of its role in storing food for nearby cities and armies. In the early 1900s, railways reached Zhengzhou, making it a key transportation hub. The city continued to grow, especially with new factories and universities. Sadly, in July 2021, very heavy floods caused many people to leave their homes.

Geography

Zhengzhou is located just north of the center of Henan Province and south of the Yellow River. It 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. The city's land slopes down from west to east and sits where the North China Plain meets the Song Mountains and Xionger Mountains to the west. The city center lies south of the Yellow River, where the valley opens into a wide plain.

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

The Yellow River runs along the northern edge of Zhengzhou, while the Jialu River, a smaller river, flows through the city. Mountains surround the western parts of the city, while the eastern areas are flat and fertile. Zhengzhou has a humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters and hot, wet summers. The average temperature is about 15.4 °C (59.7 °F) throughout the year.

Administration and demography

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

Zhengzhou has 6 urban areas, 5 smaller cities, and 1 county. The city is growing quickly, so these areas may change soon.

In 2020, Zhengzhou had about 12.6 million people living in the whole city area. In the main city part, where 6 districts are located, there were about 10.3 million people. Some nearby places like Xingyang, Xinzheng, and Zhongmu are also becoming more like city areas, making Zhengzhou a big important place in the province.

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 (2021)	Area (km²)
City proper
Jinshui District	金水区	Jīnshuǐ Qū	1,618,600	136.66
Erqi District	二七区	Èrqī Qū	1,063,200	156.2
Huiji District	惠济区	Hùijì Qū	559,500	232.8
Guancheng Hui District	管城回族区	Guǎnchéng Huízú Qū	821,900	107
Zhongyuan District	中原区	Zhōngyuán Qū	965,300	97.1
Jingkai District	经开区	Jīngkāi Qū	342,600	402
Gaoxin District	高新区	Gāoxīn Qū	556,800	99
Zhengdong New Area	郑东新区	Zhèngdōng Xīnqū	960,200	96.02
Hangkonggang District	航空港区	Hángkōnggǎng Qū	650,600	747
Suburban
Shangjie District	上街区	Shàngjiē Qū	200,900	61.73
Satellite cities
Xingyang	荥阳市	xíngyáng Shì	732,500	943
Xinzheng	新郑市	Xīnzhèng Shì	1,200,200	701.76 (excluding Hangkonggang District)
Dengfeng	登封市	Dēngfēng Shì	732,200	1217
Xinmi	新密市	Xīnmí Shì	827,100	1001
Gongyi	巩义市	Gǒngyì Shì	802,400	1043
Rural
Zhongmu County	中牟县	Zhōngmù Xiàn	708,000	834

Main sights

Zhengzhou has many places to visit that show its rich history and culture. The Henan Museum is one of China’s most important museums, with over 130,000 items from prehistoric times to today, including dinosaur fossils.

One famous spot is the Shaolin Monastery, about 90 kilometres southwest of Zhengzhou. It is a key Buddhist place and the ancient home of Chinese Kung-fu. Nearby is the Pagoda Forest, and both sites were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

The city’s modern area, Zhengdong New Area, has some of Zhengzhou’s tallest buildings, such as the Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza and the Zhengzhou Greenland Central Plaza. The tallest structure is Zhongyuan Tower, which has a restaurant that turns around and a place to look out over the city.

Other interesting places include Mount Song, a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Yellow River Scenic Area, and the Henan Museum.

Dahuting Han Dynasty tombs
Mausoleums of the Song dynasty

Economy

Zhengzhou is one of the most important cities in inland China, along with Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan. It is the economic center of Henan Province and surrounding areas like southeastern Shanxi and southwestern Shandong. Because of its location in a busy area with many people and good transportation, Zhengzhou is attracting more businesses and people, making it a big economic center in China. In 2018, Zhengzhou's total GDP was ¥1020 billion, ranking 17th in China. By 2021, it had grown to ¥1269.1 billion, moving up to 16th place.

Agriculture

Zhengzhou grows many important crops such as apples, paulownia, tobacco, maize, cotton, and wheat. It also produces special foods like Yellow River carp, Zhengzhou watermelons, Xinzheng jujube, Xingyang dried persimmons, Guangwu Pomegranate, and Zhongmu garlic, which are not commonly found elsewhere.

Mining and manufacturing

Zhengzhou has lots of coal and other minerals, so mining and making electricity have been important for a long time. Since 1949, Zhengzhou has been a major industrial city. Key industries include textiles, along with making tractors, locomotives, cigarettes, fertilizer, processed meats, agricultural machinery, and electrical equipment. Recently, high-tech companies in new materials, electronics, and biotechnology have been growing fast.

Yutong, China's largest bus producer.
Shaolin Bus, a well-known small-to-medium-sized bus producer.
Zhengzhou Nissan, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Nissan, specializing in making SUVs and pickup trucks. In 2010, Nissan opened its second plant in the city.
Haima Automobile Zhengzhou, makes microvans and light passenger vehicles.
Zhengzhou Unique Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd., a large tractor and agricultural equipment manufacturer.
Foxconn Zhengzhou, located in Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, is the largest smartphone production site in the world and is also known as "iPhone City".
Sanquan Food, a frozen food company. With over 20000 employees, Sanquan made the first frozen dumplings and rice balls in China.
Synear Food Holdings Limited, one of the largest frozen food producers in China, with over 20% market share.

Services

Zhengzhou's service industries include shopping, selling goods in bulk, hotels, money matters, showing things, moving things, travel, and learning. With many big companies having offices there, Zhengzhou is becoming a financial center in central China. The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) is one of only four future exchanges in China and is becoming important worldwide for trading foods of the future. New buildings like the Zhengzhou International Conference and Exhibition Center have been added. Logistics, or helping move goods, has also been growing. As a place where people travel through and visit, Zhengzhou is the center of Henan cuisine.

Dennis, a regional shopping chain.
Henan Jianye, a large building company, which owns the China Super League club Henan Jianye F.C.

Economic development zones

The Zhengdong New Area (Chinese: 郑东新区), meaning Eastern Zhengzhou New Area, is one of many developing economic zones in China. Started in 2003 by local governments, it has become the financial center of Henan province and one of China's fastest-growing areas.

Kisho Kurokawa, a famous Japanese planner and architect, designed the plans for Zhengdong New Area. His ideas included making a green city, a city where people live together, and a city with a circle shape. The plans won an award in 2002. Zhengdong New Area includes a business area, a place for shops and homes, a university area, and a train station area.

Industrial zones

Zhengzhou New & Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone

Zhengzhou High & New Technology Industries Development Zone started in 1988 and became a state development zone in 1991. It was recognized as an advanced high-tech zone in 1993, 1998, and 2002. The zone covers 18.6 square kilometres (7.2 square miles). Plans to grow it more were approved in 2004. It focuses on software, information technology, new materials, medicine, and photo-machinery-electronic industries.

Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone

This zone became a state-level development zone on February 13, 2000. It covers 7 square kilometres (3 square miles). It encourages industries like making electronic parts, telephone equipment, selling and delivering things, medicine, tools, medical supplies, moving things by ship or storing them, and heavy industry.

Zhengzhou Export Processing Area

Zhengzhou (Henan) Export Processing Zone started on June 21, 2002. It plans to cover 2.7 square kilometres (1.0 square mile). Part A began operating on June 1, 2004, covering 0.893 square kilometres (0.345 square miles). Part B is near Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and will cover 5 square km with areas for storing and moving goods, making things, and other industries.

Transportation

Zhengzhou is a key transportation center in China. It has many ways to get around the city and connect to other places.

Public transit

Metro

The Zhengzhou Metro is a subway system that helps people travel within the city. It began operating in 2013 and now has 13 lines covering 450 km (280 mi). The first two lines opened in 2013 and 2015. The metro helps connect different parts of the city, including the airport. Plans are in place to build even more lines in the future.

Riders can pay for a trip using cash, a special metro card, or mobile apps like Alipay or WeChat.

Bus

Zhengzhou has a large bus system with over 5,700 buses. The bus system includes special fast routes called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that have their own lanes to help buses move quickly.

Railways

Zhengzhou is an important place for trains. It is where several major railway lines cross, including the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway. The main train station opened in 1904. Zhengzhou also has high-speed rail lines that connect it to many big cities in China, such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Wuhan. There are also plans for new high-speed rail lines.

Zhengzhou has several train stations, including a very large one for high-speed trains and another near the airport.

Roads and expressways

Zhengzhou has many highways and expressways that connect it to nearby cities and other parts of China. There are also special roads in the city to help with traffic, although congestion can still happen during busy times.

Expressways

G4 Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway
G30 Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway
G3001 Zhengzhou Ring Expressway
S1 Zhengzhou Airport Expressway
S32 Yongcheng–Dengfeng Expressway
S49 Linzhou–Ruzhou Expressway
S60 Shangqiu–Dengfeng Expressway
S82 Zhengzhou–Minquan Expressway
S85 Zhengzhou–Shaolinsi Expressway
S87 Zhengzhou–Yuntaishan Expressway
S88 Zhengzhou–Xixia Expressway
S89 Zhengzhou Airport–Xihua Expressway

National highways

Urban express roads

Air

Zhengzhou's main airport is Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, about 37 km (23 mi) from the city center. Many airlines use this airport, and it is busy with lots of travelers. There are also smaller airports in the area for different kinds of flights.

Colleges and universities

Zhengzhou is a big city for learning and research. In 2025, it was among the top 60 cities in the world for science, according to a special list. A place called Longzi Lake is special for schools, and 15 universities have moved there.

Public

Zhengzhou University
Henan University (Longzi Lake campus)
Henan Agricultural University
Henan University of Technology (former Zhengzhou Institute of Technology)
Henan University of Finance and Economics
Zhongyuan Institute of Technology
Zhengzhou University of Light Industry
Zhengzhou Institute of Aeronautical Industry Management
North China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power
Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Henan Textile University (河南纺织专科学校)
Zhengzhou Normal University
Zhengzhou Institute of Technology (former Zhongzhou University, not to be confused with Henan University of Technology)
Henan Institute of architecture technology (河南建筑职业技术学院)

Military

PLA Information Engineering University (中国人民解放军信息工程大学)
Air Defense Force Command Academy

Private

Zhengzhou College of Economics
Huanghe S&T University (Zijin Mountain Street Campus) (黄河科技大学) (紫金山南校区)
Sias International University
Shengda Economics, Trade and Management College of Zhengzhou

Notable people

Zhengzhou has been home to many famous people throughout history.

From ancient times, it was the home of Zichan, a politician and philosopher from the State of Zheng, and Lie Yukou, a Taoism philosopher known as Liezi.

More recently, the city has seen notable figures such as Du Fu, a famous poet from the Tang dynasty, and Wei Wei, a modern writer known for his stories about the Korean War.

Zhengzhou has also produced many athletes, including Deng Yaping, a four-time Olympic champion in table tennis, and Liu Yang, the first Chinese woman to travel into space.