Henan
From ChinaTravelGuide
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[edit] Overview
Henan (河南), literally "south of (Yellow) river", got its name from its location: the south of the Yellow River (黄河). Henan is traditionally regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilization. Henan was called Yuzhou (豫州), the central province among the nine provinces (九州), over 2000 years ago. So today it is also often called Zhongyuan (中原), literally "central plains".
Henan is located in the central to the east part of China. The Yellow River (黄河), China's second largest river, flows through the northern part of Henan province. Henan borders 6 provinces, [[Hebei to the north, Shandong to the northeast, Anhui to the southeast, Hubei to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Shanxi to the northwest. It's about 580 km from east to west and 550 km from north to south, with a total area of about 167,000 sq km.
With a population of 97,680k (per 2005 census), Henan is the most populous province of China by residency. Henan has 55 ethnic minority people with a total population of 1,143k (about 1.25% of total population in Henan), with Hui minority (回族) (about 950k) makes up most of the minority population. Other minorities are Mongol (蒙古族) and Manchu (满族), etc.
[edit] History
Henan province is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization due to its location on the Yellow River. This rich historic heritage has endowed Henan with numerous historic treasures, from primitive dwellings to earliest wheel thrown pottery. The remains of some of the earliest human settlements have been unearthed here, including the over 7000-year-old Peiligang Culture Site, the 6000-year-old Yangshao Culture Remains and the 5000-year-old Dahe Culture Remains. All these cultural remains have profound significance in the history of Chinese civilization.
[edit] Geography
Henan is flat in the east and mountainous in the west and extreme south. The eastern and central parts of the province form part of the North China Plain. To the northwest the Taihang Mountains intrude partially into Henan's borders; to the west the Qinling Mountains enter Henan from the west and end about halfway across Henan, with branches (such as the Funiu Mountains) extending northwards and southwards. To the far south, the Dabie Mountains separate Henan from neighbouring Hubei province.
The Yellow River passes through northern Henan. It enters from the northwest, via the Sanmenxia Reservoir. After it passes Luoyang, the Yellow River is raised via natural sedimentation and artificial construction onto a levee, higher than the surrounding land. From here onwards, the Yellow River divides the Hai He watershed to the north and the Huai He watershed to the south. The Huai He itself originates in southern Henan. The southwestern corner of Henan, around Nanyang, is part of the drainage basin of the Han Shui River across the border in Hubei.
There are many reservoirs in Henan. Major ones include the Danjiangkou Reservoir on the border with Hubei, the Sanmenxia Reservoir, the Suyahu Reservoir, the Baiguishan Reservoir, the Nanwan Reservoir, and the Banqiao Reservoir.
Henan has a temperate continental climate, with most rainfall in summer. Temperatures average about 0°C in January, and 27 to 28°C in July.
Zhengzhou is the province's capital and most populous city. Other major cities include Kaifeng, Luoyang, Xinxiang, Anyang, Luohe, and Xuchang.
--from wikipedia.org
[edit] Cities
[edit] Other Places
[edit] Video
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[edit] Attractions
Henan has the most underground historical relics (2nd most in terms of the number of historical relics above the ground) in China largely due to the fact that it's the origin of the ancient Chinese culture, and that three of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China are in Henan: Luoyang, Kaifeng and Anyang. No wonder most attractions in Henan are historical relics sites and museums.
- Zhengzhou (郑州)
- Mount Songshan (嵩山), near Dengfeng, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of China.
- Shaolin Temple (少林寺), on Mount Songshan.
- Dengfeng Astronomical Observatory (河南登封观星台), the oldest astronomical observatory in China.
- Luoyang (洛阳)
- The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
- White Horse Temple (白马寺)
- Luoyang Peony Show (洛阳牡丹)
- Other areas
- Mount Jigong (鸡公山), on the southern border of Xinyang (信阳).
- Mount Jiuhua (九华山), on the southeast border.
- Yinxu (殷墟) in Anyang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Language
Most of Henan speaks dialects of the Mandarin group of dialects spoken in northern and southwestern China. Linguists put these dialects into the category of "Zhongyuan Mandarin". The northwestern corner of Henan is an exception, where people speak Jin dialects instead. The dialects of Henan are collectively called "the Henan dialect" in popular usage, with easily identifiable stereotypical features.
[edit] Cuisine
Henan cuisine is the local cuisine, with traditions such as the Luoyang Shuixi (Luoyang "Water Table", consisting entirely of various soups, etc.); Xinyang Duncai (Xinyang brewed vegetables), and the traditional cuisine of Kaifeng.
[edit] Music
Henan opera (Yuju) is the local form of Chinese opera; it is also famous and popular across the rest of China. Henan Quju and Henan Yuediao are also important local opera forms.
[edit] Notables
- Sun Tiantian, (b. October 12, 1981), tennis player
- Zhao Ziyang, (October 17, 1919 – January 17, 2005), former Premier and CCP Secretary
- Deng Yaping (b. February 5, 1973), four-time Olympic gold medalist.
- Du Wei (b. February 9, 1982), professional football player
- Ge Xin'ai, ping pong player
- Chen Zhong, Olympic gold medalist in Taekwondo
- Liu Guoliang, member of the Chinese ping pong team
- Su Zhibo, the first Chinese gold medalist in the Asian Games
- Shang Tang, the first ruling king of the Shang dynasty
- Hui Shi (380 BC–?), philosopher
- Xu Shen (c.58–c.147), editor of the Shuowen Jiezi
- Ruan Ji (210–263), poet
- Du Fu (712–770), considered one of the greatest of Chinese poets
- Han Yu (768–824), one of China's most famous prose writers and poets
- Li Shangyin (813–858), poet
- Cheng Hao (1032–1085) and brother Cheng Yi (1033–1107), Neo-Confucian philosophers
- Li Tang (c.1080–c.1130), painter
- Yuan Shikai (1859–1916), second President of the Republic of China
- Feng Youlan (1895–1990), philosopher
- Lao Zi (Lao Tzu: dates uncertain), founder of Daoism
- Gao Yaojie, medical doctor
- Mo Zi, founder of Mohism
- Lie Yukou (c.4th century BC), Daoist philosopher
- Su Qin
- Han Fei (c.280–233 BC), Legalist philosopher
- Chen Sheng (known in some sources as Chen She) and Wu Guang (both d. 209 BC or 208 BC), leaders of the first rebellion against Qin Dynasty
- Zhang Shizhi, a government official well known for his incorruptibility
- Jia Yi, a Chinese poet and statesman of the Han Dynasty
- Zhang Heng, an astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty
- Feng Yi, a general of the Eastern Han Dynasty
- Zhang Ji (style-named Zhang Zhongjing) (150–219), an Eastern Han physician, the author of the Shanghan Zabing Lun
- Xu Shu, one of Liu Bei's advisors during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
- Sima Yi (179–251), a general, military strategist, and politician of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period
- Xun Yu (styled-named Wenruo), an advisor to Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period
- Xun You, an advisor to Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms Period period
- Deng Ai (?–264), an officer of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period
- Fan Zhen (circa 450–515), a Chinese philosopher of the Southern Dynasty, remembered today for the treatise Shen Mie Lun (On the Annihilation of the Soul)
- Xiao Min, Christian author of the Canaan Hymns sweeping China in the 2000s.
[edit] Ethnic Groups
Henan is the most populous province of China, with a population of 97,170,000 in 2004. If it were its own country, it would be the twelfth most populous, just behind Mexico. However, Sichuan used to be more populous before Chongqing city was carved out of it. Also, when considering migrants, Guangdong has the highest population in China, despite Hainan being splintered off of it.
Just under 99% of Henan's population is Han Chinese, while Hui account for virtually all the remaining 1%. It is the third most populous sub-national division in the world, after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra of India.
--from wikipedia.org
[edit] Colleges and Universities
- Zhengzhou University (郑州大学)[1]
- Henan University (河南大学)[2]
- Henan Normal University(河南师范大学)[3]
- Henan University of Technology (河南工业大学)[4]
- Henan Agricultural University (河南农业大学) (founded 1913)
- Henan Medical University
- Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine(河南中医学院)
- Henan University of Science and Technology (河南科技大学）
- Kaifeng University (开封大学)[5]
- Xinxiang University (新乡学院） [www.xxu.edu.cn]
- Huanghe Science and Technology University (黄河科技学院)
- Nanyang Institute of Technology
- North China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power (华北水利水电学院)
- Shangqiu Normal University(商丘师范学院)
- Zhengzhou Institute of Aeronautical Industry Management (郑州航空工业管理学院)
- Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (郑州轻工业学院)
- Zhongyuan Institute of Technology (中原工学院)
- Henan Polytechnic (河南职业技术学院)[6]
- Jiaozuo Institute of Technology
- Anyang Teacher's College
- Zhengzhou Grain University
- Zhengzhou University of Technology
- Zhengzhou Textile Institute
- Zhengzhou College of Animal Husbandry Engineering
- Luo Yang Institute of Technology
- Pingdingshan Normal College
- Xinyang Teachers College
- Henan Vocational Technical Teacher's College
- Nanyang Teachers College(南阳师院)[7]
[edit] Area and Postal Codes
| City | Area Code | Postal Code | City | Area Code | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anyang (安阳) | 372 | 455000 | Dengfeng (登封) | 371 | 452400 | |
| Hebi (鹤壁) | 392 | 458000 | Jiaozuo (焦作) | 391 | 454150 | |
| Kaifeng (开封) | 378 | 475000 | Luohe (漯河) | 395 | 462000 | |
| Luoyang (洛阳) | 379 | 471000 | Nanyang (南阳) | 377 | 473000 | |
| Pingdingshan (平顶山) | 375 | 467000 | Puyang (濮阳) | 393 | 457000 | |
| Sanmenxia (三门峡) | 398 | 472000 | Shangqiu (商丘) | 370 | 476000 | |
| Xinxiang (新乡) | 373 | 453000 | Xinyang (信阳) | 376 | 464000 | |
| Xuchang (许昌) | 374 | 461000 | Zhengzhou (郑州) | 371 | 450000 | |
| Zhoukou (周口) | 394 | 466000 | Zhumadian (驻马店) | 396 | 463000 |
