# Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou (Chinese: 郑州), 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. Located in north-central Henan, it is one of the National Central Cities in China, the centre of Central Plains area, and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province. The Zhengzhou metropolitan area (including Zhengzhou and Kaifeng) is the core area of the Central Plains Economic Zone.

## Quotes

* Zhengzhou is important because of its geographic setting along the Yellow River and in the central plain. Relics show how Chinese people created their culture along the Yellow River, the cradle of Chinese civilisation.
** Professor Li Xiaobing, "Zhengzhou's location has given it a central role in Chinese history for more than 3,500 years" in South China Morning Post (5 April 2016)
* In the early 21st century, the city again asserted itself as a hub of commerce for the same reason as in the past - its central location made it a logical location for a major transport junction. This time, however, the thoroughfares were not rivers and canals, but railroads, highways and airports.
** "Zhengzhou's location has given it a central role in Chinese history for more than 3,500 years" in South China Morning Post (5 April 2016)
* Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province, is located in the middle of China. The famous Shaolin Temple near this city is the cradle of the Chinese martial arts that provided the inspiration for Kung Fu movies. Zhengzhou is a vital transportation hub especially for railways as many important railway trunks pass the city.
** "Living in Zhengzhou"
* With at least 3,500 years of history, Zhengzhou is one of China’s oldest cities.
** "ZHENGZHOU Ancient cultural relics, martial arts and captivating nature"
* Zhengzhou has a long history. As early as 3,500 years ago, it became the capital of the Shang Dynasty (Sixteenth - eleventh centuries B.C.) which together with ancient Egypt, India, and Babylon, was considered to be one of the oldest civilizations of the world. Today cultural relics and historical sites abound in and around the city, attracting more and more tourists and archaeologists both from China and abroad.
** "Zhengzhou -- Green City"
* Zhengzhou, a city of more than 10 million inhabitants, stands on the south bank of the Yellow River, once known as China’s Sorrow for its catastrophic and recurring floods.
** Philip Ball, "Xi Jinping should take the Zhengzhou floods as a warning from China’s history" in The Guardian (23 July 2021)
* The footage of a torrent of muddy water engulfing the broad thoroughfares of Zhengzhou, China, may look like a scene from an apocalyptic sci-fi movie. But for China’s leaders, these images speak not only to a dystopian future but also to the struggles of the past – and to the issue of the Chinese Communist party’s mandate to rule.
** Philip Ball, "Xi Jinping should take the Zhengzhou floods as a warning from China’s history" in The Guardian (23 July 2021)
* No one weather event can be immediately linked to climate change, but the storm that flooded Zhengzhou and other cities in central China last week, killing at least 69 as of Monday, reflects a global trend of extreme weather that has seen deadly flooding recently in Germany and Belgium, and severe heat and wildfires in Siberia. The flooding in China, which engulfed subway lines, washed away roads and cut off villages, also highlights the environmental vulnerabilities that accompanied the country’s economic boom and could yet undermine it.
** "As China Boomed, It Didn’t Take Climate Change Into Account. Now It Must." in The New York Times (26 July 2021)