Ancient Zhengzhou in the central plains is still a thriving crossroads

An old Chinese adage says that whoever conquers the central plain will take all the land under the sun.

Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan province, well fits that strategy - it is in the middle of the central plain - illustrated by both its rich ancient history and a booming modern transportation sector.

Bounded by the Yellow River to the north, the Songshan Mountain to the west and the Huanghuai Plain to southeast, Zhengzhou, one of the nation's eight ancient capitals, is considered a place that witnessed the dawn and development of Chinese civilization.

The city today has six districts, five county-level cities and one county, as well as the Zhengdong New District, two State-level development zones and one State-level export-processing center.

It has a population of 7.6 million, including 4.36 million urban residents, and covers 7,446.2 sq km.

Evidence of human civilization in the city dates back 8,000 years. The Yellow Emperor, or Huangdi - legendary progenitor of all Chinese people across the world - is said to have been born in Zhengzhou 5,000 years ago, later making it his capital and laying the foundation of the Chinese nation.

Zhengzhou became the capital of Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1100 BC) some 3,600 years ago. The city's rich history and culture make it a leading tourism destination.

The Shaolin Temple in the Songshan Mountains enjoys a prestigious reputation across the world as the ancestral home of both Zen Buddhism and kungfu.

The Shaolin Temple has in recent times opened Zen study institutes in other countries, including the United States, and has attracted throngs of followers, according a report from the city of Zhengzhou.

At the intersection of the north-south Beijing-Guangzhou rail line and east-west Lianyungang-Lanzhou line - along with a modern intra-province highway network - Zhengzhou has become one of the most important transportation and communication hubs in modern China.

It is home to Asia's largest rail yard and China's largest railway cargo trans-shipment station.

Two massive resource pilot projects - the south-to-north water diversion project and west-to-east natural gas transmission project - also pass through the city.

As well, Zhengzhou is an important production center for metals, food processing, textiles, large buses and construction materials. Last year, its output value reached 243 billion yuan.

Zhengzhou has established sister city ties with 10 foreign municipalities and has close trade connections with more than 40 countries.

Forty-three of the top 500 global companies have offices or outlets in the city.

(China Daily 03/12/2008 page19)