Zhengzhou Overview

Basic Information

• Chinese Name: 郑州市
• Location: In the middle of Henan province
• Administrative Category: Prefecture-level City
• Seat of Government: Zhongyuan District(中原区)
• Area: 7446 square kilometers
• Population: An approximate population of 1,0136,000.
• Main Ethnic Groups:  Hui, Manchu, Mongol, Zhuang and Tujia, etc.
• Languages: Zhengzhou Dialect and Mandarin
• Gross Regional Domestic Product: 1014.33 Billion yuan(in 2018)
• Per Capita GDP: 101,349 yuan(in 2018)
• Main Airports: Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport
• Top Universities: Zhengzhou University and Henan University, etc.
• Important Festivals and Activities: Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Day, ect.
• Main Railway Stations: Zhengzhou East Railway Station, Zhengzhou Railway Station and Xinzheng Airport Railway Station.
• Famous Attractions: Dengfeng Observation Platform, Shaolin temple, Yellow River Scenic Area, the Hometown of the Yellow Emperor, Songshan Mountain, Songyang Academy, Zhongyue Temple, Henan Museum and so on.

Geography

Zhengzhou City is located in the south of China's North China Plain and the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It is located in the north-central part of Henan Province, bordering Kaifeng to the east, Luoyang to the west, Xinxiang and Jiaozuo to the north, Xuchang and Pingdingshan to the south. The city is 135-143 kilometers long from east to west, 70-78 kilometers wide from north to south, and has a total area of 7,446 square kilometers. Zhengzhou City is located in the transition zone between the east Qinling Mountains and the second and third geomorphic steps in China. The overall terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast, with a step-like decline. From the west and southwest of Zhengzhou, the tectonic erosion in the middle and low mountains gradually decreases and transits into tectonic erosion hills, loess hills, sloping (hillock) plains and alluvial plains, forming a relatively complete geomorphic sequence. Songshan Mountain has a general elevation of 500-1200 meters and a relative elevation difference of 30-600 meters, forming a natural boundary between Dengfeng, Xinmi, Gongyi and Xingyang. Its highest peak, Yuzhai Mountain, is 1512.4 meters above sea level.

Read More: Geography of Zhengzhou

Climate

Zhengzhou enjoys the northern temperate continental monsoon climate, with frequent alternating warm and clod air masses, and four distinct seasons in spring, summer, autumn and winter. The winter is long and dry and cold, with few rain and snow. Spring is dry, with less rain and more spring drought, as well as variable temperature and heavy wind. The summer is relatively hot and the precipitation is concentrated. The autumn climate is cool and short.

Best Time to Visit

Spring and autumn are the best tourist seasons in Zhengzhou. Zhengzhou has four distinct seasons and a mild climate. It is a typical northern city. The spring and autumn have the most suitable temperatures to travel in Zhengzhou, neither too hot nor too cold. At this time, going to climb Songshan mountain and visit Shaolin temple is very enjoyable. Zhengzhou is relatively hot in summer, you can go to the Fantawild Adventure to enjoy the passion on the water. In addition to the comfortable travel seasons, some tourist activities or festivals are also absorbing to many travel enthusiasts. For example, China Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival, usually from September 1 to September 5, is a grand party for Chinese Shaolin Kong Fu enthusiasts. During the festival, tourists can appreciate the impassioned opening ceremony and excellent Kong Fu performance.

Read More: Zhengzhou Climate

Administrative Divisions

Zhengzhou administrative divisions are divided into municipal districts, county and county-level cities. Zhengzhou has jurisdiction over 6 municipal districts, 1 county and 5 county-level cities, including Zhongyuan District(中原区), Erqi District(二七区), Guancheng Hui District(管城回族区), Jinshui District(金水区), Shangjie District(上街区), Huiji District(惠济区), Zhongmu County(中牟县), Gongyi City(巩义市), Xingyang City(荥阳市), Xinmi City(新密市), Xinzheng City(新郑市) and Dengfeng City(登封市).

History

5000 years ago, the first ancestor of Chinese culture Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor was born and then he founded the capital on the land of Zhengzhou. In ancient times, Zhengzhou belonged to Yuzhou. In the early Xia dynasty, emperor Shun established the capital in Yangcheng (now Dengfeng Wangchenggang Site), and then the Xia dynasty moved the capital to Yangzhai (now Xuchang Yuzhou). 3,600 years ago, the second slavery dynasty of China, the Shang dynasty, established its capital here, which is the founding capital- Capital Bo(亳都). Today, the 7 km long Shang dynasty wall still remains in central Zhengzhou. After the experience of the dynasties, Zhengzhou was the capital for five times. On October 30, 1954, the government of Henan province moved from Kaifeng to Zhengzhou, and Zhengzhou became the capital of Henan province since then.

Read More: History of Zhengzhou

Culture

Zhengzhou culture includes its history, Yellow River civilization, central plains culture, religious culture, food culture, opera culture, Kung Fu culture, ethnic groups, festivals and customs, etc, which intermingle and influence each other. Central plains culture is the general term of material culture and spiritual culture in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and is the matrix and backbone of Chinese culture. The central plains culture, with Henan as the core and the vast middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River as the hinterland, radiates outward layer by layer and extends its influence overseas. The central plains is the cradle of Chinese civilization, and the central plains culture is an important source and core part of Chinese culture.

Read More: Zhengzhou Culture and Zhengzhou Festivals and Events.

Transportation

Zhengzhou is featuring a well-developed transportation network and a superior geographical location. It is an important hub city for railways, aviation, expressways, electricity, postal services and telecommunications in the country. Therefore, Zhengzhou can be easily reached by air, train or coach. Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, Zhengzhou Railway Station and Zhengzhou East Railway Station are important passenger transport centers in Zhengzhou. As for internal traffic, there are various forms of public transportation in the main urban areas of Zhengzhou, including bus, metro, taxi and intercity train.

Read More: Zhengzhou Transportation

Things to Do

Zhengzhou is an excellent tourist city in China, with numerous historical and cultural landscapes and rich natural landscape resources. Zhengzhou has numerous cultural relics and historic sites, including the ancient city, ancient culture, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, ancient passes and ancient battlefields, a total of more than 10000 ruins. In addition, Zhengzhou is famous for its Shaolin Temple and Mount Songshan, which are the must-see attractions when travelling in Zhengzhou.

Top Attractions in Zhengzhou

• Yellow River Scenic Area
• Henan Museum
• Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple
• Dengfeng Observation Platform 
• Zhongyue Temple
• Songyang Academy
• Mount Songshan
• Shaolin Temple (Shaolinsi)
• Yellow Emperor Hometown

Keep Reading

• Top Zhengzhou Tourist Attractions and Things To Do Rated on TripAdvisor

Economy

In 2018, Zhengzhou's total economic volume reached 1,014.33 billion yuan, up 8.1% over the previous year, and per capita GDP was 101,349 yuan, up 5.8% over the previous year. The added value of the primary industry was 14.71 billion yuan, up 2.1%. The added value of the secondary industry was 445.07 billion yuan, up 8.1%. Among them, the total industrial added value was 374.62 billion yuan, up 6.9%. The added value of construction industry was 70.86 billion yuan, up 16.5%. The added value of the tertiary industry was 554.55 billion yuan, up 8.3%.

Read More: Economy of Zhengzhou

Natural Resources

Water Resource

Zhengzhou has an average annual precipitation of 4.26 billion cubic meters, surface water resources of 494 million cubic meters, groundwater resources of 953 million cubic meters, surface water and groundwater repetition of 324 million cubic meters, total water resources of 1.124 billion cubic meters, water production modulus of 151,000 cubic meters per square kilometer and per capita water resources of 179 cubic meters. It is an area with severe water shortage.

Plant Resource

Zhengzhou belongs to the warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest vegetation type in flora division, and the plant resources are typical of Songshan plant and Yellow River wetland plant. There are 78 families, 250 genera and more than 400 species of tree species in Zhengzhou. The common plants are Populus tomentosa, populus dakuanensis, ailanthus altissima, paulownia, platycladus orientalis, leonurus japonicus, eleusine indica, setaria viridis, etc. The national key protected wild plants include gingko, wild soybean and wild lotus, and there are many other key protected wild plants in Henan province. These species are concentrated in the mountainous areas of Zhengzhou City and the wetland of the Yellow River.

Animal Resource

There are 46 species of national key protected wild animals found in Zhengzhou, of which 9 species are national first-level protected animals, including white stork, black stork, golden eagle, imperial eagle, white-tailed sea eagle, white-headed crane, red-crowned crane, white crane and great bustard. There are 37 kinds of national second-class protected animals, such as giant salamander, tiger frog, white spoonbill, otter, swan, cygnet, mandarin duck, warbler, goshawk, sparrowhawk, etc. There are 206 species of terrestrial wildlife that are protected by the state and are beneficial or have important economic and scientific research value, including 23 species of Zoology, 169 species of Ornithology, 6 species of Amphibia and 8 species of Crawling. Wild animals are mainly distributed in areas along the Yellow River, mountains and plains in Zhengzhou.

Mineral Resource

Zhengzhou is a city rich in natural resources. There are 36 kinds of proven mineral deposits such as coal, bauxite, refractory clay and oilstone, among which 6.36 billion tons of coal and 200 million tons of bauxite are retained. Refractory clay and limestone for cement are dominant minerals. Natural oilstone is of excellent mineral quality and Zhengzhou has one of the largest oilstone bases in the country.

Zhengzhou Overview by Region

• Zhongyuan District
• Erqi District
• Guancheng Hui District
• Jinshui District
• Huiji District
• Zhongmu County
• Gongyi City
• Xingyang City
• Xinmi City
• Xinzheng City
• Dengfeng City

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