Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou or Chengchow (both: jŭng-jō), city (1994 est. pop. 1,323,700), capital of Henan prov., E central China. An important railroad center, the city is at the junction of the Longhai (east-west) and the Beijing-Guangzhou (north-south) railroads. The textile center of Henan prov., and a flourishing industrial city, Zhengzhou has grown about sevenfold since 1949. In addition to textiles, manufactures include tractors, locomotives, cigarettes, fertilizer, processed meats, agricultural machinery, and electrical equipment. An open-pit coal mine is nearby. Near the city are important archaeological sites, which indicate that Zhengzhou was the Shang capital of Ao. An agricultural institute and a medical college are in the city. Zhengzhou was formerly called Zhengxian; the name sometimes appears as Cheng-chou.

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Zhengzhou

 or Cheng-chou formerly (1913–49) Zhengxian or Cheng-hsien

City (pop., 2003 est.: 1,770,800), capital of Henan province, east-central China. Located south of the Huang He (Yellow River), it is an important rail centre. There were Neolithic settlements in the area, and the Shang Bronze Age culture (fl. c. 1500 BC) was centred there on a walled city. Zhou-dynasty tombs have also been discovered. The city was first called Zhengzhou in AD 605, and it has been known by that name virtually ever since. It achieved its greatest importance in the 6th–12th century, when it was the terminus of a canal that joined the Huang to the north. In the early 20th century it became a rail junction and a regional agricultural centre. Since 1949 its industrial base has greatly expanded, and its population has grown considerably.

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Zhengzhou, Chengchow, Cheng-chou

a city in E central China, capital of Henan province; an administrative centre. Pop.: 2 250 000 (2005 est.)