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China Travel Guide » Places in China » Henan Province
Places in China: Henan Province
The amount of historical background is astounding in Henan Province. Having several of its cities serving as capitals for ancient imperial sites, Henan is the place to go to learn more about China's past. The city of Kaifeng alone has been the capital of seven dynasties.
A trip to Kaifeng is loaded with attractions including pavilions, pagodas and monasteries. A wax museum at Dragon Pavilion helps to bring old China back to life. An old 180 foot high pagoda, which looks like it is made of iron, dates back to the Song Dynasty of 960 to 1271 AD.
Henan has been dubbed the 'cradle of Chinese civilization' due to its early involvement in Chinese history. However, the province is as modern as any in China nowadays. It is the second most populous province in the country, exceeded only by Sichuan. 582 persons per square kilometre is the population density since ninety-seven million people occupy 167,000 square kilometres of land area.
Two outstanding rivers help to provide water to irrigate this prosperous province. The Huang He (Yellow River) is where the provincial capital of Zhengzhou is located. The other great river in the province is the Huai He, which was dammed in the 1960s. This dam helps to provide irrigation water and electrical power. The name 'Henan' means 'river south'.
Coal deposits add to the income production of the province. These deposits plus tourism augment the farming income of Henan Province.
The province is in the middle of the eastern half of China. Its neighbouring provinces are Shandong, Sha'anxi, Hebei, Shanxi and Anhui. Cities in Henan Province which have been capitals of the country at times include Anyang (then known as Yin), Luoyang and Kaifeng (then known as Daling). Several famous Buddhist monks have been involved in the history of Henan as well. Many of the monasteries still exist as tourist attractions in the province.
Tourists often come to Henan to see monks in training at the Shaolin Temple where they learn wushi (Kung Fu). White Horse Temple at Luoyan is one of China's oldest Buddhist temples.
The province has temperate zone seasons with summers being hot and damp and winters being cold and dry.
The people of Henan are largely Han Chinese. There are much smaller numbers of Manchu and Mongol groups in the province.
Major cities in Henan:
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