Henan Province

Henan, an agricultural province, lies in the middle-lower reaches of the Yellow River.

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Situated 110"22"-116"38" east longitude and 31"23"-36"22" north latitude, it covers an area of more than 167,000 square kilometers.

Climate

Henan has a continental climate of the North Temperate Zone, with hot, rainy summers, dry, inclement winters and windy springs. It has a mean temperature of 13oC-15oC, increasing from north to south, an annual frost-free period of 6-8 months, and a mean annual precipitation of 600-900 mm., also increasing from north to south.

Administrative Division and Population

It is divided into 17 prefecture-level cities, 21 county-level cities and 89 counties, with a population of 92.56 million as of 2000, mainly including ethnic groups of Han, Hui, Mongolia, and Manchu.

Food

Liyu Beimian (Carp Covered with Baked Noodles in Sweet and Sour Sauce), Luoyang Shuixi (Feast Characterized by Its Soup in Luoyang Style), Songgong Miangao (Pastry Originating From the Imperial Palace of the Song Dynasty), etc.

Culture

Yuju (Henan Opera) is the most important opera genre; other operas include Quju, Yue Diao, and Henan Zhuizi, etc.

Special Local Products

The traditional specialties are Henan embroidery in Kaifeng, Maojian Tea in Xinyang and Dukang Wine in Luoyang.

Brief Introduction

Yu is the shortened form of Henan Province, with Zhenzhou as the provincial capital.

Henan (South of the River) gets its name from its geographic characteristic - the greater part of the province is lying south of the Yellow River. Being one of the earliest developed regions in the country, it was a political and cultural center in ancient China. In the remote past, China was divided into nine geographical regions, and Henan was called the "Central Region" or "Central Plain" because it was situated in the middle of the nine regions. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Kaifeng of Henan was not only the political, economic and cultural center, but also one of the most prosperous international capitals.

Henan has highly developed agriculture and industries. Its agricultural products of wheat, cotton, tobacco, sesame and peanut are among the most important in the whole country. Its output of coal and petroleum holds an important position in China.

Henan, holding a very important position in Chinese history, abounds in tourist resources. The places of interest include Songshan Mountain, Jigong Mountain, the Imperial Mausoleum of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256BC), the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, the Longmen Grotto, the Chancellor Temple in Kaifeng, the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, the Zhongyue Temple and so on.

Luoyang City of Henan is a renowned historic city, which was once the Capital of 13 dynasties. It is recognized as the Capital of Poems for its abundance in literati and the Capital of Flowers for its typical flower peony.

More about the provinces of China

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  is called Wan for short, with Hefei as its capital city.
• Beijing Province
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• Chongqing Province
  Chongqing is called Yu for short. It is situated in the southeast of the Sichuan Basin and the confluence between the Yangtze River and the Jialing River.
• Fujian Province
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• Gansu Province
  is also called Long or Gan for short. It is the cradle of Chinese culture.
• Guangdong Province
  Guangdong is bounded by the South China Sea and is the southern gateway of China.
• Guangxi Province
  The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Gui for short, is named after its history as the prefecture of Guilin County in the Qin Dynasty
• Guizhou Province
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• Hainan Province
  What particularly attracts tourists, both domestic and foreign, to Hainan is its characteristic beauty of south China with sunshine, beaches, seawater and hot springs.
• Hebei Province
  As Hebei surrounds the nation's capital, Beijing, it is a geographically important province.
• Heilongjiang Province
  Lying in the northernmost part of northeast China, Heilongjlang Province is the province with the longest winters.
• Henan Province
  Henan, an agricultural province, lies in the middle-lower reaches of the Yellow River.
• Hong Kong SAR
  Hong Kong, with an area of 1071.8 square kilometers, is a Special Administrative Region of China since China resumed its sovereignty from the British Government on July 1, 1997.
• Hubei Province
  Renowned as the Province of a Thousand Lakes, Hubei abounds in natural, historic and cultural resources.
• Hunan Province
  , known as Xiang for short, is located at the south bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, with Changsha as its provincial capital.
• Inner Mongolia Province
  The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is also called Inner Mongolia for short, with Hohhot as its capital city.
• Jiangsu Province
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• Jiangxi Province
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• Jilin Province
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• Liaoning Province
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• Macao SAR
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• Ningxia Province
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• Qinghai Province
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• Shaanxi Province
  is called Shaan for short, with Xi'an as the provincial capital.
• Shandong Province
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• Shanghai Province
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• Shanxi Province
  The land of Shanxi is one of the origins of Chinese civilization, exhibiting evidence of human settlement over a million years ago.
• Sichuan Province
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• Tianjin Province
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• Tibet Province
  Tibet Autonomous Region is located on southwest China border areas, with Lhasa as the provincial capital.
• Xinjiang Province
  The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located in Northwest China, with its capital city in Urumqi.
• Yunnan Province
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• Zhejiang Province
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