Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou or Chengchow , 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.

Zhengzhou (Chengchow) City in e central China, 16km (10mi) s of the Huang He (‘Yellow’) River; capital of Henan province. Capital of the Shang dynasty before 2000 bc, it has been a walled city from that time. The modern city grew with the railway (1898) to become the main rail junction of e China. Industries: cotton, food processing, agricultural tools, thermal power. Pop. (2002 est.) 1,347,700.