Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zhengzhou_East_District.jpg Author: Mark Nan Tu
Zhengzhou (郑州) is the biggest city and capital of Henan Province, China. This prefecture-level city covers 7,446.2 sq km (2,875 sq mi) of which the urban area of Zhengzhou covers 1,010.3 sq km (390.1 sq mi). It has an urban population of 4.5 million people (2011 estimate) and a prefecture population of 7.4 million people.
Erqi Memorial Tower
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erqi.jpg Author: Openthedoors
Zhengzhou is located on the southern bank of the Yellow River. Today it is the political, economic and educational center for Henan Province, as well as the transportation hub for Central China.
The history of Zhengzhou goes back to the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC), when the ancient cities of Aodu and Bodu were established in present-day Zhengzhou, this according to archaeological excavations carried out in Eastern Zhengzhou.
The first mention of Zhengzhou appeared in AD 581, during the Sui Dynasty. However the city was then located in another site, in Chenggao. It was relocated to the present site during the Tang Dynasty. Zhengzhou grew in importance when the New Bian Canal was constructed, as it is located at the confluence of the canal with the Yellow River.
Modern linkage for Zhengzhou came in the form of the Beijing-Hankou Railway, which was completed in 1903. Then in 1909, the completion of the first stage of the Longhai Railway connects Zhengzhou with Kaifeng and Luoyang, and eventually to Lianyungang in Jiangxu Province and Xi'an.
By the early 20th century, Zhengzhou had grown to become a major rail transport hub as well as agricultural produce center. Following the Communist takeover in 1949, Zhengzhou was developed into an industrial city based on cotton, textile, flour milling and tobacco, among others. Today it is become an increasingly modern city in Central China.
The Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) is about 37 km to the southeast of downtown Zhengzhou. It receives flights from major cities in China as well as from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei. There are buses from the airport to downtown Zhengzhou, stopping at Aviation Hotel on Jin Shui Road. The fare is ¥25.
You can also reach Zhengzhou by train. It has one of the biggest railway stations in the country. All major cities have services to Zhengzhou including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an. Regular trains from Beijing takes 11 hours, but the country is in the midst of building high-speed rail tracks that will link most of the cities.
Zhengzhou is quite sprawling, with lots of green space. That means walking is not an option. You may have to get acquainted with the local buses. They charge between ¥1 and ¥2 per ride. Taxi fares start at ¥6 during day time, ¥7 in the evening and ¥8 at late night, with every subsequent kilometer at ¥1.50.
Zhengzhou is your base for trips to the Shaolin Temple, famous for its association with the kungfu martial art. It is not within the city, but about two hours away.
Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.
Disclaimer
Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.