Zhengzhou, a modern and quaint city

Zhengzhou,is the capital city of Henan Province(hénán shěng河南省)

since 1949,Zhengzhou(zhèng zhōu郑州)is located in the middle of China,about 689km(413 miles)southwest of Beijing,998km(599 miles)northwest of Shanghai.After the Longhai Railway(lǒng hǎi tiělù陇海铁路;Lanzhou to Lianyungang)and the Jingjiu Railway(jīng jiǔtiělù京九铁路;Beijing to Kowloon)were completed,their intersection,Zhengzhou,became a vital transportation hub.Thanks to this important position,the city has prospered.

As sprawling industrial city of six million and a major railway stop on the Beijing-Guangzhou rail lines,Zhengzhou was once a former ancient Shang Dynasty(1700-1100 BC)capital,though few traces of its 3,000-year history remain.Many travelers simply overnight here en route to Kaifeng(kāi fēng开封)and Luoyang(luòyáng洛阳),but the quickly modernizing town is not unattractive–with clean,wide boulevards lined with numerous upmarket boutiques and shops branching off around the train station–but its role as a major rail transport junction in the region is the real reason it's the capital city.Zhengzhou's proximity to the Yellow River(huáng hé黄河;30km/18 miles to the north)also makes it a convenient base from which to explore the river.