Henan

Province of east central China, bounded to the north by Hebei, to the east by Shandong and Anhui, to the south by Hubei, and to the west by Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces; area 167,000 sq km/64,500 sq mi; population (2000 est) 92,560,000. The province is one of the most densely populated in China. The capital is Zhengzhou; other major cities are Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Anyang. The main industries are coal mining, crude oil production, and the manufacture of iron and steel, heavy machinery, aluminium, textiles, cement, glass, and fertilizers. Agricultural products are cereals (especially wheat), cotton, fruit, tobacco, and peanuts.

Three of China's ancient capitals are in Henan: the ‘Great City’ of Shang (now Anyang) of the Shang dynasty (c. 1500–c. 1066 BC); Luoyang of the Eastern Zhou (770–221 BC) and Eastern Han (25–220) dynasties; and Kaifeng of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1126). The countryside is studded with the tombs of ancient kings and nobles, and is a rich area for archaeologists. The earliest Chinese script, on oracle bones, was unearthed in Henan. Near Luoyang the caves of Longmen contain thousands of statues of Buddha as well as many stone tablets of the 5th to 7th centuries. There are ruins of Xibo, the 16th-century BC capital of the Shang dynasty.