A brief history of Henan

Henan — the name means “south of the (Yellow) River” — sits at the heart of the plain the ancient Chinese called the Zhongyuan Hear, the “Central Plains”. For more than three thousand years this was the political and cultural centre of China — the seat, in whole or in part, of over twenty dynasties, and home to four of the Eight Great Ancient Capitals.

The story begins in the Bronze Age. At Erlitou near Luoyang lie the ruins many identify as the capital of the semi-legendary Xia, China’s first dynasty; a few centuries later the Shang built their final capital at Yin, near modern Anyang, and there, on ox bones and turtle shells, the earliest known Chinese writing was inscribed. Luoyang went on to serve as capital for nine dynasties, and Kaifeng Hear became the capital of the Northern Song and, in the eleventh century, one of the largest cities on earth.

The oracle bones, the first bronzes, the first written characters, the very idea of “China” — all of it was born on this stretch of the Yellow River.

As the empire’s centre of gravity drifted north to Beijing and south to the Yangtze, Henan’s ancient capitals faded and the Yellow River’s floods repeatedly reshaped the plain. Its modern chapter opened with the railways: Zhengzhou, once a modest county town, grew into a giant where China’s great north–south and east–west trunk lines crossed, and replaced Kaifeng as provincial capital in 1954. Today Henan is China’s granary and a manufacturing powerhouse. For wider context, see our guide to China’s provinces.

The Henan dialect and Standard Mandarin

Henan sits at the very heart of the Mandarin language. The speech of the Central Plains — the Henan dialect Hear of Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Kaifeng — is the core of the Zhongyuan (Central Plains) Mandarin family, the group from which modern Standard Mandarin ultimately descends. When linguists say “Central Plains Mandarin”, this is the plain they mean.

Henan Mandarin and Standard Mandarin are broadly intelligible — a learner who has studied Putonghua for a few months will follow market traders, museum guides and noodle-shop owners with ease. The accent recasts the standard tones in a characteristic way and swaps in a handful of local words, the most famous being 中 Hear for “OK”. Northern Henan shades toward Shanxi’s Jin Mandarin; the southwest, around Nanyang, edges toward the Southwestern Mandarin of Hubei.

For visitors the practical picture is simple: Standard Mandarin Hear is taught in every school and understood by everyone, so your textbook Mandarin carries you across the whole province. For the wider picture, see our guide to languages and dialects in China.

The Henan dialect — words worth knowing

Henan speech is Zhongyuan (Central Plains) Mandarin, so the audio plays the Standard Mandarin reading of the characters — a local would give them a flatter, warmer Central Plains swing. Tap 🔊 for each.

Phrases worth knowing in Henan

Six phrases that earn their keep at the noodle stall, on the way to Shaolin and in front of the great Buddha at Longmen. Tap 🔊 for native audio. (For the distinctive local dialect words, see the section above.)

Yu cuisine: the Central Plains table

Yu cuisine (豫菜 Yù cài) is the original cooking of the Central Plains — once the imperial food of the ancient capitals, now the comfort food of a hundred million people. It runs on wheat rather than rice, on hand-pulled noodles and hearty soups, and on a mellow, balanced seasoning that historically prized harmony over any single strong flavour.

Its heart is noodles and broth: ribbon noodles in rich mutton stock, peppery breakfast soups, and delicate soup-filled buns descended from the Song court. Breakfast, above all, is a religion here. For a wider lens, see our regional Chinese cuisine guide.

Say the menu

Tap 🔊 to hear each dish in Mandarin:

Notable cities of Henan

Henan’s cities run from a modern rail-hub capital to three of China’s great ancient capitals and the home of Han science — five that frame the province’s character:

Provincial Capital

Zhengzhou郑州

~12.7 million people · China’s rail crossroads · Hear 郑州

Zhengzhou grew from a county town into a metropolis of nearly thirteen million because of where it sits — the point where China’s busiest north–south and east–west rail lines cross, making it the country’s central railway crossroads and, today, a giant high-speed-rail interchange. Beneath the modern towers lie the 3,600-year-old rammed-earth walls of a Shang-dynasty capital.

The superb Henan Museum anchors the old centre, while the “big corn” Zhongyuan Twin Towers mark the CBD by Ruyi Lake. Zhengzhou is also the gateway to Mt Song and the Shaolin Temple, an hour west, and home to Foxconn’s vast “iPhone City”.

Deep-dive guide coming soon

Nine-Dynasty Capital

Luoyang洛阳

~7.1 million people · Capital of nine dynasties · Hear 洛阳

The ancient capital on the Yi and Luo rivers served as the seat of nine dynasties, and its treasures are among the greatest in China: the Longmen Grottoes and their colossal cliffside Buddhas, and the White Horse Temple, traditionally the first Buddhist temple in the country.

Each April the city erupts into colour for its famous peony festival, the flower Luoyang has been renowned for since the Tang. The reconstructed Sui-Tang old town lights up the evenings with Song-and-Tang pageantry.

Deep-dive guide coming soon

Northern Song Capital

Kaifeng开封

~4.8 million people · Song-dynasty imperial capital · Hear 开封

Capital of the Northern Song and, in the eleventh century, one of the largest cities on earth — the world captured in the famous Along the River During the Qingming Festival scroll. The Iron Pagoda and Dragon Pavilion still crown the old town.

The riverside Millennium City Park brings the scroll to life with Song costumes, markets and acrobatics, and Kaifeng’s night market is one of the best street-food scenes in China.

Deep-dive guide coming soon

Shang Dynasty Capital

Anyang安阳

~5.4 million people · Birthplace of Chinese writing · Hear 安阳

The northern Henan city on the Huan River was the site of Yin, last capital of the Shang dynasty — and it was here that the oracle bones bearing the earliest known Chinese writing were unearthed, along with the heaviest ancient bronze ever found.

The Yin Xu ruins and the National Museum of Chinese Writing make Anyang a pilgrimage for anyone drawn to the origins of the Chinese character. Nearby Tangyin is the birthplace of the Song hero Yue Fei.

Deep-dive guide coming soon

Han Science & Medicine

Nanyang南阳

~9.5 million people · Cradle of Han science · Hear 南阳

Henan’s populous southwestern city, in the Han river basin, was a great centre of the Eastern Han — the home of the polymath Zhang Heng, inventor of the seismoscope, and the “Medical Sage” Zhang Zhongjing, a founding figure of traditional Chinese medicine.

Its remarkably intact prefectural yamen, the Medical Sage Shrine and a rich trove of Han stone-relief carvings make Nanyang an underrated stop, and the region is famous for its Dushan jade.

Deep-dive guide coming soon

Iconic attractions across Henan

Six Henan landmarks worth building a trip around — from a kung-fu monastery to a cliff of carved Buddhas and the birthplace of Chinese writing:

Famous figures from Henan

From the founder of Daoism to a Tang poet-sage and a modern Olympic champion, Henan has shaped Chinese thought, science and letters for millennia:

Henan’s modern economy & global role

Henan is one of China’s largest provincial economies — the country’s granary and a manufacturing and logistics powerhouse at the geographic centre of the nation.

Why Henan matters for Mandarin learners

It is where China begins. As the cradle of Chinese civilisation — oracle bones, first bronzes, four ancient capitals — Henan is the deep source of the culture behind the language you are learning.

The dialect is the core of Mandarin. Henan speech is Zhongyuan (Central Plains) Mandarin, the historical heart of the whole Mandarin family, so everyday speech is close to the standard and easy to follow — with the fun local word 中 (zhōng) thrown in.

Standard Mandarin works everywhere. From Zhengzhou’s stations to Luoyang’s grottoes, Pǔtōnghuà is the shared tongue of transport, hotels and restaurants — the Chinese you’ve studied does real, daily work.

Zhengzhou is a practical, central base. Affordable and superbly connected, the capital puts Xi’an, Beijing and Wuhan all within a few hours by high-speed rail — an easy hub for putting Mandarin to use.

Visiting Henan — practical notes

Getting there: Zhengzhou is China’s central high-speed-rail hub — roughly 2.5 hours from Xi’an, Beijing or Wuhan — and Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport adds flights across China and beyond.

Getting around: fast trains link Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Kaifeng and Anyang, making a cradle-of-China circuit easy; Shaolin and Mt Song are about an hour from Zhengzhou by bus or car, and both Zhengzhou and Luoyang have modern metros.

When to come: April is the headline month, when Luoyang’s peony festival fills the city with colour; spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, while July and August are hot and humid.

Eat the province: seek out a bowl of huimian in Zhengzhou, a peppery hu la tang for breakfast, Kaifeng’s soup dumplings at the night market, and the twenty-four courses of the Luoyang Water Banquet.

A week in Henan: Zhengzhou and the Shaolin Temple; Luoyang for the Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple and the peonies; Kaifeng’s Song-dynasty old town; and Anyang for the oracle bones at Yin Xu.

Test your Henan knowledge

FAQs