Located 25km south of the Yellow River and mid-way between Luoyang and Kaifeng, Zhengzhou is the economic capital of Henan Province. Many Chinese guide books would also have us believe that this is the political and cultural center of the province too. However, throughout history, the importance of the area has long been overshadowed by its eastern and western neighbors, that is, Kaifeng and Luoyang, both of which have been the capital of empires in the past. What's more, Zhengzhou is certainly not the most charming of places, a large sprawling, booming industrial city, home to roughly 3 million people.

Nonetheless, this  city cannot be completely ignored. Zhengzhou has a strategic location by the river and stands at the center of the Beijing to Guangzhou, and Xi'an to Shanghai rail lines, making this one of the most important transit cities in all of China. The area also carries an interesting history, remnants of which remain today.  As long as 3500 years ago, this was the capital of the Shang Kingdom, known for its technological wizardry in pottery and ceramics, illustrated in the excavation and discovery of relics that can be seen in the city today.

As a coin has its head and tail, the strategic geographical location of the area also means seasonal floods, long a cause of great disruption and playing havoc with the homes and work of the people of the city.

Chang Kai Shek's retreating Nationalist troops blew up the huge dam here in an attempt to stop the Japanese gaining further access into the area. Millions of people suffered then, as a result of these floods,  and have done in regular annual bursts since. For a long time,  investors didn't feel it was worthwhile pouring money into the area and until the mid 1900s, Zhengzhou remained poorly developed. The city today is an example of a typical post-1949 boom town; with Mao statues, small parks and heavy industry dominating its center.On the upside, this is a convenient place to reach from most major cities and is also a good base for further exploration deeper into the region.