Henan was the power base of Cao Cao, who was based in Xuchang and eventually succeeded in unifying all of northern China under the Kingdom of Wei. The late Eastern Han Dynasty saw war and rivalry between regional warlords. The second half of this dynasty (the Eastern Han Dynasty) moved its capital to Luoyang. They were followed by the Han Dynasty in 206 BC, which initially put its capital in Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi). In 221 BC, the state of Qin from what is now Shaanxi completed the unification of China, establishing the first unified Chinese state, the Qin Dynasty. Throughout this period the state of Chu also held much of what is now southern Henan. Later on these were replaced with Han and Wei. What is now Henan was divided into a variety of small states, including Hua (destroyed by Qin in 627BC), Chen, Cai, Cao, Zheng, Wei, and powerful Jin from Shanxi to the north. This began the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, a period of warfare and rivalry. In 722 BC, it was moved to Luoyang, Henan. Their capital was located initially in Hao (near present day Xi'an in Shaanxi province). In the 11th century BC, the Zhou Dynasty arrived from the west and destroyed the Shang Dynasty. Their last capital, Yin, was located at the modern city of Anyang, Henan. The first literate dynasty of China, the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC), was centered in Henan. The Erlitou culture, which has been controversially identified with the Xia Dynasty, the first Chinese dynasty as described in Chinese records, was also centered in Henan. The two cities of Luoyang and Kaifeng each served as the capital city of a long list of dynasties.Īrchaeological sites reveal that prehistoric cultures such as the Yangshao Culture and Longshan Culture were active in what is now northern Henan. Northern Henan, along the Yellow River, was the core area of ancient China for at least the first half of Chinese history. Based on the construction of Zhengzhou as a commercial and trading city, the whole province is now setting up a number of national and regional commodity-distribution centers and specialized wholesale market. Since opeing-up to the outside world, Henan has gone through many changes but shown great vitality. Henan is also an important province due to its abundant resources, vast market and conveniet transportation facilities. Its geographical advantages make the province a great base for the durrounding provinces. With its advantageous geographical location, Henan used to be a business center of China in ancient times. Known as Zhongyuan - Central Land in ancient China, Henan Province has a population of 98.2 million (2007).Of its total land area of 160,000 square kilomters, 55.7 per cent of 93,000 square kilometers is plain and suitable for growing crops.

Age of wushu ancient tomb guide