While the province's name means 'south of the river',[10] approximately a quarter of the province lies north of theYellow River. With an area of 167,000 km2 (64,000 sq mi), Henan covers a large part of the fertile and densely populatedNorth China Plain. Its neighboring provinces areShaanxi,Shanxi,Hebei,Shandong,Anhui, andHubei.
Henan has the5th-largest provincial economy in China, the second-largest inSouth Central China afterGuangdong, and the largest among inland provinces, with a nominal GDP of CN¥5.88 trillion (US$926 billion) in 2021, surpassing that of Turkey (US$815 billion).[13][14] If it were a country, it would be the18th-largest economy as of 2021.[15] However, itsGDP per capita is low compared to other eastern and central provinces.[16] The economy continues to grow based on aluminum and coal prices, as well as agriculture,heavy industry, tourism and retail.High-tech industries and the service sector are concentrated aroundZhengzhou andLuoyang.
Henan hosts more than 150 institutions of higher education, ranking first in theCentral China region.[17] As of 2025, three major cities in the province ranked in the top 140 cities in the world (Zhengzhou 58th,Kaifeng 136th andXinxiang 138th) by scientific research output, as tracked by theNature Index.[18]
Widely regarded as one of the cradles of Chinese civilization along with the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, Henan is known for its historical prosperity and periodic downturns.[19] The economic prosperity resulted from its extensive fertile plains and its location at the heart of the country. However, its strategic location also means that it has suffered from nearly all of the major wars in China. In addition, the numerous floods of theYellow River have caused significant damage from time to time.[20]Kaifeng, in particular, has been buried by China's Yellow River's silt seven times due to flooding.
Archaeological sites reveal that prehistoric cultures such as theYangshao Culture andLongshan Culture were active in what is now northern Henan since theNeolithic Era. The more recentErlitou culture has been controversially identified with theXia dynasty, the first and largely legendary Chinese dynasty that was established,[21] roughly, in the 21st century BC. Virtually the entire kingdom existed within what is now north and central Henan.
The Xia dynasty collapsed around the 16th century BC following the invasion ofShang, a neighboringvassal state centered around today'sShangqiu in eastern Henan. TheShang dynasty (16th–11th centuries BC) was the first literate dynasty of China. Its many capitals are located at the modern cities ofShangqiu,Yanshi, andZhengzhou. Their last and most important capital ofYin, located in modernAnyang, is where the first Chinese writing was created.
In the 11th century BC, theZhou dynasty ofShaanxi arrived from the west and overthrew the Shang dynasty.[22] During theWestern Zhou period (c. 1046 – 771 BC), the capital and political and economical center was moved away from Henan for the first time. TheSpring and Autumn period, a period of warfare and rivalry, began in 721 BC. What is now Henan and all of China was divided into a variety of small, independent states, constantly at war for control of the central plain. Although regarded formally as the ruler of China, the control that Zhou king in Luoyang exerted over the feudal kingdoms had virtually disappeared. Despite the prolonged period of instability, prominent philosophers such asConfucius emerged in this era and offered their ideas on how a state should be run.Laozi, the founder ofTaoism, was born in northernChu, part of modern-day Henan.[23]
Later on, these states were replaced by seven large and powerful states during theWarring States period, and Henan was divided into three states, theWei to the north, theChu to the south, and theHan in the middle. In 221 BC,state of Qin forces from Shaanxi conquered all of the other six states, ending 800 years of warfare.
Ying Zheng, the leader of Qin, crowned himself (220 BCE) as thefirst emperor of China. He abolished the feudal system and centralized all powers, establishing theQin dynasty and unifying the core of theHan Chinese homeland for the first time. The empire quickly collapsed after the death (210 BCE) of Ying Zheng and was replaced by theHan dynasty in 206 BC, with its capital at Chang'an. Thus, agolden age of Chinese culture, economy, and military power began. The capital moved east toLuoyang in 25 AD, in response to a coup in Chang'an that created the short-livedXin dynasty. Luoyang quickly regained control of China, and theEastern Han dynasty (25–220) began, extending the golden age for another two centuries.
The lateEastern Han dynasty saw war and rivalry between regional warlords.Xuchang in central Henan was the power base ofCao Cao, who eventually succeeded in unifying all of northern China under theKingdom of Wei.[24] Wei then moved its capital to Luoyang, which remained the capital after the unification of China by the WesternJin dynasty. During this period Luoyang became one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the world, despite being repeatedly damaged by warfare.
With the fall of the Western Jin dynasty in the 4th and 5th centuries, nomadic peoples from the north invaded northern China and established many successive regimes in northern China, including Henan. These people were gradually assimilated into theChinese culture in a process known assinification.
The short-livedSui dynasty reunified China again in 589 with its capital back in Chang'an. It collapsed due toSui Emperor Yang's costly attempt to relocate the capital from Chang'an to Luoyang and the construction of many extravagant palaces there.[25] The succeedingTang dynasty (618–907) kept its capital inChang'an, marking the beginning of China's second golden age, with Henan being one of the wealthiest places in the empire.
The Tang dynasty lasted for three centuries before it eventually succumbed to internal strife. In thePeriod of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907–960) that followed,Kaifeng in eastern Henan became the capital of four dynasties. TheSong dynasty that reunified China in 982 also had its capital at Kaifeng. Under Song rule, China entered another era of culture and prosperity, and Kaifeng overtook Luoyang and Chang'an as the largest city in China and in the world.[26] In 1127, however, the Song dynasty succumbed toJurchen (Jin dynasty) invaders from the north in theJin–Song war, and in 1142ceded all of northern China, including Henan. The Song government moved its capital toHangzhou in Southern China, which, under theSouthern Song dynasty (1127–1279) continued to enjoy relative economic and culture prosperity. A prolonged period of peace and cultural and economic prosperity in the Yangtze deltaJiangnan region (modern southernJiangsu, northernZhejiang, and Shanghai) made this the new center of Chinese culture and economy.
Kaifeng served as the Jurchen's "southern capital" from 1157 (other sources say 1161) and was reconstructed during this time.[27][28] But the Jurchen kept their main capital further north, until 1214, when they were forced to move the imperial court southwards to Kaifeng in order to flee theMongol onslaught. In 1234 they succumbed to combined Mongol andSong dynasty forces. Mongols took control, and in 1279 they conquered all of China, establishing theYuan dynasty and set up the equivalent of modern Henan, with borders very similar to the modern ones. Neither its territories nor its role in the economy changed under later dynasties. Henan remained important in theMing dynasty (1368–1644) andQing dynasty (1644–1911) that followed, though its economy slowly deteriorated due to frequent natural disasters.
The Qing dynasty was overthrown by the 1911 Revolution and then the Republic of China was established in 1912,[29] during which a man from Henan,Yuan Shikai, played an important role and thus he became the first president of Republic of China.[30] The construction and extension of thePinghan Railway andLonghai Railway had turnedZhengzhou, a minor county town at the time, into a major transportation hub. Despite the rise of Zhengzhou, Henan's overall economy repeatedly stumbled as it was the hardest hit by the many disasters that struck China in its modern era.
Henan suffered greatly during theSecond Sino-Japanese War. In 1938, when theImperial Japanese Army captured Kaifeng, the government led byChiang Kai-shek bombed theHuayuankou dam in Zhengzhou in order to prevent Japanese forces from advancing further.[31] However, this caused massive flooding in Henan,Anhui, andJiangsu resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In 1942 Henan was hit bya great famine resulting from a mix of drought, locusts and destruction caused by the war.[32]
In 1954, the new government of the People's Republic of China moved the capital of Henan from Kaifeng toZhengzhou,[33] as a result of its economic importance. The PRC had earlier established a short-livedPingyuan Province consisting of what is now northern Henan and westernShandong withXinxiang as its capital. This province was abolished in 1952.[34]
In 1958, Yashan inSuiping County, Henan, became the firstpeople's commune of China, heralding the beginning of the "Great Leap Forward".[35] In the subsequent famines of the early 1960s popularly attributed to the Great Leap Forward, Henan was one of the hardest hit and millions of people died.[36][unreliable source?] Suffering under famine and economic chaos caused by the Great Leap, locals in Henan offered low-level resistance mostly through banditry.[37] In 1959, however,a full peasant uprising erupted and was only defeated after twenty days of fighting.[38]
A destructive flooding of theHuai River in the summer of 1950 prompted large-scale construction of dams on its tributaries in central and southern Henan.Unfortunately, many of the dams were not able to withstand the extraordinarily high levels of rainfall caused byTyphoon Nina in August 1975. Sixty-two dams, the largest of which was theBanqiao Dam inBiyang County collapsed; catastrophic flooding, spread over several counties throughoutZhumadian Prefecture and further downstream, killed at least 26,000 people.[39][40] Unofficial human life loss estimates, including deaths from the ensuing epidemics and famine, range as high as 85,600,[39] 171,000[41] or even 230 000.[39] This is considered the most deadly dam-related disaster in human history.[39]
By the early 1970s, China was one of the poorest countries in the world, and Henan was one of the poorest provinces in China.[42] In 1978, however, when the communist leaderDeng Xiaoping initiated theopen door policy and embraced capitalism, China entered an economic boom that continues today. The boom did not reach inland provinces such as Henan initially, but by the 1990s Henan's economy was expanding at an even faster rate than that of China overall.
In July 2021, high amounts of rainfall causedflooding, killing 302 and damaging amounting to 82 billion yuan.[43]
Henan has a diverse landscape with floodplains in the east and mountains in the west. Much of the province forms part the densely populatedNorth China Plain, an area known as the "breadbasket of China". TheTaihang Mountains intrude partially into Henan's northwestern borders fromShanxi, forming the eastern edge ofLoess Plateau. To the west theXionger andFuniu Mountains form an extensive network of mountain ranges and plateaus, supporting one of the few remainingtemperate deciduous forests which once covered all of Henan. The renownedMount Song and itsShaolin Temple is located in the far east of the region, near the capital city Zhengzhou. To the far south, theDabie Mountains dividesHubei from Henan. TheNanyang Basin, separated from North China Plain by these mountains, is another important agricultural and population center, with culture and history distinct from the rest of Henan and closer to that of Hubei's. Unlike the rest of northern China,desertification is not a problem in Henan, though sandstorms are common in cities near the Yellow River due to the large amount of sand present in the river. At 2413.8 meters above sea level, the highest point in Henan province is Laoyachanao (老鸦岔垴).[44]
The Yellow River passes through central Henan. It enters from the northwest, via theSanmenxia Reservoir. After it passes Luoyang, the mountains gave way to plains. Excessive amount of sediments are formed due to the silt it picks up from the Loess Plateau, raising the river bed and causing frequent floods which shaped the habitat of the region. More recently however, construction of dams andlevees, as well as the depletion of water resources have ended the floods. TheHuai River in southern Henan is another important river, and has been recognized as part of the boundary dividingnorthern and southern Chinese climate and culture.[45]
Henan shares borders with six other provinces. It is bordered to the west byShaanxi, to the south byHubei, and to the north byShanxi (northwest) andHebei (northeast). To the east lieShandong (northeast) andAnhui (southeast), whose borders meet at a narrow strip of land which separates Henan fromJiangsu to the east.
Henan has atemperate climate that ishumid subtropical (KöppenCwa orCfa) to the south of the Yellow River and bordering onhumid continental (KöppenDwa) to the north. It has a distinct seasonal climate characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asianmonsoon, and generally cool to cold, windy, dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberiananticyclone. Temperatures average around the freezing mark in January and 27 to 28 °C in July. A great majority of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer.
^abNew district established after census:Xiangfu (Kaifeng County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^abNew district established after census:Jian'an (Xuchang County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^abNew district established after census:Shanzhou (Shanxian County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
Most populous cities in Henan
Source:China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population[51]
With a population of approximately 93.6 million, Henan is the third most populous Chinese province after Guangdong and Shandong. It is also the fifth most populous sub-national division in the world. If it were a country by itself, it would be the twelfth most populous in the world, just behind Mexico and ahead of the Philippines. However, thehukou system shows Henan as the most populous province in China with over 103 million people, as it counts the migrant Henanese laborers as residents of Henan, instead of the province they currently reside in. On the other hand, Guangdong is shown as having only 81 million people, though the actual population is 95 million due to the influx of migrants from other provinces.
The population is highly homogeneous with 98.8% of the population beingHan. Small populations ofMongols andManchus exists in scattered rural communities as well as major urban centers.Along withJiangxi, Henan has one of the most unbalanced gender ratios in China. As a result of the Chinese government'sone-child policy (many parents do not want the only child to be female and abort the fetus), the gender ratio was 118.46 males for 100 females in 2000. Subsequently, aborting fetuses due to their female sex was banned in Henan and heavy fines are issued for those who violate the law. In addition, daughter-only families receive an annual allowance from the government.[62] Despite these efforts the problem seems to have become far worse. Based on a 2009 British Medical Journal study, the ratio is over 140 boys for every 100 girls in the 1–4 age group;[63] this might be a strong exaggeration, as many families with more than one child do not register their daughters to the hukou in order to escape fines.
Henan has also the largestChristian population by numbers and percentage of any province of China,[64] 6.1% of the province's population as of 2012[update], corresponding to approximately 7 million Christians. A 2009 survey reported the share of Christians to be 9.33%.[65] In 2019, Communist officials demolished theTrue Jesus Church near Zhumadian.[66] In 2020, Communist officials demolished theSunzhuang Church.[67]
The Government of Henan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.
TheGovernor of Henan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Henan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the HenanChinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "HenanCCP Party Chief".
Henan has seen rapid development in its economy over the past two decades, and its economy has expanded at an even faster rate than the national average of 10%. This rapid growth has transformed Henan from one of the poorest provinces to one that matches other central provinces.
Henan is a semi-industrialized economy with an underdevelopedservice sector. Agriculture has traditionally been a pillar of its economy, with the nation's highest wheat andsesame output and second highest rice output, earning its reputation as the breadbasket of China. Henan is also an important producer of beef, cotton, maize, pork,animal oil, and corn.
Mining-related industries are a major part of Henan's economy.[68]: 23 Henan has the second largestmolybdenum reserves in the world. Coal, aluminum,alkaline metals andtungsten are also present in large amounts in western Henan. Henan houses some of the biggestlimestone reserves in China estimated over 24 billion tons.[69] Export and processing of these materials is one of the main sources of revenues.
Henan has planned its economy around the provincial capital of Zhengzhou, and it is hoped that the province may become an important transportation and manufacturing hub in the years to come.[70]
In July 2021,extreme flooding inflicted an estimated US$12.7 billion[71] of economic damage in Henan.
Henan has some of the most advanced transportation system in China due to its flat terrain and its location at the heart ofcentral China's construction boom. TheJingguang andLonghai Railway, the nation's two most important railways, run through much of the province and intersect atZhengzhou. Other railway hubs such asShangqiu,Xinxiang, andLuohe have also become important centers of trade and manufacturing as a result.[72] Zhengzhou is also an important hub of China'shigh-speed railway network with railway lines connecting the city from 8 directions with all preferecture-level cities in Henan and other important cities in the country.Zhengzhou East Railway Station is one of the largest high speed railway stations in China and the world. Henan's expressway system is highly developed and the total length is approximately 5,000 km (3,100 mi), the highest total for any Chinese province. The state of air transport is less stellar, the only 3 public airports are located inXinzheng (near Zhengzhou),Luoyang, andNanyang.
Most of Henan speaks dialects of theMandarin group of dialects spoken in northern and southwestern China. Linguists put these dialects into the category of "Zhongyuan Mandarin". The northwestern corner of Henan is an exception, where people speakJin dialects instead. The dialects of Henan are collectively called "theHenan dialect" in popular usage, with easily identifiable stereotypical features.
Important traditional art and craft products include:Junci, a type of porcelain originating inYuzhou noted for its unpredictable colour patterns; thejade carvings ofZhenping; andLuoyang'sTangsancai ("Tang Three Colours"), which are earthenware figurines made in the traditional style of theTang dynasty.
Henan is considered one of China's leading provinces in education. The province hosts more than 156 higher education institutions, ranking first in theCentral China region, ranked second inSouth Central China afterGuangdong and third among all Chinese provinces/municipalities afterJiangsu andGuangdong.[17]
As of 2025, three major cities in the province ranked in the top 140 cities in the world (Zhengzhou 58th,Kaifeng 136th andXinxiang 138th) by scientific research output, as tracked by theNature Index.[73] Along with Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Henan is one of only three Chinese provinces with at least three major cities that are among the top 140 in the world by scientific research output.[73]
Deng Ai (?−264), an officer ofCao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period
Deng Yaping (born 5 February 1973), four-time Olympic gold medalist.
Du Fu (712–770), considered one of the greatest of Chinese poets
Du Wei (born 9 February 1982), professional football player
Fan Zhen (c. 450–515), a Chinese philosopher of theSouthern Qi dynasty, remembered today for the treatiseShen Mie Lun (On the Annihilation of the Soul)
^Census Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Population and Employment Statistics Division of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (2012).中国2010人口普查分乡、镇、街道资料 (1 ed.). Beijing:China Statistics Print.ISBN978-7-5037-6660-2.
^abcChina Family Panel Studies 2012:当代中国宗教状况报告——基于CFPS（2012）调查数据(PDF) (in Chinese (China)).CASS. 3 March 2014. pp. 13, 24. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 9 August 2014. Retrieved7 July 2014.
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