Editing Henan (section)

==History==
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=增强中华文明传播力影响力｜河南：行走中原大地 读懂中国文脉 |url=http://www.cppcc.gov.cn/zxww/2023/05/19/ARTI1684477076032423.shtml |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.cppcc.gov.cn}}</ref> 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 the [[Yellow River]] have caused significant damage from time to time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Storozum |first1=Michael J |last2=Zhen |first2=Qin |last3=Xiaolin |first3=Ren |last4=Haiming |first4=Li |last5=Yifu |first5=Cui |last6=Kui |first6=Fu |last7=Haiwang |first7=Liu |date=2018-08-02 |title=The collapse of the North Song dynasty and the AD 1048–1128 Yellow River floods: Geoarchaeological evidence from northern Henan Province, China |journal=[[The Holocene]] |language=en |volume=28 |issue=11 |pages=1759–1770 |doi=10.1177/0959683618788682 |bibcode=2018Holoc..28.1759S |issn=0959-6836 |doi-access=free |hdl=10356/137334 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> [[Kaifeng]], in particular, has been buried by China's Yellow River's silt seven times due to flooding.

===Antiquity===
Archaeological sites reveal that prehistoric cultures such as the [[Yangshao Culture]] and [[Longshan Culture]] were active in what is now northern Henan since the [[Neolithic Era]]. The more recent [[Erlitou culture]] has been controversially identified with the [[Xia dynasty]], the first and largely legendary Chinese dynasty that was established,<ref>{{Cite web |title=考古第一现场：神秘夏朝是否真实存在？真相只有一个-中新网 |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2021/02-22/9416419.shtml |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.chinanews.com.cn}}</ref> roughly, in the 21st century&nbsp;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 of [[Shang dynasty|Shang]], a neighboring [[Ancient Chinese States|vassal state]] centered around today's [[Shangqiu]] in eastern Henan. The [[Shang dynasty]] (16th–11th centuries BC) was the first literate dynasty of China. Its many capitals are located at the modern cities of [[Shangqiu]], [[Yanshi]], and [[Zhengzhou]]. Their last and most important capital of [[Yinxu|Yin]], located in modern [[Anyang]], is where the first Chinese writing was created.

[[File:Shang-Orakelknochen excerpt adjusted for contrast.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.65|Shang dynasty [[oracle bone script]], the first form of [[Chinese writing]]]]
In the 11th century BC, the [[Zhou dynasty]] of [[Shaanxi]] arrived from the west and overthrew the Shang dynasty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=古代中国-中国国家博物馆 |url=https://www.chnmuseum.cn/portals/0/web/zt/gudai/detail2.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.chnmuseum.cn}}</ref> During the [[Western Zhou]] period (c. 1046 – 771 BC), the capital and political and economical center was moved away from Henan for the first time. The [[Spring and Autumn period]], a period of warfare and rivalry, began in 721&nbsp;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 as [[Confucius]] emerged in this era and offered their ideas on how a state should be run. [[Laozi]], the founder of [[Taoism]], was born in northern [[state of Chu|Chu]], part of modern-day Henan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国古代著名思想家、道家学派创始人老子 |url=http://ve.china-embassy.gov.cn/zwgx/whjl/qian560/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=ve.china-embassy.gov.cn}}</ref>

Later on, these states were replaced by seven large and powerful states during the [[Warring States period]], and Henan was divided into three states, the [[Wei (state)|Wei]] to the north, the [[state of Chu|Chu]] to the south, and the [[state of Han|Han]] in the middle. In 221&nbsp;BC, [[state of Qin]] forces from Shaanxi conquered all of the other six states, ending 800 years of warfare.

===Imperial era===
[[Ying Zheng]], the leader of Qin, crowned himself (220&nbsp;BCE) as the [[Emperor of China|first emperor of China]]. He abolished the feudal system and centralized all powers, establishing the [[Qin dynasty]] and unifying the core of the [[Han Chinese]] homeland for the first time. The empire quickly collapsed after the death (210&nbsp;BCE) of Ying Zheng and was replaced by the [[Han dynasty]] in 206&nbsp;BC, with its capital at Chang'an. Thus, a [[golden age]] of Chinese culture, economy, and military power began. The capital moved east to [[Luoyang]] in 25&nbsp;AD, in response to a coup in Chang'an that created the short-lived [[Xin dynasty]]. Luoyang quickly regained control of China, and the [[Eastern Han dynasty]] (25–220) began, extending the golden age for another two centuries.

The late [[Eastern Han dynasty]] saw war and rivalry between regional warlords. [[Xuchang]] in central Henan was the power base of [[Cao Cao]], who eventually succeeded in unifying all of northern China under the [[Cao Wei|Kingdom of Wei]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=三国时期曹操建魏都于许昌，其实早在春秋末期，这里就是魏国疆土_许国 |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/www.sohu.com/a/450894238_120784094 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.sohu.com }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Wei then moved its capital to Luoyang, which remained the capital after the unification of China by the Western [[Jin dynasty (265-420)|Jin dynasty]]. During this period Luoyang became one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the world, despite being repeatedly damaged by warfare.

[[File:Mural Painting of a Banquet Scene from Han Tomb in Tahut'ing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A late [[Eastern Han]] (25–220&nbsp;AD) [[Chinese painting|Chinese tomb mural]] showing lively scenes of a banquet, dance and music, acrobatics, and wrestling, from the [[Dahuting Han tombs]], on the southern bank of the [[Suihe River]] in [[Xinmi]]]]
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 the [[Chinese culture]] in a process known as [[sinification]].

The short-lived [[Sui dynasty]] reunified China again in 589 with its capital back in Chang'an. It collapsed due to [[Emperor Yang of Sui China|Sui Emperor Yang's]] costly attempt to relocate the capital from Chang'an to Luoyang and the construction of many extravagant palaces there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=中国古代史 中国历史：中国是世界上最早诞生文明的国家之一，有近5000年的历史。中国古代史包括三个阶段：原始社会阶段（距今约170万年前-约公元前2070年）、奴隶社会阶段（约公元前2070年-公元前475年）和封建社会阶段（公元前475年-公元1840年）全文介绍_科技进步_中国管理科学研究院科技管理研究所 |url=http://ceshi.zgykjs.com/index.php?c=show&id=7371 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=ceshi.zgykjs.com}}</ref> The succeeding [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907) kept its capital in [[Chang'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 the [[Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms]] (907–960) that followed, [[Kaifeng]] in eastern Henan became the capital of four dynasties. The [[Song 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Development |first=PodBean |title=Feeding and Supplying the World's Largest City: The Environmental Impact of Northern Song Kaifeng {{!}} The Chinese History Podcast |url=http://www.chinesehistorypodcast.com/e/feeding-and-supplying-the-world-largest-city-the-environmental-impact-of-northern-song-kaifeng/ |access-date=2023-09-15 |website=www.chinesehistorypodcast.com |language=en}}</ref> In 1127, however, the Song dynasty succumbed to [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jurchen]] ([[Jinn dynasty|Jin dynasty]]) invaders from the north in the [[Jin campaigns against the Song dynasty|Jin–Song war]], and in 1142 [[Treaty of Shaoxing|ceded]] all of northern China, including Henan. The Song government moved its capital to [[Hangzhou]] in Southern China, which, under the [[Southern 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 delta ''[[Jiangnan]]'' region (modern southern [[Jiangsu]], northern [[Zhejiang]], 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.san.beck.org/AB3-China.html#9|title=Ethics of China 7 BC To 1279 by Sanderson Beck|work=beck.org|access-date=6 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204064227/http://san.beck.org/AB3-China.html#9|archive-date=4 February 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.upkorea.net/news/photo/7345-2-7037.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 February 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705112718/http://www.upkorea.net/news/photo/7345-2-7037.pdf |archive-date=5 July 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 the [[Mongol]] onslaught. In 1234 they succumbed to combined Mongol and [[Song dynasty]] forces. Mongols took control, and in 1279 they conquered all of China, establishing the [[Yuan 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 the [[Ming dynasty]] (1368–1644) and [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1911) that followed, though its economy slowly deteriorated due to frequent natural disasters.

===Modern era===
The Qing dynasty was overthrown by the 1911 Revolution and then the Republic of China was established in 1912,<ref>{{Cite web |title=纪念辛亥革命100周年 |url=http://www.cppcc.gov.cn/zxww/xinhai100/jlmg/index.shtml |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.cppcc.gov.cn}}</ref> during which a man from Henan, [[Yuan Shikai]], played an important role and thus he became the first president of Republic of China.<ref>Shan, Patrick Fuliang (2018). ''Yuan Shikai: A Reappraisal'', The University of British Columbia Press. {{ISBN|9780774837781}}</ref> The construction and extension of the [[Pinghan Railway]] and [[Longhai Railway]] had turned [[Zhengzhou]], 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 the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. In 1938, when the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] captured Kaifeng, the government led by [[Chiang Kai-shek]] bombed the [[Huayuankou, Henan|Huayuankou]] dam in Zhengzhou in order to prevent Japanese forces from advancing further.<ref>{{Cite web |title=花园口:抗战岁月里的黄河之殇-新华网 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-08/25/c_1116368992.htm |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.xinhuanet.com}}</ref> However, this caused massive flooding in Henan, [[Anhui]], and [[Jiangsu]] resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In 1942 Henan was hit by [[Chinese famine of 1942-43|a great famine]] resulting from a mix of drought, locusts and destruction caused by the war.<ref>{{Cite book |last=宋 |first=致新 |title=1942: 河南大饥荒 |publisher=湖北人民出版社 |year=2005年 |isbn=9787216043229 |pages=171 |language=Chinese |trans-title=1942: Henan Famine}}</ref>

In 1954, the new government of the People's Republic of China moved the capital of Henan from Kaifeng to [[Zhengzhou]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=【解密档案】开封到郑州省会大搬迁-手机大河网 |url=https://4g.dahe.cn/news/20180405293804 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=4g.dahe.cn}}</ref> as a result of its economic importance. The PRC had earlier established a short-lived [[Pingyuan Province]] consisting of what is now northern Henan and western [[Shandong]] with [[Xinxiang]] as its capital. This province was abolished in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web |title=观察丨河南和山东之间的"平原省"为什么被撤销了？_澎湃号·政务_澎湃新闻-The Paper |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_3850018 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.thepaper.cn}}</ref>

In 1958, Yashan in [[Suiping County]], Henan, became the first [[people's commune]] of China, heralding the beginning of the "[[Great Leap Forward]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=河南省 旅遊 - Henan Tour |url=http://cntour.weebly.com/9679-278272133530465-2605336938---henan-tour.html |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=大陸旅遊網China Tour Travel Website |language=zh}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boxun.com/hero/dangshi/21_1.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121045710/http://www.boxun.com/hero/dangshi/21_1.shtml|title=党史资料：中国大陆五十年非正常死亡调查|date=30 September 2002|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 November 2009|work=[[Boxun.com]]}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2016}} Suffering under famine and economic chaos caused by the Great Leap, locals in Henan offered low-level resistance mostly through banditry.{{sfnp|Rummel|1991|pp=247–248}} In 1959, however, [[Spirit Soldier rebellion (1959)|a full peasant uprising]] erupted and was only defeated after twenty days of fighting.{{sfnp|Smith|2015|p=346}}

A destructive flooding of the [[Huai 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 by [[Typhoon Nina (1975)|Typhoon Nina]] in August 1975. Sixty-two dams, the largest of which was the [[Banqiao Dam]] in [[Biyang County]] collapsed; catastrophic flooding, spread over several counties throughout [[Zhumadian]] Prefecture and further downstream, killed at least 26,000 people.<ref name=yi>Yi Si, "The World's Most Catastrophic Dam Failures: The August 1975 Collapse of the Banqiao and Shimantan Dams", in: Dai Qing ''et al'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=R9w2RfP-mtQC&pg=PA36 The River Dragon Has Come!: The Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China’s Yangtze River and Its People] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207041824/https://books.google.com/books?id=R9w2RfP-mtQC&pg=PA36 |date=7 February 2016 }}, pp. 25–38.</ref><ref name="After 30 years, secrets, lessons of China's worst dams burst accident surface">{{cite news|url=http://english.people.com.cn/200510/01/eng20051001_211892.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103183714/http://english.people.com.cn/200510/01/eng20051001_211892.html|title=After 30 years, secrets, lessons of China's worst dams burst accident surface|url-status=live|date=1 October 2005|archive-date=3 January 2006|work=[[People's Daily Online]]}}</ref> Unofficial human life loss estimates, including deaths from the ensuing epidemics and famine, range as high as 85,600,<ref name=yi/> 171,000<ref name=osnos>[[Evan Osnos]], "[http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2011/10/faust-china-and-nuclear-power.html Faust, China, and Nuclear Power] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313134654/http://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-china/faust-china-and-nuclear-power |date=13 March 2016 }}". ''New Yorker'', 2011-10-12</ref> or even 230 000.<ref name=yi/> This is considered the most deadly dam-related disaster in human history.<ref name=yi/>

By the early 1970s, China was one of the poorest countries in the world, and Henan was one of the poorest provinces in China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=完世伟 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0OhEAAAQBAJ&q=%E6%B2%B3%E5%8D%97%E5%86%B3%E8%83%9C%E5%85%A8%E9%9D%A2%E5%B0%8F%E5%BA%B7%E8%AE%BA |title=河南决胜全面小康论 |date=2016-01-01 |publisher=[[Social Sciences Literature Press]] |isbn=978-7-5201-0258-2 |language=zh}}</ref> In 1978, however, when the communist leader [[Deng Xiaoping]] initiated the [[open 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 caused [[2021 Henan floods|flooding]], killing 302 and damaging amounting to 82 billion yuan.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Helen |date=2022-01-23 |title=Chinese officials arrested for concealing true scale of flood death toll |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/23/chinese-provincial-officials-concealed-scores-of-deaths-from-flood-disaster |access-date=2024-03-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>