Editing Henan (section)

===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.