China in the Initial Form

The Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin. The Central Plains, located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River with Henan in the center, had nurtured and sustained the tribes of the Huaxia – an ancient appellation of the Han people, which is also used to call the Chinese nation or China – with fertile lands and a pleasant climate in remote antiquity.

Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, a legendary progenitor of the Chinese nation, was said to be born in Xinzheng of Henan Province today. Later he became a capable tribal leader and built the capital here. That was the earliest formation of the Huaxia, or Chinese, civilization, giving rise to the initial notion of "Zhongguo" (literally "central state"), the Chinese name of "China." The oracle- bone inscriptions that appeared in the 14th century BC, during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC) are regarded as the first form of Chinese characters. The Erlitou site, dating back 3,500-3,800 years, was the capital of the earliest state discovered so far in Chinese history where the kings exercised rule over a large region. It is of vital importance for tracing the origin and early-stage civilization of China, determining the chronicles of and the demarcation between the Xia (c. 2070-1600 BC) and the Shang dynasties, and studying the Xia culture. As the earliest core culture in China and East Asia, the Erlitou Culture represents the Bronze Age, when private ownership and classes were in the making, the state was formed, dynasties were founded, and political concepts such as "building the state in the center" were developed. That period marked the emergence of China in the political sense and the beginning of the Chinese civilization.

Later on, different dynasties built their capitals in the Central Plains and ruled the country from there. These "central dynasties" or "central states" further strengthened this region's position as the political center of what we know as China today.

Throughout more than 5,000 years of Chinese history, Henan had served as the political, economic and cultural center for more than 3,000 years as over 20 dynasties chose to build their capitals here. The province is where 78 of the 100 most populous Chinese surnames originated and where the greatest number of historical figures were born. The vast Central Plains with Henan in the center, like the root of a giant tree and the fountainhead of a great river, are the cradle of the Chinese nation and civilization, making indelible contributions to their initiation and evolution.

“最早的中國”

中華文明起源于黃河流域，位于其中下游、以河南為中心的中原地區，土地肥沃、氣候宜人，上古時期的華夏先民以部落的形式在這里繁衍生息。

中華民族的人文始祖之一黃帝在河南新鄭誕生、創業、建都，代表了華夏文明的最初自覺，標志著“中國”觀念的萌芽。出現于公元前14世紀的殷商后期的“甲骨文”被認為是“漢字”的第一種形式。距今大約3800—3500年的二里頭遺址是迄今所知中國最早的廣域王權國家的都城，是探索中國早期文明和國家起源、夏文化、夏商王朝紀年及其分界的關鍵性遺址。二里頭文化是中國乃至東亞地區最早的“核心文化”，所代表的青銅時代產生了私有制和階級的萌芽，確立了國家形態，開啟了王朝時代，并且形成了“擇中建國”等政治理念，從而形成了政治上“最早的中國”，標志著中國歷史進入文明時代。后續王朝在中原地區連續建都和“一統天下”，被尊為“中央王朝”“中央之國”，進一步奠定了這里政治上的“中國”地位。

在中華民族5000多年文明史上，有3000多年是以河南為國家的政治、經濟、文化中心，先后有20多個朝代在此定都；當今中國人口最多的前100個姓氏中，有78個姓氏發源于此；“天下名人，中州過半”，河南也是孕育歷史名人最多的省份。以河南為腹地的中原大地如木之根本、水之淵源，在中華民族發展史和中華文明史上具有發端和母體的重要地位，為中華文明起源演進作出了不可磨滅的貢獻。