Zhoukou |
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Located in southeastern Henan and bordering Anhui Province, Zhoukou is at the junction of three rivers, namely, Shahe River, Yinghe River and Jialu River, which makes it  a famous port city among inland cities in China. She covers an area of 11,960 square kilometers and has a population of 10.6 million with 1 city, 8 counties and 1 district under its jurisdiction. Zhoukou is a famous production base of high quality grain, cotton and edible oil. The city is covered with vast expanse of flourishing green forests, hence gained the name of "Forest Sea in the Plains".
Zhoukou is one of the birthplaces of the Yellow River Culture. Taihao Fuxi, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, and Shennong, the Emperor Yan, were believed to have made Zhoukou their capital. Laozi, also named Li Er, founder of the philosophy of Taoism and ancestor of the Li Family, was born here. His book entitled Dao De Jing has left lasting reputation on the later generations. Zhoukou had also given birth to Xie An, an imperial teacher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Xie Lingyun, a noted scenic poet, and Ji Hongchang, a national hero in the 20th century.
Famous scenic areas in Zhoukou include the Taihao Mausoleum, Taiqing Palace, the birthplace of Laozi, Xuan-ge Platform relating to Confucius, and Longhu Scenic Area. A popular tourism route of Zhoukou-Huaiyang-Luyi has already taken shape.
Zhoukou enjoys convenient transporation. No.311, No.106 National Highways run through the city from the north to the south while the Luohe-Fuyang Railway, and Luohe-Zhoukou-Jieshou Expressway traverse it from the west to the east. The Shahe River has always been a navigating river, which meets the Huaihe River and finally joins the Yangtze River, linking Zhoukou with Nanjing and Shanghai.
Vast resources of coal and natural gas have been identified in Zhoukou and are now under exploitation. The pipeline of the national project of transmitting natural gas from the west to the east passes through Zhoukou and one of the stations will be built here. Up till now, a complete industrial system has been established with electrical power, textile, food processing, building materials, fur and leather processing as its mainstay. Such brands of products as Lotus Gourmet Powder, Golden Monkey Confection, Xiecheng Leather Products and Bangjie foodstuffs enjoy great prestige both at home and abroad.
The GDP of Zhoukou amounted to RMB£¤56.16 billion in 2005, increasing by 12% as against the previous year. The year of 2006 is the ¡°year of attracting investments from overseas and improving business environment¡± in Zhoukou. Up till now there are more than 200 foreign-funded enterprises established here. Zhoukou is open to people at home and abroad and they are welcome to Zhoukou for making investments and doing businesses. |
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