Luoyang

Luoyang is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in the western part of Henan Province. It was the capital of nine dynasties starting from around 770 B.C. The Chinese government has paid special attention to the protection of historic city, although its ancient sites have lost much of their original grandeur after so many changes in history.

Luoyang today is an important industrial city. Since 1953, more than a dozen large-size industrial enterprises have been established here; major products are tractors and bearings.

Luoyang is known as the "city of peonies," and the best time to visit it is in late spring when the peonies are in full bloom. It is said that Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) of the Tang Dynasty once decreed that all the flowers in her royal garden in the capital Chang'an (today's Xi'an) were to bloom in deep winter. The flowers, afraid of the power of the Empress, all bloomed, except for the peony. This enraged the empress, who ordered the peony degraded and moved to Luoyang. Since then, the plant flourished here.

from http://www.china.org.cn/english/chuangye/41992.htm

Henan Province

The name of the province Henan comes from its geographic location. Henan means 'the south of the river', indicating that Henan lies south of China's Yellow River. The province covers an area of over 160,000 square kilometers (about 62,000 square miles). It is populated by Han, Hui, Manchu, Mongolian and other ethnic groups totaling 92,560,000 people.

Henan province is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization due to its location on the Yellow River. This rich historic heritage has endowed Henan with numerous historic treasures, from primitive dwellings to earliest wheel thrown pottery. The remains of some of the earliest human settlements have been unearthed here, including the over 7000-year-old Peiligang Culture Site, the 6000-year-old Yangshao Culture Remains and the 5000-year-old Dahe Culture Remains. All these cultural remains have profound significance in the history of Chinese civilization.

Henan has a humid warm-temperate climate. Dry and windy in winter and spring, the province is hot and rainy in summer and bakes in strong sunlight during the autumn months. Rainfall averages about 600-1000 millimeters increasing from north to south, as does the annual temperature which increases from about 12.8 C in the north to 15.5 C in the south.

Highlight of Henan Province, Songshan Mountain lies southwest of Zhengzhou and it is one of the most famous mountains in China because of the rugged beauty of its peaks and the Bonsai-like appearance of its beautiful old trees. Shaolin Temple, the most famous Buddhist temple in China and the largest of the Songshan range, is located on Shaoshi Mountain. Shaolin Temple and Shaolin Gongfu (martial arts) have long taken on a legendry color and are famous both in and outside China.

from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/henan/