“最早的中国”
中华文明起源于黄河流域，位于其中下游、以河南为中心的中原地区，土地肥沃、气候宜人，上古时期的华夏先民以部落的形式在这里繁衍生息。
中华民族的人文始祖之一黄帝在河南新郑诞生、创业、建都，代表了华夏文明的最初自觉，标志着“中国”观念的萌芽。出现于公元前14世纪的殷商后期的“甲骨文”被认为是“汉字”的第一种形式。距今大约3800—3500年的二里头遗址是迄今所知中国最早的广域王权国家的都城，是探索中国早期文明和国家起源、夏文化、夏商王朝纪年及其分界的关键性遗址。二里头文化是中国乃至东亚地区最早的“核心文化”，所代表的青铜时代产生了私有制和阶级的萌芽，确立了国家形态，开启了王朝时代，并且形成了“择中建国”等政治理念，从而形成了政治上“最早的中国”，标志着中国历史进入文明时代。后续王朝在中原地区连续建都和“一统天下”，被尊为“中央王朝”“中央之国”，进一步奠定了这里政治上的“中国”地位。
在中华民族5000多年文明史上，有3000多年是以河南为国家的政治、经济、文化中心，先后有20多个朝代在此定都；当今中国人口最多的前100个姓氏中，有78个姓氏发源于此；“天下名人，中州过半”，河南也是孕育历史名人最多的省份。以河南为腹地的中原大地如木之根本、水之渊源，在中华民族发展史和中华文明史上具有发端和母体的重要地位，为中华文明起源演进作出了不可磨灭的贡献。
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.
