中原城市群
中原城市群是中国北方内陆地区以郑州为中心，依托发达的交通通信网络形成的空间结构紧凑、经济联系紧密的一体化发展城市群体。
2003年8月，中共河南省委、河南省政府印发《河南省全面建设小康社会规划纲要》，提出要建设中原城市群经济隆起带，即以郑州为中心，包括洛阳、开封、新乡、焦作、许昌、平顶山、漯河、济源在内的城市密集区。2016年12月国务院批复的《中原城市群发展规划》，明确中原城市群以河南省郑州市、开封市、洛阳市、平顶山市、新乡市、焦作市、许昌市、漯河市、济源市、鹤壁市、商丘市、周口市和山西省晋城市、安徽省亳州市为核心发展区，联动辐射河南省安阳市、濮阳市、三门峡市、南阳市、信阳市、驻马店市，河北省邯郸市、邢台市，山西省长治市、运城市，安徽省宿州市、阜阳市、淮北市、蚌埠市，山东省聊城市、菏泽市等中原经济区其他城市，要求把中原城市群建设成为经济发展新增长极、重要的先进制造业和现代服务业基地、中西部地区创新创业先行区、内陆地区双向开放新高地和绿色生态发展示范区，构建网络化、开放式、一体化的发展新格局。2018年11月，中共中央、国务院发布《关于建立更加有效的区域协调发展新机制的意见》，将中原城市群列为7大城市群之一。
作为中原城市群的核心城市，郑州是区域经济的龙头、发动机、增长极和辐射源，是人口超过1260万、GDP总量超过1.26万亿的特大城市，是内陆地区最大的立体交通枢纽之一，也是全国重要的商品物流和市场交易中心，全国有影响的教育、文化和医疗中心，以汽车、电子信息和高端装备为代表的先进制造业中心，成为国家中心城市之一。
Central Plains City Cluster
This refers to the group of cities in China's inland that, with Zhengzhou as the center, are densely located in spatial layout and closely linked in economy and pursue integrated development based on advanced transportation and communication networks.
In an overall plan for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, issued in August 2003, the provincial authorities set the goal to develop an economic uplift belt in the Zhengzhou-centered area with eight surrounding cities: Jiaozuo, Jiyuan, Kaifeng, Luohe, Luoyang, Pingdingshan, Xinxiang, and Xuchang. The Central Plains City Cluster Development Plan, approved by the State Council in December 2016, made it clear that the Central Plains city cluster would have a core development area to cover Henan's Hebi, Jiaozuo, Jiyuan, Kaifeng, Luohe, Luoyang, Pingdingshan, Shangqiu, Xinxiang, Xuchang, Zhengzhou, and Zhoukou, Shanxi's Jincheng, and Anhui's Bozhou. These cities are expected to drive the development of other cities in the Central Plains economic zone, including Henan's Anyang, Nanyang, Puyang, Sanmenxia, Xinyang, and Zhumadian, Hebei's Handan and Xingtai, Shanxi's Changzhi and Yuncheng, Anhui's Bengbu, Fuyang, Huaibei, and Suzhou, and Shandong's Heze and Liaocheng.
The Central Plains city cluster will be developed into a new economic growth pole, an important base of advanced manufacturing and modern services, a pioneer zone of innovation and entrepreneurship in central and western China, a highland of two-way opening up in inland China, and a demonstration zone for green, ecological development. This will create a development paradigm that is networked, open, and integrated. The Central Plains city cluster was designated by China's central leadership as one of the seven city clusters in a document, released in November 2018, on creating more effective mechanisms for coordinated regional development.
As the core of the Central Plains city cluster, Zhengzhou is the locomotive, engine, growth pole, and radiation source of the regional economy. A mega-city with a population of 12.6 million and a GDP of 1.26 trillion yuan, it is one of the largest transportation hubs in inland China, an important national center of commodity logistics and transactions, an influential center of education, culture, and medical care, and an advanced manufacturing center represented by automobiles, electronic information, and high-end equipment. Zhengzhou has grown to be a central city in China.
