Located in central China, Henan has the largest population in the country, with 98 million people. During China’s history of 5,000 years, Henan served as a political, economic and cultural center for 3,000 years. Its one-character abbreviation is Yu, named after Yuzhou State, a Han Dynasty state (zhou) that included parts of Henan. The name Henan means "south of the River" (Huang He), and it’s an important cradle of Chinese civilization. Some people refer to Henan as a museum of Chinese history and culture. since the 21^st century B.C.