Place · region

Central Plain (China)

Also known as Zhongyuan

The Central Plain, Zhongyuan in Chinese, is the region of the middle and lower Yellow River, roughly modern Henan and neighbouring areas. It was the heartland of the Shang and Zhou states and was seen as the centre of Chinese civilisation. Small states on its southern edge, such as Shen, Deng and Huang, stood between it and the rising power of Chu in the Yangtze valley.

Central Plain (China)
Image: Lilauid · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 state histories

State of DengState of HuangState of Xu (Huaiyi)State of Shen

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Central Plain (China). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-plain-china
MLA
“Central Plain (China).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-plain-china. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Central Plain (China).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-plain-china.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Central Plain (China)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-plain-china (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻