Zhengzhou's position as the crossroads of China makes it a busy link for transportation networks by rail, road and air

Throughout its history, Zhengzhou has been a great crossroads of China. Throughout successive dynasties and periods, the city has served as a kinetic commercial and cultural hub - a status that hasn't changed to this day.

The reason for Zhengzhou's prominent economic role has always been the same: location. The city is located in the heart of China's central plains, with Beijing to the north, Shanghai to the east, Guangzhou to the south and Xian to the west.

Today, Zhengzhou sits within 500km of over 400 million people and 30 per cent of China's GDP, and functions as a pre-eminent logistical hub for rail, road and air transport.

"Zhengzhou really is strategically located in the true economic centre [of China]. The geographic centre would be to the west, but the economic power is still the coastal areas," says John Kasarda, chief adviser to the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone.

Zhengzhou is a junction for multiple major passenger and cargo rail lines. It is where the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and Lianyungang-Lanzhou Railway intersect. They cross through Zhengzhou Railway Station, which is often called the heart of China's rail network due to its central location and the fact that it is one of the mainland's busiest stations, serving 150,000 passengers with 330 trains daily.

The city is also the meeting point for the Beijing-Guangzhou and Xuzhou-Lanzhou high-speed rail lines, which come together at Zhengzhou East Station, the third-largest high-speed rail station in Asia.