Luohe (漯河)

1. Introduction

Luohe City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Henan Province, People's Republic of China, located in the central-southern part of Henan Province. The city borders Xuchang City to the north, Zhoukou City to the east, Zhumadian City to the south, and Pingdingshan City to the west. The Sha River, Li River, and Ying River flow through the area from west to east. The city covers a total area of 2,617 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 2.36 million people. The municipal government is located in Yancheng District. Economically, it belongs to the Central Plains Economic Zone and is part of the core development area of the 14 cities in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration. Food processing is the leading industry, producing meat products, flour-based products, beverages, and snack foods. The China (Luohe) Food Expo is held every May. Well-known enterprises include Shuanghui, Weilong, and Nanjiecun Group, among others. Additionally, industries such as salt chemical, papermaking, and machinery also hold a certain share. Luohe City enjoys convenient transportation and is classified as a national second-class transportation hub city. Land transportation is supported by key routes such as the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, Nanjing-Luoyang Expressway, and National Highway 107. For water transport, there is the Luohe Port river port. In terms of culture and tourism, notable sites include the Jiahu Site, the Abdication Stele and Abdication Platform, Xu Shen's Tomb, and the Shali River Scenic Area.

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2. History

2.1 From Ancient Times to the Eastern Han Dynasty

During the Shang and Zhou periods, Luohe was called Yinyang City due to its location by the Yinshui River (now the Sha River) and was under the jurisdiction of Shaoling County. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, Yinyang City was renamed Qiluo City. The Book of Song: Treatise on Administrative Geography records: "In the first year of Jingping (423 AD), the Wei army campaigned south, captured Xuchang City, and the Yingchuan Commandery seat was moved to Shaoling, called the Southern Yingchuan Commandery." The seat of Yingchuan Commandery was originally in Yangzhai (present-day Yuzhou) and later moved to Xuchang. After the Northern Wei army captured Xuchang City, the Southern Song Dynasty established the seat of Yingchuan Commandery in Qiluo City of Shaoling County, governing Shaoling, Quyang, and Linying counties, and called it the Southern Yingchuan Commandery. The renowned Eastern Han Dynasty Confucian scholar and lexicographer Xu Shen was born in Shaoling. His compiled Shuowen Jiezi is the earliest dictionary in China and the world, honored as the "Origin of Characters and Literature."

2.2 From the Sui Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty

During the Sui Dynasty, the administrative divisions from the Han Dynasty, which consisted of three levels (zhou, commandery, county), were changed to two levels (zhou, commandery), leading to the abolition of the Southern Yingchuan Commandery. During the Daye era of Emperor Yang of Sui, Shaoling County was merged into Yancheng County, and Qiluo City was renamed Yincheng because it was adjacent to the Yinshui River, which was also called the Yinshui River, and the city took its name from the river. In the third month of the twelfth year of Yuanhe (817 AD), the Tang army and the Huaicai army "faced each other across the Yinshui River, with various armies watching each other, none daring to cross the Yinshui." During the Southern Song Dynasty, to protect against floods and bandits, fortress walls were built around Yincheng. Because the Yin and Li rivers converged here, the fortress was named Yuanhui, and the town was named Shangkou (also known as Xinzhaizhen), echoing the Xiakou town (present-day Zhoukou) to the east. In the early seventh month of the tenth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1140 AD), Yue Fei led a light cavalry unit to garrison Yancheng and engaged in fierce battle with Wanyan Zongbi's 15,000 elite cavalry. Yue Fei personally led his troops, decisively defeating the Jin army's "Iron Pagoda" and "Guai Zi Ma" formations, an event historically known as the "Great Victory at Yancheng." In mid-July, Wanyan Zongbi again led 120,000 troops to press toward Linying, and Yue Fei directed his army to meet the attack. His general Yang Zaixing led 300 light cavalry as the vanguard to Xiaoshang River, where they suddenly encountered a large Jin force and were surrounded. After a bloody battle, they killed over a thousand enemy soldiers. Ultimately, due to being vastly outnumbered, Yang Zaixing and all his troops died in battle and were buried on the southern bank of Xiaoshang Bridge. Yue Fei advanced victoriously to Zhuxian Town, where he heavily defeated Wanyan Zongbi's 100,000-strong army. This campaign recovered Yingchang, Cai, Chen, Zheng, Yancheng, and Zhuxian Town, destroying the Jin army's effective forces. The morale of the Jin army wavered, lamenting, "It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake the Yue family army."

2.3 Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties

During the Yuan Dynasty, because the confluence of the Sha and Li rivers resembled a spiral shell, Shangkou Town was renamed Luowanhe Town. The Records of Yancheng County state: "The Sha and Li rivers converge northwest of the town, shaped like a spiral shell, hence the bay is named Luo, and the place is named after the bay." The Great Dictionary of Chinese Place Names says: "Luowanhe is east of Yancheng County in Henan Province, named Luowan Ferry." The Comprehensive Geography of the Great Qing says: "The Li River flows north from the Luowan Ferry southeast of the county to join the Sha River, and the present Beijing-Hankou Railway passes through it." Due to the convergence of two rivers here, boat transportation was convenient, reaching the sea to the east and the mountains to the west, with unobstructed north-south land routes, thus merchants gathered and goods converged. Merchants from Chu-Han, Ji-Lu, and Shan-Shan regions assembled here for material exchange. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Jili, the magistrate of Yancheng, wrote a poem Boating at Luowan praising it: "The Sha River flows east, emerald green, Luowan converges two rivers. Boats moor here, many merchants come from the south. Goods from Jianghuai gather here, stars seem to array. Cotton cocoons white as snow, collected into cloud-like shuttles." In the third year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1524 AD), Qiao Qian, a jinshi from Dingtao, Shandong, serving as the magistrate of Yancheng, considered the character "螺" (luo, meaning spiral shell) inelegant for a place name, so he changed "螺" to "漯". During the Qing Dynasty, Beiwudu Town near Luohe was a nationally renowned commercial hub. In the late Qing Dynasty, when the Beijing-Hankou Railway built a station here, it was named Luowanhe Station. Because the name had many characters, for ease of writing and reference, it was abbreviated to Luohe Station, and Luowanhe Town also came to be called Luohe Town, belonging to Yancheng County. The commercial capital of Beiwudu Town gradually shifted to cities along the Beijing-Hankou Railway, giving Luohe an economic leap forward.

2.4 The Republic of China Period

In 1927, during the National Government's Second Northern Expedition, Tang Shengzhi's forces clashed fiercely with the Fengtian warlords in Luohe, Yancheng, and Linying. The Fengtian army suffered over ten thousand casualties and retreated to Xuchang. In the 1930s, due to the influence of the Beijing-Hankou Railway, Luohe became China's largest livestock trading market at the time. The gathering place for cattle traders was called "Niuhang Street" (now the southern section of Taishan Road in the urban area), a name that persists today. On May 5, 1944, Luohe was occupied by the Japanese army. On September 20, 1945, Liu Zhi, commander of the Kuomintang's Fifth War Zone, representing the Chinese government, accepted the surrender of 31,560 Japanese invaders led by Commander Taka Mori of the Japanese 2971st Unit at the Shanxi Guild Hall in Luohe (now located within the grounds of Luohe No. 2 Middle School). On December 19, 1947, Luohe was first liberated by the Fourth Column of the Chen Geng and Xie Fuzhi Corps of the Third Field Army of the People's Liberation Army. On August 23, 1948, Luohe was finally liberated. On November 7, the Municipal People's Democratic Government was established, setting up Luohe as a county-level city. In 1949, Luohe was placed under the Xuchang Prefecture.

2.5 The People's Republic of China Period

In 1958, the National Committee for Language Reform officially recognized the second pronunciation of the character "漯". Authoritative reference works such as Xinhua Dictionary, Ciyuan, Cihai, and Modern Chinese Dictionary subsequently recognized it. In the early 1970s, three large livestock exchanges and two transport cooperatives were established on Niuhang Street, attracting buyers from both domestic and international markets, leading to unprecedented prosperity in livestock trading. Luohe was listed by the State Council in 1985 as a national pilot city for comprehensive economic system reform, becoming Henan Province's only provincially administered inland special economic zone. In January 1986, Luohe City was upgraded from a county-level city to a prefecture-level city. On December 18, 1987, a batch of 8,000-year-old oracle bone inscriptions and bone flutes were unearthed at the Jiahu site in Wuyang County. In 2003, Luohe began hosting the Central Plains Food Festival. In April 2008, with approval from the China National Food Industry Association, the Central Plains Food Festival was upgraded to the China (Luohe) Food Expo. The annual Food Expo has brought significant economic benefits to Luohe, making it a major national food processing base. In March 2008, the training base for the Chinese Men's Volleyball Second Team was established in Luohe. Subsequently, Luohe initiated the plan to build a "Chinese Volleyball City" in 2009, hosting numerous volleyball events including the 2009 and 2010 China International Women's Volleyball Elite Matches and the 2010 FIVB Volleyball World League.

3. Geography

3.1 Location and Scope

Luohe City is located in the central-southern part of Henan Province, in the transitional zone between the plains at the eastern foot of the Funiu Mountains and the Huaibei Plain. Its geographic coordinates are 113°27′–114°16′ east longitude and 33°24′–33°59′ north latitude. The city covers a total area of 2,617 square kilometers.

3.2 Topography and Geology

The overall terrain slopes from higher in the west to lower in the east, consisting mainly of plains with some scattered loess hills, providing favorable basic conditions for agriculture. The entire city is covered by Quaternary strata.

3.3 Hydrology

There are 81 rivers of various sizes within the territory, belonging to the Sha-Ying River system of the Huai River Basin. Two major tributaries of the Huai River, the Sha River and the Li River, flow through the entire area and converge within the city proper. Furthermore, to alleviate flood control pressure and enhance urban greening, the Sha-Li River System Connectivity Project and other urban water system projects are under construction.

3.4 Climate

Luohe City is situated in the northern part of the northern subtropical zone, characterized by a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons: cold and dry winters, and hot and rainy summers. The average temperature of the coldest month is 1.2°C, the annual average temperature is 15°C, the average annual sunshine duration is 2,181 hours, and the average annual precipitation is 809 mm.

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual | |--------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|--------| | Avg. High °C | 6.3 | 9.5 | 14.5 | 21.3 | 27 | 32.1 | 32 | 30.5 | 27.1 | 22.1 | 14.8 | 8.4 | 20.5 | | Avg. High °F | 43.3 | 49.1 | 58.1 | 70.3 | 80.6 | 89.8 | 89.6 | 86.9 | 80.8 | 71.8 | 58.6 | 47.1 | 68.8 | | Daily Mean °C | 1.2 | 4.1 | 8.9 | 15.5 | 21.1 | 26.1 | 27.4 | 26 | 21.7 | 16.3 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 15.1 | | Daily Mean °F | 34.2 | 39.4 | 48 | 59.9 | 70 | 79 | 81.3 | 78.8 | 71.1 | 61.3 | 48.6 | 37.8 | 59.1 | | Avg. Low °C | −2.8 | −0.1 | 4.2 | 10.3 | 15.7 | 21 | 23.7 | 22.6 | 17.6 | 11.8 | 4.9 | −0.8 | 10.7 | | Avg. Low °F | 27 | 31.8 | 39.6 | 50.5 | 60.3 | 69.8 | 74.7 | 72.7 | 63.7 | 53.2 | 40.8 | 30.6 | 51.2 | | Avg. Precipitation mm | 15.6 | 18.6 | 37.3 | 38.1 | 78.3 | 89 | 206.2 | 150.3 | 74.6 | 51.8 | 33.1 | 15.7 | 808.6 | |Avg. Precipitation inches | 0.61 | 0.73 | 1.47 | 1.5 | 3.08 | 3.5 | 8.12 | 5.92 | 2.94 | 2.04 | 1.3 | 0.62 | 31.83 | | Avg. Relative Humidity (%) | 66 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 70 | 66 | 79 | 82 | 76 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 71 |

3.5 Natural Resources

The proven mineral resource is rock salt, primarily distributed within Wuyang County, covering an area of 80 square kilometers with total reserves of 40 billion tons. The Wuyang Salt Mine is a large-scale deposit ranking first in grade and second in reserves nationally in China, with a sodium chloride content ranging from 91.40% to 98.88%.

3. Administrative Divisions

Luohe City administers 3 municipal districts and 2 counties.

• Municipal Districts: Yuanhui District, Yancheng District, Zhaoling District
• Counties: Wuyang County, Linying County

Functional Zones

• Luohe Urban-Rural Integration Demonstration Zone: In December 2010, Luohe New District was established with the approval of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. In December 2013, it was renamed the Urban-Rural Integration Demonstration Zone.
• Luohe Economic and Technological Development Zone: Established in 1992, it was approved as a provincial-level high-tech zone by the provincial government in 1994. It was renamed Henan Luohe Economic Development Zone in 2007, and was upgraded to a national-level economic and technological development zone with the approval of the State Council in 2010.
• West City District: The Administrative Committee of the West City District was established in August 2010. In August 2013, it was decided to entrust the entire Yinyangzhao Town to the West City District for local administration.

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|----------------|-------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 411100 | Luohe City | Luòhé Shì | 2,692.41 | 2,367,490 | Yancheng District | 462000 | 6 | 37 | 9 | | 411102 | Yuanhui District | Yuánhuì Qū | 230.3 | 322,334 | Ganhechen Subdistrict | 462000 | | 3 | 1 | | 411103 | Yancheng District | Yǎnchéng Qū | 451.87 | 505,302 | Longta Subdistrict | 462300 | 2 | 7 | | | 411104 | Zhaoling District | Shàolíng Qū | 433.59 | 499,051 | Zhaizhuang Subdistrict | 462000 | 2 | 7 | | | 411121 | Wuyang County | Wǔyáng Xiàn | 773.98 | 447,130 | Wuquan Town | 462400 | | 10 | 4 | | 411122 | Linying County | Línyǐng Xiàn | 802.67 | 593,673 | Xincheng Subdistrict | 462600 | 2 | 10 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |

4. Economy

Building on its foundation as a national food processing base, Luohe is evolving into a significant papermaking hub in central China and an important salt chemical industry base within the province. In 2019, the city's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 157.84 billion yuan. The per capita disposable income of residents was 24,625 yuan, with a per capita consumption expenditure of 17,098 yuan. By 2023, the city's GDP grew to 176.39 billion yuan. The per capita disposable income of residents increased to 31,636 yuan, and per capita consumption expenditure rose to 21,529 yuan.

4.1 Industry

The opening of the Beijing-Hankou Railway created the conditions for the rise of industry in Luohe. Today, the food industry serves as the pillar industry of Luohe. The headquarters of Shuanghui Group, China's top meat brand, is located in Luohe. Its controlling parent company, WH Group (formerly Shuanghui International), is the world's largest pork food multinational corporation and was listed on the Fortune Global 500 in 2016. Additionally, Luohe is home to several other major enterprises, including Nanjiecun Group, one of China's largest instant noodle producers; Weilong Company, the world's first spicy strip (latiao) enterprise (founded by brothers Liu Weiping and Liu Fuping from Sichuan and Chongqing who adapted local delicacies into snacks); the Aodili Group, China's first glucose beverage producer; the meat processing and export company Huitong Group; and green food companies Longyun Group and Beixu Group.

4.2 Agriculture

In 2019, the annual grain planting area was 4.066 million mu, with a total grain output of 1.874 million tons. In 2023, the annual grain planting area was 4.126 million mu, with a total grain output of 1.85 million tons.

5. Transportation

Luohe is a national Class II transportation hub city, long known as the "Southern Thoroughfare of Henan."

5.1 Public Transit

The Luohe Public Transport Group currently operates 20 urban bus routes with a fleet of 1,029 buses, including 790 new energy buses.

5.2 Railway

The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway runs north-south through the city. The Luobao Railway connects westward to the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway, and the Luofu Railway connects eastward to the Beijing-Kowloon Railway. The Beijing-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway also has a station in Luohe, the Luohe West Station. These four railways form a cross-shaped intersection within Luohe, making Luohe Station a major national Class I marshalling hub. According to the "Henan Province Implementation Plan for the Development Plan of the Huaihe River Ecological Economic Belt" and the "Henan Province Implementation Plan for the Development Plan of the Hanjiang River Ecological Economic Belt," the Luoyang-Pingdingshan-Luohe-Zhoukou intercity railway is planned for construction.

5.3 Highway

The G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway, G36 Nanjing-Luoyang Expressway, National Highway 107, National Highway 329, and several provincial highways traverse the entire area, forming a nationally significant "double cross" transportation hub for both railways and expressways.

5.4 Shipping

The Luohe Port covers an area of 522.3 mu, with a designed annual throughput of 4.6 million tons. It includes 11 berths for 500-ton vessels and one working vessel berth. The first phase of construction includes 9 berths. The channel project is designed according to Class IV waterway standards, allowing passage for 500-ton vessels. Luohe Port is also the most fully functional, most advanced in equipment, and largest in area among all completed ports in Henan Province.

5.5 Aviation

The urban area is less than a two-hour drive from Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport.

6. Education

The city has a total of 1,149 schools of various types and levels, with 510,000 students enrolled and 29,000 full-time teachers. Among them: 3 higher education institutions, with 34,500 students enrolled and 2,077 full-time teachers; 14 secondary vocational education schools, with 29,400 students enrolled and 1,593 full-time teachers; 17 regular senior high schools, with 47,300 students enrolled and 2,994 full-time teachers; 100 regular junior high schools, with 95,700 students enrolled and 7,471 full-time teachers; 499 primary schools, with 205,100 students enrolled and 10,200 full-time teachers; 6 special education schools, with 431 students enrolled and 103 full-time teachers; 510 preschool education institutions (kindergartens), with 98,000 children enrolled and 4,850 full-time teachers.

6.1 Compulsory Education

The city has a cumulative total of 586 compulsory education schools meeting standards, and all counties and districts have passed the national assessment and certification for basic balanced compulsory education at the county level. Regular Senior High Schools First Tier

• Luohe Senior High School (Luohe No.1 High School, Luohe High School)
• Luohe No.4 Senior High School
• Luohe No.5 Senior High School
• Luohe Experimental Senior High School
• Wuyang County No.1 Senior High School
• Linying County No.1 Senior High School Second Tier
• Luohe No.2 Senior High School
• Luohe No.3 Senior High School
• Zhaoling District Experimental Senior High School
• Yancheng District Senior High School
• Yancheng District Experimental Senior High School
• Linying County No.2 Senior High School
• Linying County No.3 Senior High School
• Linying County Nanjie Senior High School
• Wuyang County No.2 Senior High School Third Tier
• Luohe Xushen Senior High School
• Luohe Yuhua Experimental School
• Luohe Zhou Yansheng Art Senior High School

6.2 Higher Education

• Luohe Medical College
• Luohe Vocational and Technical College (Luohe Institute of Technology, Henan University of Technology)
• Luohe Food Vocational College There are 3 higher vocational colleges in total. The first two are public institutions, while the latter is a private institution. In May 2016, the Luohe Institute of Technology of Henan University of Technology was officially inaugurated.

6.3 Scientific Research

The city has 40 national-level high-tech enterprises and 90 municipal-level high-tech enterprises. There are 103 municipal-level engineering technology research centers, 38 provincial-level engineering technology research centers, 1 provincial-level key laboratory, and 21 provincial-level innovative pilot enterprises.

7. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's permanent resident population was 2.368 million, including 1.338 million urban permanent residents and 1.03 million rural permanent residents. The urbanization rate of the permanent resident population was 56.5%, an increase of 0.64 percentage points from the end of the previous year.

According to the 2020 Seventh National Population Census, the city's permanent resident population was 2,367,490. Compared with the 2,544,266 people recorded in the Sixth National Population Census, there was a total decrease of 176,776 people over the ten-year period, a decline of 6.95%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.72%. Among them, the male population was 1,186,981, accounting for 50.14% of the total population; the female population was 1,180,509, accounting for 49.86% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 100.55. The population aged 0–14 was 481,435, accounting for 20.34% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,388,273, accounting for 58.64% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 497,782, accounting for 21.03% of the total population, of which those aged 65 and above numbered 378,684, accounting for 16% of the total population. The urban population was 1,298,358, accounting for 54.84% of the total population; the rural population was 1,069,132, accounting for 45.16% of the total population.

| Year | Population | |----------|----------------| | 1980 | 1.9 million | | 2005 | 2.5 million | | 2006 | 2.47 million | | 2008 | 2.48 million | | 2009 | 2.5 million | | 2010 | 2.55 million | | 2011 | 2.55 million | | 2012 | 2.56 million | | 2013 | 2.6 million | | 2014 | 2.58 million | | 2015 | 2.63 million | | 2016 | 2.64 million | | 2017 | 2.65 million | | 2018 | 2.67 million | | 2019 | 2.67 million |

Data sources: Luohe City Records, Henan Statistical Yearbook—2019, Luohe City 2019 Statistical Bulletin on National Economic and Social Development

In terms of population structure, Luohe is facing a severe aging problem, with the population aged 65 and above accounting for 13.6% of the city's total.

8. Religion

Luohe City is currently home to five major religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity. All have officially approved and open places for religious activities, with followers distributed across various townships (offices) throughout the city. Islam was introduced during the Ming Dynasty along with the migration of the Hui ethnic group, while Catholicism was introduced in 1922.

9. Culture

9.1 Food Culture

The China (Luohe) Food Expo is held annually in May at the Luohe International Convention and Exhibition Center. Since 2019, the China (Luohe) Food Trade Fair has also been held in November.

9.2 Famous Snacks

Beiwudu Pepper Soup Shuanghui Ham Sausage Weilong Spicy Strips Fancheng Spiced Beef "Qingxiangzhai" Roasted Chicken

9.3 Bridge Culture

There are 65 ancient bridges within Luohe (excluding Linying County and Wuyang County), among which more than 10 representative ancient bridges include the Xiaoshang Bridge. In the built-up area of Luohe City (planned area for 2030), there are 210 completed bridges, 8 under construction, 4 proposed, and 21 planned bridges, earning it the title "Bridge City of the Central Plains." Among these bridges, the "Old Bridge" (Jiaotong Road Shahe Bridge), completed on July 15, 1964, is one of the first T-beam bridges designed using modern classical mechanics. The "Dingwan Bridge" (Renmin Road Lihe Bridge) is a rigid-frame arch bridge commonly seen in the early stages of China's reform and opening-up. Bridges constructed in recent years incorporate modern design concepts.

9.4 Arts and Intangible Cultural Heritage

The city has 6 performing arts troupes and has announced two batches of 42 municipal-level intangible cultural heritage protection projects, including 1 national-level and 5 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage items.

9.4.1 Fine Arts

Main forms include peasant paintings, paper-cutting, sugar sculpture, and embroidery, often themed around folk production and daily life. Peasant paintings from Wuyang County originated during the "Great Leap Forward" era in 1958 and were selected in 2014 for the Central Propaganda Department's public service advertisement series "Illustrating Our Values."

9.4.2 Dance

Performance forms include over ten types such as dragon dance, lion dance, bronze instrument dance, land boat dance, stilt walking, elbow pavilion dance, yangko, waist drum dance, and acrobatics.

9.4.3 Music and Opera

Primarily wind-and-percussion music dominated by wind instruments and string music dominated by plucked instruments. Instruments include suona, sheng, flute, zhuiqin, guzheng, yangqin, drum, gong, cymbals, and small cymbals. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Luo opera and Juan opera were popular in Luohe. By the late Qing dynasty, Henan opera, Yue tune, and Qu opera gradually flourished. Today, Luo opera and Juan opera have disappeared. Due to long-term performances alongside "Wan Bang" artists and influences from other opera types, Luohe's Henan opera performers developed a unique singing style known as "Shahe Tune," which became one of the four major schools of Henan opera. Folk tunes, mainly sung a cappella, and Luohe work songs were once popular in the region. Labor songs include tamping songs, oil-pressing songs, and boatmen's songs, with the "Shahe Boatmen's Song" being particularly distinctive.

9.4.4 Film

In 1965, a man surnamed Niu from Tianjin brought a film projector to Luohe and screened a silent martial arts film at the Xinhua Stage, attracting a large audience. In 1949, the Luohe Branch of the Henan Provincial Film Troupe was established, and the Luohe People's Cinema was built, becoming Luohe's first professional cinema.

10. Sister Cities

10.1 Ipswich, United Kingdom

From September 3 to 12, 2007, at the invitation of the Ipswich City Government in the United Kingdom, a delegation from the Luohe Municipal Government paid a friendly visit to the UK. They signed a sister city agreement with the Ipswich City Government, reaching cooperation intentions in fields such as education and culture.

10.2 Parramatta, Australia

On August 3, 2009, then Mayor Qi Jinli and then Mayor Tony Issa of Parramatta, Australia, signed a sister city agreement, formally establishing an international friendly cooperative city relationship between the two sides.

10.3 Gyöngyös, Hungary

On August 24, 2019, led by Municipal Party Committee Secretary Hao Huijie, a delegation visited Hungary. Luohe City and Gyöngyös City established a sister city relationship, and the Luohe City, Henan Province Liaison Office in Hungary was officially inaugurated.

10.4 Starogard Gdański, Poland

On August 26, 2019, a delegation from Luohe City visited Starogard Gdański, Poland, for a friendly exchange and formally signed a sister city agreement with Starogard Gdański City.

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Yancheng District

Wuyang County

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Cedar, locust tree

Rose, Southern Magnolia