Why Does Shandong's "Center of the Universe" City Smell So Henan-ish?

Mention Heze, and many might draw a blank: where is that? But if we talk about Caoxian, most people would have an "aha" moment: so Caoxian is in Heze! With a population of over 8 million, Heze is surprisingly low-key for such a major city, to the point of riding on the fame of its subordinate county.

It almost feels like the "center of the universe" in a surreal way.

Geographically, Heze is arguably the "least Shandong-like" city in Shandong. Located in the far southwest of the province, it sits at the intersection of Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and Anhui. To top it off, Heze is encircled on its south, north, and west by Henan's Puyang, Kaifeng, Shangqiu, and Xinxiang. Historically, Heze and Henan have been practically "as close as family."

The short-lived Pingyuan Province (1949–1952).

If you ask a Heze local what’s great about their hometown, they’ll likely stammer out two words: "Hen zhong!" (Very good!). Add to that the rhythmic catchphrase "Shandong Heze Caoxian"—somehow, Shandong Heze carries a distinct Henan flavor!

Heze or Henan? Hard to tell!

If you locate Heze on a satellite map, you’ll notice its "earth-toned palette" aligns perfectly with neighboring cities: yellow. Yes, stepping beyond man-made administrative boundaries, this region shares a geographic trait—it lies within the Yellow River’s flood-prone lower reaches.

The Old Yellow River National Wetland Park.

As we know, the Yellow River is our mother river, nurturing brilliant Chinese civilization. But this "mother" often throws tantrums, leaving those along her banks to suffer floods. Historical records show over 1,500 breaches and 20+ course changes in its lower reaches, carving countless old river paths across a thousand-kilometer stretch from Tianjin in the north to the Huai River in the south.

The Zhaowang River flowing through downtown Heze.

When floods struck, displaced people sought refuge elsewhere. This sporadic migration fostered cultural exchange across the floodplain, giving the four-province border area a shared cultural backdrop. The Zhongyuan Mandarin spoken in Henan is practically the "lingua franca" of the entire Yellow River flood zone.

Distribution map of Zhongyuan Mandarin.

Precisely due to this geographic-cultural unity, after North China’s liberation in 1949, the North China People's Government merged parts of Henan north of the Yellow River with western Shandong to form Pingyuan Province, based on the Hebei-Shandong-Henan liberated area, with its capital in present-day Xinxiang, Henan. For Heze folks, Henan’s "Xinxiang" is their "happy homeland."

Every Sunday night, many elderly Heze residents still tune in to Henan TV’s *Li Yuan Chun* opera show. Why not Shandong’s local Lüju opera? Simple: they can’t understand it! Lüju mostly uses dialects from Dongying and Jiaodong, while Heze folks find Henan’s Zhongyuan Mandarin far more familiar. Two of Yu Opera’s "Five Great Dan" performers, Cui Lantian and Ma Jinfeng, were purebred Heze natives.

Ma Jinfeng performing Yu Opera’s *Mu Guiying Takes Command*.

"Three cannon blasts beyond the camp gates, thunderous as the sky."

Another link between Heze and Henan lies in Heze’s city flower: the peony. Luoyang peonies once dazzled the world with their imperial grandeur, "stirring the capital in bloom." But after the Tang dynasty, climate shifts led to their decline. By 1959, when Premier Zhou visited Luoyang, only "black peonies" (smokestacks) bloomed in its industrial zones.

Yet no need to mourn Luoyang’s peonies—enter Heze’s! Thanks to centuries of Yellow River silt deposits, Heze’s sandy soil is ideal for peonies, earning it the Qing-dynasty title "Caozhou peonies surpass all under heaven."

Luoyang’s peony revival owes much to Heze.

In Heze, you can even spot rare black peonies.

Thus, Heze naturally became the "greatest contributor" to the revival of Luoyang peonies. Just west of Wangcheng Park, the main venue for Luoyang's past peony festivals, a road was named "Heze Road," symbolizing the intertwined friendship between the two cities. Today, Heze is known as the "Peony Capital of China," while Luoyang is the "Peony Hometown of China"—there's no need to rank them. As the saying goes: "Luoyang's peonies, Heze's flowers—Heze and Luoyang are one family!"

How was the "Center of the Universe" forged?

Two springs ago, Caoxian suddenly went viral. This small county under Heze was humorously dubbed the "Center of the Universe" online. While the title was mostly a playful exaggeration, it oddly fits Heze quite well.

Over thousands of years of ancient Chinese history, the rise and fall of dynasties in the Central Plains were often closely tied to the "temper" of the Yellow River. When the river was calm, its middle and lower reaches served as granaries and strong backbones. But when it flooded, the desperate people of the floodplains would rise up in rebellion against feudal rule.

Even its name, "Heze," carries water in its characters, derived from one of the "Nine Ancient Marshes" from the era of Yu the Great. Another marsh, Juye Marsh, is said to have been located in Juye County under Heze. These vast wetlands once sheltered rebel armies from imperial suppression. Many legendary heroes from the "800-li Water Margin," such as Chao Gai ("Tower-Taking Heavenly King"), Song Jiang ("Timely Rain"), and Wu Yong ("Resourceful Star"), were native to Heze.

The Yongfeng Pagoda in Juye: its bottom two layers were buried underwater due to Yellow River floods.

"Whether the Central Plains is in chaos depends on Heze." Heze's ancient history is essentially a chronicle of peasant uprisings. The most famous rebel from Heze was Huang Chao, the emperor of the Great Qi, who declared, "When my flower blooms, a hundred others perish." While it's often said Shandong never produced an emperor, Huang Chao was unmistakably a native of Caoxian in Heze.

And Huang Chao wasn’t the only emperor linked to Heze: Liu He, the Marquis of Haihun, was enthroned from his fiefdom in Changyi (now Juye County); the last Tang emperor, Li Zhu, was forced to abdicate, made Prince of Dingtao, and poisoned—his tomb lies in Heze; Liu Bang, from neighboring Pei County in Jiangsu, ascended as emperor in Dingtao to found the Han Dynasty; and Lü Zhi, the Han Empire’s first empress who wielded imperial power after Liu Bang’s death, was from Shan County in Heze...

Gold artifacts unearthed from the tomb of the Marquis of Haihun.

Thus, Heze is arguably Shandong’s most "imperial" region. Even among ancient capitals nationwide, few cities like Heze witnessed both the Han’s rise and the Tang’s fall. Feeling the "Center of the Universe" vibe yet?

Officially, "Heze" as a city name is less than 300 years old, but many of its county names are ancient. For instance, Yuncheng and Juancheng—these obscure names with the "ear" radical often trace back to the Zhou Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. Before becoming Heze, its name was legendary: Caozhou—yes, Caoxian.

Imbuing Heze with a martial spirit.

While Caoxian’s viral fame stemmed from an online catchphrase ("666"), its real foundation lies in deep-rooted strengths. With 1.36 million people, Caoxian is Shandong’s second-largest county, rivaling many prefecture-level cities. Its famed coffins dominate 90% of Japan’s market, ensuring dignified farewells. Meanwhile, booming performance costumes and Hanfu manufacturing have cemented its title as the "Hanfu Capital."

Caoxian’s growth mirrors Heze’s. In 2022, all 2 districts and 7 counties of Heze made Taobao’s Top 100 list, with 541 "Taobao Villages" and 93 "Taobao Towns"—surpassing e-commerce hubs like Yiwu and Wenzhou to rank first nationally. Riding the internet economy, Heze’s peonies thrive nationwide for their affordability and beauty, brightening homes everywhere.

"Southwestern Shandong brocade," listed as national intangible cultural heritage.

Not only does internet traffic converge in Heze via Caoxian, but Heze’s quality products also spread across the country, narrating the past and future of this ancient land.

Henan flavor or Shandong flavor? No—it’s Heze flavor!

Shandong is mountainous, but Heze is an exception. Thanks to the Yellow River’s historical floods, Heze is blanketed in fertile loess. This natural bounty makes it an agricultural powerhouse: in 2021, its grain output hit 7.877 million tons, topping Shandong’s cities. Even in a major grain province, Heze stands out.

Heze’s endless fertile farmland.

Agricultural wealth fuels culinary abundance. Situated along the Yellow River and Grand Canal, Heze’s bustling trade routes made it a melting pot. Visitors are greeted with a carb-and-fat "bombardment": fried dough bubbles, sugar cakes, meat pies... These hearty fried treats ward off winter chills and fuel all-day energy.

A golden-fried, dough-wrapped delicacy stuffed to the brim with meat filling.

In terms of daily cuisine, Heze shares deep roots with Henan. The presence of pan-fried buns and spicy soup seems to blur provincial boundaries, making one exclaim: "This doesn't feel like Shandong at all!" But saying so would underestimate Heze. Wake up early and head to the market for an extra bite!

Spicy soup and fried dough sticks are Heze's breakfast staples.

Mutton soup is common nationwide, but Heze's version stands out: elsewhere it's just "mutton soup," but here it's called "lamb meat soup!" The famous Shanxian lamb soup boasts a milky-white broth. This isn't some artificial "tech-enhanced" trick with additives—it's achieved through overnight simmering, extracting every bit of collagen and rich marrow to create that luxurious flavor. When cooled, the broth even solidifies into jelly.

Neighboring Caoxian County takes lamb preparation to another level of "heftiness." Whole lamb is stewed until fall-off-the-bone tender, then pressed into shape. As it cools, the natural gelatin binds the meat into a solid lamb block. The largest can weigh up to 80 pounds, condensing the essence of four sheep—like some kind of "compressed lamb" black tech. Towering on the cutting board, these lamb blocks are the market's most awe-inspiring sight.

Caoxian folks also have unique beef expertise. What's commonly called braised beef elsewhere is known here as "burned beef." True to its name, the beef isn't just marinated—it's finished by frying in sesame oil until every fiber absorbs its rich aroma, turning the meat a tempting date-red hue.

Some might wonder: a whole pot of sesame oil—how costly is that? Same with the lamb blocks: two pounds of raw lamb yields just one pound of compressed meat. Yet this no-expense-spared dedication creates flavors unmatched beyond Heze. Outside this region, I've never found beef this fragrant or lamb soup this rich.

Lamb blocks—a rarity beyond Caoxian's borders.

So how to define Heze? Not quite Shandong, not entirely Henan. Heze tastes like Heze! Whether it's the city's historic, earthy charm or its uniquely substantial snacks, this treasure of a city—still untouched by internet hype—deserves more exploration.

Text Editor | Flying Noodles

Original content by [Di Dao Feng Wu]