CHOU-K'OU

Pinyin Zhoukou, formerly Chou-k'ou-chen, Pinyin Zhoukouzhen, city in eastern Honan sheng (province), China. The city is situated on the upper course of the Ying River, a tributary of the Huai River, at its confluence with the Chia-lu River. Both rivers are navigable for small craft, and Chou-k'ou was traditionally an important river port providing a transportation route southward to Anhwei and Kiangsu provinces and northward toward the city of Cheng-chou in Honan. It is also the focus of a dense road network covering east and southeast Honan. Chou-k'ou is an important regional market and collecting centre for the agricultural produce of a wide area. Chou-k'ou was a flourishing city in Ming (1368-1644) and Ch'ing (1644-1911/12) times, with a walled city divided into three sections. With the construction of the Peking-Han-k'ou railway to the west and the Tientsin-P'u-k'ou line to the east, Chou-k'ou lost some of its importance to Lo-ho and Shang-ch'iu (also both in Honan province), but it, nevertheless, retains considerable local importance. Its industry includes the manufacture of coarse ceramic ware, as well as oil pressing. Pop. (1990) 146,288.