Luohe

Luohe, city, central Henan sheng (province), east-central China. It is situated on the Sha River, which flows southeastward to the Huai River, at the point where it is crossed by the main Beijing-Guangzhou (Canton) railway. It is a focus not only for rail and river transport but also for the local road network. Rail lines extend west to connect Luohe with the Jiaozuo-Zicheng line at Baofeng and east to connect it with the Beijing-Kowloon (Jiulong) line at Fuyang. In addition, the city is on the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway.

Originally it was little more than a small village and a minor landing place on the river, subordinate to the ancient county town of Yancheng some 3 miles (5 km) to the northwest. Its growth dates from the construction of the railway in 1904. Situated between Yancheng and the station, Luohe before World War II rapidly grew into a local market and a collecting centre for agricultural produce, particularly cotton, soybeans, and wheat, which were transported to Hankou (now Wuhan). It was also a commercial centre with a sizable business community and a distribution point for foreign goods. By 1949 it had outgrown its neighbour Yancheng and was constituted as a municipality.

Luohe has experienced rapid growth since the early 1980s, and in 1986 it was made a prefecture-level city directly under the province. In addition to its role as a transportation centre, Luohe has developed a number of important industries, including food processing, tanning, shoe making, and pulp- and papermaking. Its products are largely shipped outside the province. Pop. (2002 est.) 328,594.