Pingyuan () was a former province in Central China, located in what is now part of Henan and Shandong. It existed from 1949 to 1952, and its capital was Xinxiang.
Pingyuan was established on August 20, 1949. It was composed of the following adjoining prefectures in the provinces of Henan and Shandong:
Pan Fusheng was the first Communist Party Chief of the province, and Chao Zhefu was its only governor. In March 1950, a number of peasants and cattle froze to death when transporting grain to government storage in Puyang. Pan took partial responsibility for the "Puyang Incident" and was demoted to deputy party chief. He was replaced by Wu De.
Pingyuan was abolished on November 15, 1952. Its territory were returned to their original provinces, with the exception of Anyang's Wu'an, Shexian and Linzhang counties, which were transferred to Handan prefecture in Hebei.