Everything about Kaifeng totally explained
Kaifeng, formerly known as
Bianliang,
Bianjing,
Daliang, or simply
Liang, is a
prefecture-level city in eastern
Henan province,
People's Republic of China. Located along the southern bank of the
Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of
Zhengzhou to the west,
Xinxiang to the northwest,
Shangqiu to the east,
Zhoukou to the southeast,
Xuchang to the southwest, and the province of
Shandong to the northeast.
Administration
The
prefecture-level city of Kaifeng administers 5
districts and 5
counties.
History
Kaifeng is one of the
Seven Ancient Capitals of China.
In
364 BC, the
state of Wei during the
Warring States Period founded a city called Daliang as its capital in this area. During this period, the first of many canals in the area was constructed; it linked a local river to the
Huang He. When the State of Wei was conquered by the
Qin, Kaifeng was destroyed and abandoned except for a mid-sized market town, which remained in its place.
Early in the
7th century, Kaifeng was transformed into a major commercial hub when it was connected to the
Grand Canal as well as a canal running to western
Shandong Province.
In
781 (
Tang Dynasty), a new city was reconstructed and named Bian (汴). Bian was the capital of the
Later Jin (
936-
946),
Later Han (
947-
950), and
Later Zhou (
951-
960) of the
Five Dynasties Period. The
Song Dynasty made Bian its capital when it overthrew the Later Zhou in 960, and shortly afterward, they further expanded the city.
During the
Song Dynasty, called
Dongjing or
Bianjing then, Kaifeng was the capital with a population of over 400,000, living both inside and outside the city wall.
Typhus was an acute problem of the city.
In
1049, Youguosi Pagoda (佑國寺塔), or
Iron Pagoda (鐵塔) as it's called today, was constructed, which measures 54.7 m in height. It has survived the destruction of wars and floodings and become the oldest landmark in this ancient city. Another
Song Dynasty pagoda, Bo Ta (繁塔), from
974, has been partially destroyed.
Another well-known sight was the
astronomical clock tower of the engineer, scientist, and statesman
Su Song (
1020-
1101 AD). It was crowned with a rotating
armillary sphere that was
hydraulic-powered (for example by
waterwheel and
clepsydra clock), yet it incorporated an
escapement mechanism two hundred years before they were found in clockworks of
Europe, and featured the first known endless power-transmitting
chain drive.
Kaifeng reached its peak of importance in the
11th century, when it was a commercial and industrial center at the intersection of four major canals. During this time, the city was surrounded by three rings of city walls and probably had a population of 600,000 to 700,000.
It is believed that Kaifeng was the largest city in the world from 1013 to 1127.
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This period ended in
1127, when the city fell to
Jurchen invaders (see
Jingkang Incident) and came subsequently under the rule of the
Jin Dynasty. While it remained an important administrative center, only the city area inside the inner city wall of the early Song Dynasty remained settled and the two outer rings were abandoned.
One major problem associated with Kaifeng as the Imperial capital of the
Song Dynasty was its location. While it was conveniently situated along the
Grand Canal for logistic supply, Kaifeng was militarily vulnerable due to its position on the
flood plains of the
Yellow River.
Kaifeng served as the Jurchen's "southern capital" from 1157 (other sources say 1161) and was reconstructed during this time.
(External Link)(External Link) But they kept their main capital further north, until
1214, when they were forced to move the imperial court southwards to
Kaifeng in order to flee the
Mongol onslaught. In
1234 they succumbed to combined
Mongol and
Song Dynasty forces. Mongols took control, and in
1279 they conquered all of China.
At the beginning of the
Ming Dynasty in
1368, Kaifeng was made the capital of
Henan Province.
In
1642, Kaifeng was flooded by the Ming army with water from Yellow River to prevent the peasant rebel
Li Zicheng from taking over. After this disaster, the city was abandoned again.
Under the celebrated
Qing emperor
Kangxi (
1662), Kaifeng was rebuilt. However, another flooding occurred in
1841, followed by another reconstruction in
1843, which produced the contemporary Kaifeng as we know it.
Kaifeng is also known for having the oldest extant
Jewish community in China, the
Kaifeng Jews.
It was here, too, that in 1969, the former Chairman of the People's Republic of China Liu Shaoqi, died in prison from medical neglect.
Culture
Kaifeng offers a wide range of food specialities such as steaming pie and Chinese dumpling. In the evening, Kaifeng's streets turn into restaurants while hundreds open their stands and begin selling their food in the famous
night market. Often people from the nearby
Zhengzhou come to Kaifeng to spend an evening with their family as the atmosphere is very appealing. Less adventurous Western tourists may prefer to eat inside the restaurants and just have their drinks outside because they might not want to try chicken feet, pork feet or bucks. Particularly famous is Kaifeng's five-spice bread (wǔxiāng shāobǐng), which, like
pita, can be opened and filled.
Tourism
DaXiangGuo Temple (大相国寺) Famous Buddhist temple first built in 555 A.D..
BaoGong Ancestral Hall (包公祠) An ancestral hall built in remembrance of a respectable official from the Song Dynasty.
Sister cities
Wichita, Kansas, United States
Kiryat Motzkin, Israel
Toda, Saitama, Japan
Colleges and universities
Public
Henan University (河南大学) (founded 1912)
Kaifeng University (开封大学) (founded 1980)
Kaifeng High School (开封高中) (founded 1902)
Ma Si Guang University (马思光大学) (founded 1988)Further Information
Get more info on 'Kaifeng'.
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