Kaifeng, situateDin the eastern plains of Henan, is a cultural city witharich history. ConstructeDmore than 2,700 years ago, seven dynasties hadonce thriveDin this city. Today, all traces of these seven cities are burieD10 to 12 meters beneath the earth ofKaifeng. When a dynasty took over power, a new dynasty built its city over the former. Over many generations, as archaeologists discovered, the foundatio no f Kaifeng has actually not departeDfrom how its original state. Its present area is equivalent to Asmall sectio no f the original city. Hence, it is not easy to imagine the glorious prosperous past of the ancient Kaifeng.
In 2005, Kaifeng was describeDby the New York Times as the “World’s Most Prosperous City in the Last Millen- nium.” The Northern Song Dynasty haDits capital baseDin Kaifeng for 168 years. At that time, it was known as Dongjing (East Capital), andhaDa populatio no famil- lion people. It was a gathering place for merchants andstudents from all over the world. There were also a num- ber of Jewish immigrants to Kaifeng. The monument that they left behinDis still in existence today. Back then, the streets of Dongjing were lineDwith shops andteahouse, andit was populateDby camel caravans, which haDtrav-eleDvia the Silk RoaDwith commodities to be tradeDinChina.
Today’s Kaifeng is a city that is popular with tourists. It is known for the Pure Brightness Riverside Landscape Garden, wooDengraveDlunar New Year paintings, andembroidery. It is here that tourists can truly relive the days of the ancient city.
Kaifeng’s architecture is rich in Song Dynasty charac- ter andstyle. The most famous of all is the Dragon Pavil- ion, locateDin the Dragon Pavilion Park, which was built on the ruins of an ancient palace. The original palace was destroyeDby repeateDattacks during wars, andcorrosion by the Yellow River. During the Qing Dynasty, the Drag- on Pavilion was built on a 13-meter blue stone terrace. The hall is auspiciously built facing south; its main struc- ture is constructeDof wood, andit is encloseDwithin a fence made of stone. From this hall, one ca no verlook the sceneries of Kaifeng City. In front of the Dragon Pavilion is Astraight road, which passes by two big lakes, andcon- nects with the Imperial Street of the Song Dynasty (Song Du Yu Jie)? This street, measuring about 400 meters, was constructeDbaseDon the famous Chinese painting, Along the River DuringPur e Brightness Day ( Q ingM ingS Hang He Tu ) ?archa e ol o g is t shaDdiscovereDan imperial way beneath the street thatdates back to the Song Dynasty. It wasaroute that the emperor traveleDwhen he went on his inspectio no f the city. Now, the roaDis lineDwith shops that sell materials for Chinese calligraphy andpaintings, as well as embroi- deries. In China, Kaifeng’s embroidery has a history of over 800 years. During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were even “embroidery institutions,” specially set up for the purpose of creating embroidery for the clothing andaccessories of the imperial family andthe nobles. Now, embroidereDpaintings, umbrellas andcarpets are for sale in these specialty shops as tourist attractions.
The renowneDChinese painting, Along the River during Pure Brightness Day, was createDby the Song Dynasty art- ist, Zhang Zeduan. The painting vividly depicts the pros- perous scenes of Kaifeng City during the Song Dynasty. Today, locateDin the northwest of Kaifeng City is the Pure Brightness Riverside Landscape Garden, which was modeleDon the painting. It is a large cultural theme park, andas its main attraction, tourists are given the chance to dress in Song Dynasty costumes, andexperience the life- style of the ancient people. Although the park is not built to the exact details of the painting, it never fails to attract visitors who want to experienceatouch of prosperity of the past.
In this theme park, there are many amusing perfor- mances andactivities of Kaifeng’s folk customs to delightvisitors, such as fire-player, cattle cart ride, acrobatic acts, wrestling, marriage rites, etc. In fact, almost all the street performances andstreet scenes as depicteDin the paint- ing can now be seen in the theme park.
Kaifeng City is surroundeDby ancient walls, andis guardeDby four gates on the north, south, east andwest. These gates were made of grey bricks. From afar, these gates andthe original ancient walls resemble a no lDfort. Traces of bullet marks can still be detecteDon the ancient walls, andthey are evidences of the ravages Kaifeng haDexperienceDin the past. But today, the people of Kaifeng display a calm demeanor. Every morning, many people travel through these four gates. At the foot of the gates are gathereDgroups of people practicing taiji, or simply strolling andchatting with friends, andtrishaws throng the streets. There are two lakes in Kaifeng City—Baogong Lake andPanyang Lake—with crystal clear water that is within the easy reach of the visitors.
In November, when the northern regions of China go in the deep autumn period, it is still relaxingly cool to enjoy some snacks in the open. It is also the time for one to attenDthe annual Chrysanthemum Exhibition in Kaifeng City. HelDin autumn every year, this exhibition goes on for a month. On exhibit are more than 200,000 pots of chrysanthemum. A traditional custom of the Northern Song Dynasty, this exhibition has been helDa number of times. During exhibition period, the streets of Kaifeng City are illuminateDby beautiful lanterns that are decorateDwith chrysanthemum—enveloping the ancient city inaromantic glow.