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Situated
on the southern bank of the Yellow River, Kaifeng is an important city
in Henan Province.
With a recorded history
close to 3,000 years, Kaifeng is known as one of the six major centers
of ancient Chinese civilization.
As early as the Yin-Shang period (1334-1066 B.C.), when Chinese
society turned away from nomadic life to an agricultural existence, a
city was built there. It then became the capital of the Kingdom of Wei
in the Warring Sates Period (475-331 B.C.), the Liang, Han and Zhou
dynasties of the five Dynasties (907-960), the Northern Song Dynasty
(960-1137) and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1334). The Northern Song, in
particular, established its capital in Kaifeng for 168 years. The
Eastern Capital, as Kaifeng was then called, was the political, economic
and cultural center of the whole country, with well-developed
handicrafts, bustling commerce and fine
communication facilities. An old saying went that "Kaifeng was
unsurpassed anywhere in splendor and prosperity".
Repeated Yellow River
floods, however,
caused damage to the ancient capital of Kaifeng
through the years. Many of its historical relics were destroyed.
Among those that have survived are the "Iron" Pagoda, Pota
Pagoda, Dragon Pavilion, Xiangguo Monastery, King Yu's Terrace and
Yanqing Taoist Temple. These are all fine works of architecture. Their
majestic beauty bears testimony to the wisdom and
the cultural and artistic standards
their creators attained.
The city today has
well-developed commerce, transport, communications and educational
facilities, and medical and public health services. The Yellow River
that flooded its banks and wrought havoc for a thousand years has been
harnessed. The
Liuyuan Ferry at Kaifeng is now open to tourists as a scenic
JEWISH COMMUNITY
It
might be hard to believe. But there is indeed a large
Jewish community in Kaifeng.
The ancestors of these Jews were said to have arrived in China from
Persia and India during the Tang Dynasty.
For centuries, the Jews
of Kaifeng uttered the prescribed daily and Sabbath prayers, kept their
religious holidays and observed strict diets.
SONG CITY
Kaifeng was the Song Dynasty capital for many years. Ask your
guide to take you to the "Song City", a street flanked by
small shops and taverns a thousand years ago.
The street is now under
reconstruction on the old Imperial Street between the ancient imperial
palace and another street called Sihoujie.
The palace has already
been restored, and is open to the public. And another major part of the
street, Xuandemen, will soon be completed.
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