Kaifeng

Kaifeng is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan, China. It was once the capital of the Song dynasty, and is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals 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 Shandong to the northeast. The name "Kaifeng" first appeared as the area's name after the Qin's conquest of China in the second century BC and literally means "expand the borders". Its name was originally Qifeng, but the syllable qi was changed to the essentially synonymous kai to avoid the naming taboo of Liu Qi (Emperor Jing of Han). The city is known as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China with the short name of 'Bian'. The city's history can be traced back to Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC). It was named 'Qifeng' at that time. Later in Han Jingdi (Liu Qi) Period, it got the name of 'Kaifeng'. From 364 BC to 1233 AD, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Wei (475-331 B.C.), Later Jin (936–946), Later Han (947–951), and Later Zhou (951–960) of the Five Dynasties (907-960), Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), also known as 'the Capitals of Seven Dynasties'. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the city was made the capital of Henan Province.

The city became an importance tourist destination in China. It is also the famous 'Northern Water Town' in China. You can appreciate many historical and cultural landscapes there, including Iron Pagoda, Dragon Pavilion, Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden, Imperial Street of Song Dynasty, Memorial Temple of Lord Bao, Kaifeng Yamun, Xiangguo Temple, Local Museum as well as Millennium City Park.