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Kaifeng (p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, most notably during the Northern Song dynasty.
As of the 2020 census, 4,824,016 people lived in Kaifeng's Prefecture, of whom 1,735,581 lived in the metropolitan area consisting of Xiangfu, Longting, Shunhe Hui, Gulou and Yuwantai Districts. Located along the Yellow River's southern bank, 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 Heze of Shandong to the northeast.
Kaifeng is a major city for research in central China, ranking as the world's 138th top city by scientific output as tracked by the Nature Index. The city is home to a campus of Henan University, one of the national key universities in the Double First Class University Plan.
The area was named "Kaifeng" after the Qin dynasty's conquest of China in the second century BC. The name literally means "opening the border" and figuratively "hidden" and "vengeance". Its name was originally Qifeng (t=啓封), but the syllable qi (Baxter-Sagart: /*kʰˤijʔ/) was changed to the essentially synonymous kai (/*Nə-kʰˤəj/, /*kʰˤəj/) to avoid the naming taboo of Liu Qi (Emperor Jing of Han).
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During the Warring States period, the lords of the state of Wei held the title of King of the realm of Liang (梁王, Liángwáng). In 361 BC, King Hui of Wei relocated the Wei capital from the city of An (安邑) to Yi where he built the city of Daliang (大梁). Thereafter, the Wei state was called Liang. During this period, the first of many canals in the area was constructed linking a local river to the Yellow River. When the State of Qin conquered the State of Wei, Daliang was destroyed and abandoned except for a mid-sized market town, which was renamed Junyi (浚儀).
During the Han dynasty, Junyi was the capital of the Kingdom of Liang ruled by Liu Wu (son of Han emperor Wen) when he was enfeoffed as Prince of Liang. Liu Wu restored the old city walls and constructed many buildings. Daliang became a center of music, art, a refuge for artists, and of splendid gardens despite the trivial political importance of the city at this period. (1996). 9781884964046, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. ISBN 9781884964046 Emperor Jing of Han changed the name of the city of Qifeng to Kaifeng (開封) because of a naming taboo. During the Eastern Han era, the Kingdom of Liang was changed to Liang County, and part of it became the Chenliu Commandery (陳留郡) but was re-established as a principality during the Cao Wei and Jin dynasty. In 202, Cao Cao repaired the Suiyang Canal in Junyi, opening the Bian River to the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. The canal's completion allowed grain transport northbound from the Yangtze and Huaihe River regions, and Junyi, strategically located at a waterway and land junction, saw an economic recovery.
Early in the 7th century, the old city of Daliang, now called Bianzhou (汴州城) was transformed into a major commercial hub when it was connected to the Grand Canal as well as through the construction of a canal running to western Shandong. In 781 during the Tang dynasty, a new city wall with a circumference of 22 li was constructed by Bianzhou's governor Li Mian. Meanwhile the old city of Kaifeng (Qifeng) declined in prominence and later abandoned. The ruins of Qifeng can be found near today's Zhuxian town.
During the Song dynasty, the governmental entity of the capital was the Kaifeng Prefecture ( Kaifeng Fu, 開封府) and it was the only prefecture of the Capital Region ( Jingji Lu, 京畿路). In 1010, Xiangfu County was established under Kaifeng Prefecture, so the region was also called Xiangfu (祥符).
Kaifeng-Dongjing became largest and most prosperous city in China, was the capital, with a population of over 400,000 living both inside and outside the city wall. The historian Jacques Gernet provides a lively picture of life in this period in his Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276, which often draws on Dongjing Meng Hua Lu, a nostalgic memoir of the city.Jacques Gernet. Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250-1276. (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1962). Translated by H. M. Wright. .
According to the Dongjing Menghualu: "Outside Donghua Gate, the market was bustling... All manners of food, seasonal fruits and flowers, fish, shrimp, turtle, crab, quail and rabbit jerky, cured meats, gold, jade, and treasures, as well as clothings, were the finest in the world. The taste was exquisite, and if a customer requested a dozen or so dishes to go with their wine, they would be readily available".
In addition to daytime trading, there were also night markets and dawn markets. The main street of Dongjing was called the Imperial Street (御街). There were patrol stations located every two or three hundred steps, the patrolmen directed pedestrian and vehicle traffic during the day, and guarded government offices and merchants' residences at night. The city's restaurants ( fencha 分茶), taverns ( wasi 瓦肆) and theaters ( goulan 勾阑) could accommodate and entertain thousands of people. Daily performances included storytelling, singing, puppet shows, dance and acrobatics. The Northern Song painter Zhang Zeduan's painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival depicts the bustling scenery of the capital and the banks of the Bian River during the Qingming Festival.
Typhus was an acute problem in the city. In third year of Chunhua (992), a plague swept through the city with a massive death toll.
In 1049, the Iron Pagoda of Youguo Temple (佑國寺塔) was constructed, measuring in height. It has survived the vicissitudes of war and floods to become the oldest landmark in this ancient city. Another Song-dynasty pagoda, , dating from 974, has been partially destroyed.
Another well-known sight was the astronomy clock tower of the engineer, scientist, and statesman Su Song (1020–1101 AD). It was crowned with a rotating armillary sphere that was hydraulics (i.e. by water wheel and a water clock), yet it incorporated an escapement mechanism two hundred years before they were found in the clockworks of Europe and featured the first known endless power-transmitting chain drive.
Dongjing reached its peak importance in the 11th century as 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 between 600,000 and 700,000. It is believed that it was the largest city in the world from 1013 to 1127.
In 1153, the Jin dynasty built a Central Capital (中都大興府) in Daxing Prefecture (today's Beijing) and make Bianjing the Southern Capital ( Nanjing-南京), the secondary capital of the Jin Dynasty. Nanjing was administered by the Kaifeng Prefecture of Nanjing Circuit.
From 1211, Genghis Khan led his troops to attack the Jin dynasty several times. In 1214, Emperor Xuanzong of Jin moved the imperial court southwards to Nanjing-Kaifeng, relying on the Yellow River defense line to resist the Mongols. In 1233, Kaifeng fell to Mongol forces after a 10 months siege. The city was looted and Jin royal family members were captured and massacred.
During the Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasty, Bianliang became the capital of Henan Jiangbei Province, which was established in 1268. In 1260, Marco Polo arrived at Kaifeng, and wrote about it in his diaries.
Kaifeng was conveniently situated along the Grand Canal for logistics supply but militarily vulnerable due to its position on the floodplains of the Yellow River. Five major floods devastated the city between 1375 and 1416, and flooding occurred more than 300 times from the Southern Song Dynasty to the late Qing dynasty.
In 1642, Li Zicheng's rebels attacked Kaifeng three times. During the third siege, Kaifeng was flooded by the Ming army with water from the Yellow River to drown the rebels. The entire city was submerged in several feet deep water. Only 30,000 of the 370,000 people in the city survived. After this disaster, the city was abandoned again. In 1662, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor in the Qing dynasty, Kaifeng was rebuilt. Another reconstruction in 1843 followed the flood of 1841, shaping Kaifeng as it stands today.
From the 8th to 9th century and up to the 19th century, Kaifeng was known for having the oldest extant Jewish community in China, the Kaifeng Jews. As of 2016, there are 500 to 1,000 Jews still left in the city.
From June 1938 to August 1945, the city was occupied by the invading Japanese Imperial Army. In 1948, the Battle of Kaifeng occurred between Chinese communist forces and Chinese Nationalist forces but ultimately lead to a PLA Victory and the collapse of the Nationalist forces.
In October 1954, the capital of Henan province was moved from Kaifeng to Zhengzhou. In September 1983, Kaifeng City (开封市) was formed on the basis of former prefectures and districts.
With the completion of Zhengzhou–Kaifeng intercity railway and Zhengzhou–Xinzheng Airport intercity railway, fast train connections to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport from Kaifeng became available. As of August 2018, there are 12 pairs of intercity trains running between Xinzheng Airport and Songchenglu every day, with a travel time of 53 min.
The Zhengzhou–Kaifeng intercity railway (郑开城际铁路) started operation on 28 December 2014, connecting the provincial capital Zhengzhou and Kaifeng. The railway currently terminates at Songchenglu, and is planned to be extended to Kaifeng railway station. The designed top speed is .
Kaifeng North railway station of the Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed railway is the main high-speed railway station of the city. It started operation on 10 September 2016.
There are frequent services to many neighboring counties, other provincial cities and long-distance services to other provinces.
It also has a significant Muslim enclave and is notable for its many women's mosques ( nǚsì), including the oldest nǚsì in China: Wangjia Hutong Women's Mosque, which dates to 1820.
There are also some active Christian churches, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral (开封耶稣圣心主教座堂).
Kaifeng offers a wide range of food specialties such as steamed pie and dumplings. Particularly famous is Kaifeng's five-spice bread ( wǔxiāng shāobǐng), which, like pita, can be opened and filled. People from nearby Zhengzhou often come to Kaifeng to visit family members and to enjoy the night market.
The Ma Yu Ching's Bucket Chicken House (labels=no), located in Kaifeng, is by some accounts the world's oldest restaurant.
The city has held the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Cultural Festival annually in fall since 1983 (having been renamed in 1994). During the festival, hundreds of chrysanthemums breeds are on show at festival venues, and the flower becomes a common feature around the city. Kaifeng has been dubbed the "city of chrysanthemums".
Kaifeng Air Base is a military airfield in the southern suburb of Kaifeng City. It does not provide civilian aviation service.
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