Kaifeng

Kaifeng is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan, China. Located along the southern bank of the Yellow River, Kaifeng borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the west (1.5 hours bus from Zhengzhou).

The city was the capital of China during several dynasties, and was visited by Marco Polo. Around 1,000 years ago, when it was the capital of the Song dynasty, Kaifeng was the most prosperous and busy city in China and the world. Countless foreigners came over the Silk Road and settled in Kaifeng, especially Arabians and Persians, who afterwards formed a new ethnic group in China, named Hui. Kaifeng is also known for a group of Jews who settled in the Bible Hutong around the year 800; the original Jews have assimilated, but some modern descendents have have begun to rediscover their history.

Kaifeng cuisine plays a dominant part in forming Henan cuisine. Kaifeng offers a wide range of food specialities such as steaming pie and dumplings. 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, which, like pita, can be opened and filled.

Chrysanthemum is the city flower of Kaifeng. The tradition of cultivating different varieties of chrysanthemums stretches all the way back 1600 years, and the scale reached a phenomenal level during the North Song Dynasty.The city has held the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Cultural Festival since 1983 (renamed China Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Cultural Festival from 1994). The festival has been a yearly feature since, taking place between 18 October and 18 November every year.

During the festival, chrysanthemums of hundred different types will not only be on show in all festival venues, but they become common features all around the city itself - Kaifeng truly becomes the "city of chrysanthemums".