Kaifeng Civilization ......... Most Ancient Civilization Of China

[chetnarayan]

kaifeng city, Henan Province, China

Located in northeastern Henan Province, the city of Kaifeng has an illustrious and in some ways unique 3000-year history. Many of the city's treasures are enclosed by the Old City Walls. The city was a major center of the development of Chinese civilization and culture. It served for a time as capital of the Wei Dynasty, the Liang, the Han, the Zhou and as a capital during the Five Dynasties period of disunion (907-960 AD, after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty), the Northern Song, and the Jin Dynasty. In all, Kaifeng was the capital of China for parts of seven different dynastic periods. During the 11th Century it was the largest single city in the world.

Kaifeng offers visitors at least half a dozen excellent sites to visit.
They are:
• Xiangguo Temple. Built in 555 AD during the Northern Qi Dynasty, Xiangguo has played a pivotal role in the spiritual life of the Central China Plain's people. Under the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) Xaingguo was one of the Empire's leading Buddhist institutions. Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) rule saw the temple's monastery grow to over 1000 monks in some 64 different Buddhist colleges. In 1644 the temple was destroyed with the retreating Ming Dynasty opened the flood gates of the Yellow River to slow the advance of the Manchu invaders. Kaifeng was washed away. Xiangguo was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty and has been renovated a few times since. The temple's current structure includes the Shanmen Gate, the Heavenly King Hall, the Grand Hall, the Great Treasure House, the Sutra Library, the Drum Tower and the Bell Towers. The Great treasure House is home to a number of Buddhist relics and artifacts, including a Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) bronze Buddha and a ten foot high gold covered statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. You can find the temple on the west end of Ziyou Street (Freedom Street).
• Shanshan'gan Guild Hall. The construction of trade halls in China's market towns and cities has a long history. This on in Kaifeng is among the city's most elaborate historic buildings. As the capital, Kaifeng's hosted a rich and prosperous merchant community. And the Shanshan'gan Guild Hall is an excellent example of Qing era architecture. Te building gets its name from the origin of its builders: merchants from Shanxi Province, Shaanxi Province, and Gansu Province went in together to construct the site.

• The Iron Pagoda. This structure sits today near the campus of Henan University, inside the old city walls of Kaifeng. The pagoda overlooks Iron Pagoda Lake and a city park is built around the pagoda today. The pagoda dates to 982 AD -- early in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD). The octagonal-shaped pagoda has 13 floors and climbs to over 180 feet high. The pagoda is actually made of clay, but the color resembles rusted iron; thus the name.
• Temple of Lord Bao. On the bank of Baogong (Bao Lake) in the center of Kaifeng, the temple also dates to the Northern Song era. Several buildings are on the grounds. A bronze statue of Lord Bao in the Great Hall stands some almost 12 feet high and weighs five thousand pounds. Lord Bao was an official whose reputation as someone immune to corruption made him a local hero or sorts. Many Chinese operas use him as a character.
• The Jewish Quarter The history of Kaifeng's Jewish community is fascinating. From the 12th Century to the 19th Century Kaifeng had a thriving synagogue. Jews traveled the Silk Road to the Song capital for commerce. Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci met a Kaifeng Jew in 1605 in China. Ricci was amazed and the Jew, named Ai Ti'en, was puzzled because he'd never heard of Christians. Marco Polo documents meeting Jews in China four centuries earlier. In putting the existence of a thriving Jewish community in the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty into some kind of perspective, it helps to keep in mind that large Jewish communities in Central Asian cities like Tashkent and Bukhara trace their history back at least 2000 years -- and probably further, to the exile periods of Daniel and Esther. The borders of Tang Dynasty China stretched west of the Pamir Mountains and took in protectorates that reached the borders of modern Iran. the Kaifeng Museum has an exhibit on the history of the city's Jewish community. You can see the site of the old synagogue; the street is named "The Lane of the Sect that Teaches the Scriptures." And by some accounts it is still possible to get Chinese Kosher food in Kaifeng...
• Dragon Pavilion This was the site of the Emperor's palace during the Jin and the Song dynasties. It was used for official purposes during the Ming era. Some of the Song Dynasty emperors are portrayed in wax and in paintings. The site has been a park since 1963.

[jaish]

thanxxxx for ur information.....

[chetnarayan]

sorry,
the pics cannot be uploaded due to some technical problems.
it's maybe due to big size .

they will be posted soon, have patience........
thanx

[chetnarayan]

Better late then never,

now i am able to upload the pictures here.