On September 6, cultural and tourism experts from home and abroad participating in the International Mayors’ Forum on Tourism in Zhengzhou, China visited the ancient city of Kaifeng — famous for being the capital city of eight dynasties — for an insight into its profound historical roots and cultural treasures.

Kaifeng is known for its ancient history and brilliant modernity. It is illustrative of a harmonious blend of human and natural landscapes and embodies an enhancement of ancient and modern civilizations. To date, the city has a history of over 4100 years and was a capital city for 585 years.

Visiting the Zhouqiao and nearby Bianhe River ancient relics, guests listened attentively to the guide divulging the historical importance of Zhouqiao — an eye-opener to Kaifeng’s deep historical richness. An old saying goes, “Kaifeng is a city upon cities, with several cities buried under.”

Stretching 14.4 kilometers, the Kaifeng city wall is China’s second-longest preserved ancient city wall structure, surpassed only by Nanjing’s city wall. Immersing in the interactive live performance program “Beacon Fires of Bianliang,” guests actively engaged in the performance, contributing to the story development, and defended Bianjing together with the city wall’s guards.

Stepping into the scroll of a painting for but a moment, an entire day spent dreaming back through a millennium. Guests visiting the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden were deeply captivated by its exquisite landscapes. This historical cultural theme park, occupying over 600 mu, was constructed based on “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” a painting by Zhang Zeduan, a renowned painter from the Northern Song Dynasty.

Accompanied by the melodious song of the poem “One night’s east wind adorns a thousand trees with flowers, And blows down stars in showers,” the day’s itinerary for culture and tourism experts from home and abroad participating in the International Mayors’ Forum on Tourism drew to a close.

This trip to Kaifeng not only let domestic and foreign guests experience the historic beauty of Kaifeng but also gave them a deeper understanding of Zhengzhou. The personal experiences over the past few days left deep impressions of Zhengzhou’s humanities, history, and economy, and the guests better understood the city.