Kaifeng, formerly known as Bianliang, Bianjing, Daliang, or simply Liang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan Province. It is one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China. Located along the southern bank of the Yellow River, Kaifeng borders Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan to the west, Xinxiang to the northwest, Shangqiu to the east, Zhoukou to the southeast, Xuchang to the southwest, and the Shandong Province to the northeast.

Kaifeng enjoys a very long history. In 364 BC, the State of Wei during the Warring States Period founded a city called Daliang as its capital in this area. During this period, the first of many canals in the area was constructed. It linked a local river to the Yellow River. When the State of Wei was conquered by the Qin, Kaifeng was destroyed and abandoned except for a mid-sized market town, which remained in its place.

Early in the 7th Century in Sui Dynasty, Kaifeng became a major commercial hub when it was connected to the Grand Canal as well as a canal running to western Shandong Province.
In 781 in Tang Dynasty, a new city was reconstructed and named Bian. Bian was the capital of the Later Jin (936-946), Later Han (947-950), and Later Zhou (951-960) of the Five Dynasties Period which was a split period after Tang Dynasty.
Song Dynasty made Bian its capital when it overthrew the Later Zhou in 960. It further expanded the city shortly afterward. Called Dongjing or Bianjing then, Kaifeng was the capital with a population of over 400,000, living both inside and outside the city wall.
Kaifeng reached its peak in the 11th century, when it was a commercial and industrial center at the intersection of four major canals. It is believed that Kaifeng was the largest city in the world from 1013 to 1127. During this time, the city was surrounded by three rings of city walls and probably had a population of 600,000 to 700,000.

This period ended in 1127, when the city fell to Jurchen invaders and came subsequently under the rule of the Jin Dynasty. While it remained an important administrative center, only the city area inside the inner city wall of the early Song Dynasty remained settled and the two outer rings were abandoned.

Kaifeng served as the Jurchen's “southern capital” from 1157 and was

reconstructed during this time. But they kept their main capital further north, until 1214, when they were forced to move the imperial court southwards to Kaifeng in order to flee the Mongol onslaught.At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, Kaifeng was made the provincial capital of Henan Province. In 1642, Kaifeng was flooded by the Ming army with water from Yellow River to prevent the peasant rebel Li Zicheng from taking over. After this disaster, the city was abandoned again.

Under the Qing Emperor Kangxi, Kaifeng was rebuilt. However, another flood occurred in 1841, followed by another reconstruction in 1843, which produced the contemporary Kaifeng as we know it.
As the oldest landmark in this ancient city, Youguosi Pagoda, or Iron Pagoda as it is called today, was constructed in 1049. It measures 54.7 meters in height. It has survived the destruction of wars and floods. Another Song Dynasty pagoda, Bo Ta Pagoda, from 974, has been partially destroyed.

Another well-known sight was the astronomical clock tower of the engineer, scientist,and statesman Su Song (1020-1101 AD). It was crowned with a rotating

armillary sphere that was hydraulic-powered. It incorporated an escapement mechanism two hundred years before they were found in Europen clockworks and featured the first known endless power-transmitting chains drive. Besides, Kaifeng is also known for having the oldest extant Jewish community in China, the Kaifeng Jews.