Everlasting City: Kaifeng’s Cultural Renaissance Thrilled SCO Partners

The renowned British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee once said, “Given the choice, I would choose to live in China’s Song Dynasty.” In his eyes, the Song Dynasty, with its economic prosperity, cultural brilliance, and social openness, was “the finest age for human life”.

A glimpse of Kaifeng past lingers in Along the River During Qingming Festival, the timeless masterpiece by Northern Song painter Zhang Zeduan: along the Bian River, shops pressed close in a lively cluster, boats and carriages thronged the waters and roads, and crowds bustled with life. Thanks to an open society and abundant resources, ordinary life in the Northern Song Dynasty began to bloom with extraordinary richness and vitality. History was no longer solely the grand tale of emperors and nobles; in the bustle of markets and the warmth of daily toil, it etched its most touching stories.

Though dynasties fade, the pulse of daily life endures. Modern Kaifeng integrates Song Dynasty aesthetics into ordinary existence, embedding ancient elegance within morning bells, evening drums, and the rhythm of daily necessities.

Strolling through Kaifeng’s streets resembles stepping into a classical Chinese scroll. Waterways crisscross the city, linking ancient buildings with gray tiles and red walls. On imposing city gates, vivid yet time-honored woodblock New Year paintings burst with life. The fragrance of tea drifts through the lanes, and the melodies of Yuju opera curl endlessly along the Bian River. In classrooms, children recite Song poems with ease. Around every corner, unexpected treasures await: Kaifeng Prefecture, Daxiangguo Temple, Longting, Daliang Gate, and the Ruins of Zhouqiao Bridge. Every inch of the city whispers: History has never left but lives in Kaifeng people’s daily routines and flows through the city’s very essence.

The Millennium City Park (Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden) was a highlight of the guests’ visit. This Song culture-themed park recreates scenes from Along the River During Qingming Festival. Over 200 Song-style structures, including government offices, taverns, and tea houses, stand in orderly rows. More than 800 performers in Song-era costumes wander through, staging over 100 distinctive shows. Here, over 20 intangible cultural heritages are on display, featuring Bian embroidery, the “Four Arts of Song Dynasty”, woodblock New Year paintings, and Northern Song official porcelain. This 600-mu (98.8-acre) “living museum” does more than replicate the painting’s scenes. Through its innovative integration of scene restoration, cultural performances, and tech-driven interaction, visitors gain a firsthand sense of the “bustle of crowds and buzz of markets” that characterized life in the Northern Song Dynasty.

“This is my first visit to Kaifeng. Its beauty transports me through time to the Northern Song Dynasty’s glorious heyday,” remarked Nikita Kornev, Executive Director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies, Ural Federal University, Russia.

If an unbroken cultural legacy and the enduring pulse of daily life define the soul of a cherished home, then humanity’s indomitable spirit forms the very core that builds it.

For millennia, the Yellow River’s roaring floods, thick with silt, have repeatedly devastated Kaifeng. Yet, with unwavering resilience, the people here have rebuilt their homes time and again.

Today, this timeless resilience finds perfect expression in the paulownia trees that tower toward the sky.

On the same day, other guests visited Lankao County. They were deeply moved by the story of Jiao Yulu, who, over 60 years ago, led Lankao’s people in fighting sandstorms and planting paulownias to restore the ecosystem. Ahmed Hassan Ahmed Mohamed Moustafa, Owner and Director of the Asia Center for Studies and Translation, noted that he was profoundly impressed by China’s achievements in poverty alleviation. He further observed that Lankao’s remarkable development, driven by afforestation and other efforts, offers valuable insights that could be adopted in his own nation.

Today, the paulownias planted to tame desertification have grown into towering giants. Locals discovered that paulownia wood makes an exceptional material for traditional musical instruments, as it resists warping and offers excellent breathability and acoustic properties. Today, the traditional instrument industry has become one of Lankao’s pillar economic sectors. Guzheng zithers, pipa lutes, and other instruments crafted from local paulownia not only sell well across China but also reach markets in numerous countries and regions.

In Kaifeng, a city where ancient charm weaves with modern vitality and economy thrives alongside culture, this confidence finds expression in melodies unbroken through generations, diverse elements advancing in harmony, exchanges that deepen mutual understanding, and differences cherished amid shared brilliance.

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