Kaifeng Impression 印象开封
Situated on the southern bank of the Yellow River, Kaifeng is an important city in Henan Province. With a recorded history close to 3,000 years, Kaifeng is known as one of the six major centers of ancient Chinese civilization. As early as the Yin-Shang period (1334-1066 B.C.), when Chinese society turned away from nomadic life to an agricultural existence, a city was built there. It then became the capital of the Kingdom of Wei in the Warring Sates Period (475-331 B.C.), the Liang, Han and Zhou dynasties of the five Dynasties (907-960), the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1137) and the Jin Dynasty (1115-1334). The Northern Song, in particular, established its capital in Kaifeng for 168 years.
The Eastern Capital, as Kaifeng was then called, was the political, economic and cultural center of the whole country, with well-developed handicrafts, bustling commerce and fine communication facilities. An old saying went that Kaifeng was unsurpassed anywhere in splendor and prosperity.
Repeated Yellow River floods, however, caused damage to the ancient capital of Kaifeng through the years. Many of its historical relics were destroyed. Among those that have survived are the Iron Pagoda, Pota Pagoda, Dragon Pavilion, Xiangguo Monastery, King Yu's Terrace and Yanqing Taoist Temple. These are all fine works of architecture. Their majestic beauty bears testimony to the wisdom and the cultural and artistic standards their creators attained.
The city today has well-developed commerce, transport, communications and educational facilities, and medical and public health services. The Yellow River that flooded its banks and wrought havoc for a thousand years has been harnessed. The Liuyuan Ferry at Kaifeng is now open to tourists as a scenic
Jewish Community.
It might be hard to believe. But there is indeed a large Jewish community in Kaifeng. The ancestors of these Jews were said to have arrived in China from Persia and India during the Tang Dynasty.
For centuries, the Jews of Kaifeng uttered the prescribed daily and Sabbath prayers, kept their religious holidays and observed strict diets.
Song City
Kaifeng was the Song Dynasty capital for many years. Ask your guide to take you to the Song City, a street flanked by small shops and taverns a thousand years ago.
The street is now under reconstruction on the old Imperial Street between the ancient imperial palace and another street called Sihoujie.
The palace has already been restored, and is open to the public. And another major part of the street, Xuandemen, will soon be completed.
Henan Province's Chang Family Boxing
Chang Family Boxing methods
The Chang Jia Quan system was created by Cháng Nǎi Zhōu of the Zhengzhou area of Henan province in the early/mid 1700's. Chang Naizhou was known for his mastery of not just the highest levels of martial arts but also his knowledge of the Confucian classics, Medicine, Neigong, and Buddhist and Taoist scriptures and practices.
Since childhood Chang Naizhou studied martial arts diligently seeking out the best teachers he could find. Eventually after gaining a profound knowledge of the martial arts as well as military tactics, medicine, philosophy, and Neigong, he created his own unique system.
Through it's history Chang Family Boxing has been involved with the military and was used to train local militia and provincial military units at many points throughout the Qing dynasty up through the Republican Era.
Chang Naizhou also left a very large amount of writings detailing not just forms but also the philosophical underpinnings of his art, as well as some of the first practical, detailed accounts of the use of Neigong and medical theory in martial arts. A select portion of these writings have been translated into English.
His writings are thought to have been very influential in the development of Taiji Quan.
During the late Qing dynasty and Republican Era, Chang Family Boxing was considered one of the Three Famous Names of Henan martial arts along with Shaolin Temple Boxing and Chen Family Taiji Quan.
However Chang Family practitioners remained conservative and the art was not publicly taught leading to it's having become less and less common over the past century.
Today the Chang Family Boxing style has been ranked as an national level intangible cultural heritage of China, and efforts are being made to preserve the system