Gate from past opens new path to studies

Recently unearthed ruins of a buried Northern Song city reveal a fascinating saga, Wang Kaihao reports.

Probably one of the most famous Chinese landscape paintings, Along the River During the Qingming Festival is synonymous with the prosperous past of Kaifeng.

As portrayed in the milestone Northern Song (960-1127) scroll by Zhang Zeduan, who served at the imperial court, this city in present-day Henan province was then at its zenith.

A booming economy, vibrant culture, and ultimate political status, thanks to its role as the national capital, characterized this metropolis of more than 1 million. However, wars, the sands of time, and frequent inundation by the Yellow River, condemned that flourishing era to history.