Kaifeng
prefecture-level city in Henan, China, a former capital of China
Kaifeng (simplified Chinese: 开封; traditional Chinese: 開封; pinyin: Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history,
As of the 2020 census, 4,824,016 people lived in Kaifeng's Prefecture, of whom 1,735,581 lived in the metropolitan area consisting of Xiangfu, Longting, Shunhe Hui, Gulou and Yuwantai Districts. Located along the Yellow River's southern bank, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the west, Xinxiang to the northwest, Shangqiu to the east, Zhoukou to the southeast, Xuchang to the southwest, and Heze of Shandong to the northeast.
Kaifeng is a major city for research in central China, ranking as the world's 138th top city by scientific output as tracked by the Nature Index. The city is home to a campus of Henan University, one of the national key universities in the Double First Class University Plan.
Names
Kaifeng's official one-character abbreviation in Chinese is 汴 (Biàn). Historically it has also been known as:
Junyi (浚儀)
Dàliáng (Chinese: 大梁)
Biànliáng (汴梁)
Biànzhōu (汴州)
Dōngjīng (東京)
Biànjīng (汴京)
The area was named "Kaifeng" after the Qin's conquest of China in the second century BC. The name literally means "opening the border" and figuratively "hidden" and "vengeance". Its name was originally Qifeng (Chinese: 啓封), but the syllable qi (Baxter-Sagart: /*kʰˤijʔ/) was changed to the essentially synonymous kai (/*Nə-[k]ʰˤəj/, /*[k]ʰˤəj/) to avoid the naming taboo of Liu Qi (Emperor Jing of Han).
Administration
The prefecture-level city of Kaifeng administers five districts and four counties:
Longting District
Shunhe Hui District
Gulou District
Yuwangtai District
Xiangfu District
Qi County
Tongxu County
Weishi County
Lankao County
History
Kaifeng is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China. There have been many changes during the course of its history.
The public source identifies “Kaifeng” as prefecture-level city in Henan, China, a former capital of China. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Kaifeng, prefecture-level and city.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Kaifeng”, the useful work is to connect “prefecture-level city in Henan, China, a former capital of China” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q208471. VIAF identifies the subject as 134878644. The Library of Congress control number is n81087258. Authority coordinates are 34.795, 114.345. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kaifeng”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kaifeng primary sources, Kaifeng archive and Kaifeng research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kaifeng”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kaifeng” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.