Under the name 汴京 (Bianjing), Kaifeng was the capital of the Northern Song (960-1127) and likely the most populous city on earth in its day — about a million people. Zhang Zeduan's scroll painting 《清明上河图》 depicts Kaifeng's river markets in astonishing detail.
culture
Kaifeng is the setting for 包青天 (Justice Bao / Judge Bao) stories — the incorruptible Song-era magistrate 包拯 worked at the Kaifeng government office (开封府), now a reconstructed tourist attraction.
