Kaifeng

Like many ancient cities in China, Kaifeng was walled. Unlike most today, the wall is still there. The wall today is a popular place for old people to sit and watch the new world drive by.

Buildings on either side of the street. If you, like me, are a fan of Hong Kong movies this may look familiar. This is the only city in China I've found were the building look authentically old, yet are in good condition. Obviously, there's been work done one them. Some have been rebuilt, others restored, but even up close they look old.

Old meets new. On this old fashioned balcony is a sign for the Construction Bank housed below. Most of the buildings were restaurants, stationary stores, or other retain shops.

If you've never noticed, I've got a tendency to take pictures of doorways. This one leads into a small courtyard house. Cities back then were a jumble of houses all crammed together. There are the usual cement box apartment buildings, but many people in Kaifeng still live in these old style neighborhoods.

The old Jewish Synagogue. Oy, vey! They've let it go a bit. Actually, today it houses the boiler of the #4 People's Hospital. The Jews settled in Kaifeng when it was the capital of the Song Dynasty over 1,000 years ago. Unlike most Jews, they trace ancestry on the fathers side. Even though they haven't had a synogoge or a Rabbi for 150 years, they still claim their Jewish religion.

One of my favorite things about Kaifeng. The giant pagoda is one of the tallest in China. The best part about it is that you can climb up into the top, 13 stories up.

View from inside the Pagoda. This is the narrow passageway that leads to the top. It's like a Medieval dungeon. All along the passage there are stone carvings of Buddhist images.

Close up of some of the carvings.

View of the lake outside the pagoda from about half way up.

This was interesting and kind of sad. This was once a large Buddhist monastarybut aparently it wasn't getting much business so the monks were cleared out and several business moved in. What you see here was once an alley between two buildings with a bridge connecting them. Now its a clothing market. Inside are several computer shops. Whatever frescos there may have been were covered in stucco and the images of heaven hidden by a drop celing. Inside there was a PA system playing (the last insult) Elton John. Probably knocked Buddha right out of Nirvana.

This is a Muslim Bar-B-Que. They cook right on the street over open coals, usually mutton, which I've grown to love since being in China. You can see these three are all wearing a tradition sort of Muslim cap popular in Asia. These are likely Hui people, almost exactly like the majority Han Chinese in race but ethnicly Muslim. When the little fellow on the left saw me he tried to talk to me, but I could tell it was neither Chinese or English. Someone asked me where I was from and he looked disapoined when I said America. I asked him if he could speak Arabic and he said he could. I wanted to ask him more but that was the extent of my Chinese. This rather surprised me, I suppose there are still people who keep their tradition practices. When I left I waved and said the only word I know in Arabic "Sallam" and he said "Bye, bye!"

An old woman knitting. I think she may be watching the bicycles or maybe just enjoying being outside.

	Like many ancient cities in China, Kaifeng was walled. Unlike most today, the wall is still there. The wall today is a popular place for old people to sit and watch the new world drive by.
Buildings on either side of the street. If you, like me, are a fan of Hong Kong movies this may look familiar. This is the only city in China I've found were the building look authentically old, yet are in good condition. Obviously, there's been work done one them. Some have been rebuilt, others restored, but even up close they look old.

Old meets new. On this old fashioned balcony is a sign for the Construction Bank housed below. Most of the buildings were restaurants, stationary stores, or other retain shops.
	If you've never noticed, I've got a tendency to take pictures of doorways. This one leads into a small courtyard house. Cities back then were a jumble of houses all crammed together. There are the usual cement box apartment buildings, but many people in Kaifeng still live in these old style neighborhoods.
The old Jewish Synagogue. Oy, vey! They've let it go a bit. Actually, today it houses the boiler of the #4 People's Hospital. The Jews settled in Kaifeng when it was the capital of the Song Dynasty over 1,000 years ago. Unlike most Jews, they trace ancestry on the fathers side. Even though they haven't had a synogoge or a Rabbi for 150 years, they still claim their Jewish religion.
One of my favorite things about Kaifeng. The giant pagoda is one of the tallest in China. The best part about it is that you can climb up into the top, 13 stories up.
	View from inside the Pagoda. This is the narrow passageway that leads to the top. It's like a Medieval dungeon. All along the passage there are stone carvings of Buddhist images.
Close up of some of the carvings.
	View of the lake outside the pagoda from about half way up.
This was interesting and kind of sad. This was once a large Buddhist monastarybut aparently it wasn't getting much business so the monks were cleared out and several business moved in. What you see here was once an alley between two buildings with a bridge connecting them. Now its a clothing market. Inside are several computer shops. Whatever frescos there may have been were covered in stucco and the images of heaven hidden by a drop celing. Inside there was a PA system playing (the last insult) Elton John. Probably knocked Buddha right out of Nirvana.
	This is a Muslim Bar-B-Que. They cook right on the street over open coals, usually mutton, which I've grown to love since being in China. You can see these three are all wearing a tradition sort of Muslim cap popular in Asia. These are likely Hui people, almost exactly like the majority Han Chinese in race but ethnicly Muslim. When the little fellow on the left saw me he tried to talk to me, but I could tell it was neither Chinese or English. Someone asked me where I was from and he looked disapoined when I said America. I asked him if he could speak Arabic and he said he could. I wanted to ask him more but that was the extent of my Chinese. This rather surprised me, I suppose there are still people who keep their tradition practices. When I left I waved and said the only word I know in Arabic "Sallam" and he said "Bye, bye!"
An old woman knitting. I think she may be watching the bicycles or maybe just enjoying being outside.