Culture Tourism
Kaifeng: Ancient capital strives to become modern city
By Song Wei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-02 10:35
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Kaifeng, the historical capital of seven dynasties, is now making every effort to be a modernized city.
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The 2,753-year-old city is dotted with historical sites. Receiving 31 million tourists last year, tourism has become a major industry, and it has effectively propelled the development of the tertiary industry, with an increase of 17.1% in 2009.
Last year, Kaifeng rated first place on the top 20 list of the "most charming historical cities in China," voted by 3.7 million Internet users.
However, the ancient capital aims to be more than that. Also in 2009, Kaifeng ranked third among other Henan cities for its industrialization speed.
With its GDP hitting 77.7 billion yuan last year, an increase of 12.6% from 2008, the city has entered a new phase of industrialization.
