Kaifeng's ancient glory

Kaifeng is much more than a bustling city on the mainland. Archaeologists have discovered five ancient cities buried under the modern metropolis in Henan province, according to Xinhua reports.

Stretching more than 12 metres underground are cities dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Northern Song (960-1127), Jin (1115-1234), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912).

A sixth city, built during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), is believed to be buried much deeper, making detection and excavation more difficult. Archaeologists said the discovery would reveal important information about the evolution of town planning during ancient times and how the cities were constructed.

Although there was talk about underground cities for generations, the magical moment came as a surprise.

A house belonging to royalty from the Ming Dynasty emerged during a lake clean-up in 1981. Since rumour had it that this house was constructed on top of the remains of the Northern Song palace, archaeologists went to work. Twenty years of excavation have yielded palaces and houses built on top of each other. There are also layers of roads, paths and walls built to defend cities, some of them 10 metres high and still standing.

The multiple city structures were the result of flooding of the Yellow River, archaeologists said.