The New York Times (May 22, 2005) carried an article by Nicholas D. Kristof with the title in Chinese, "From Kaifeng to New York - Glory as Ephemeral as Smoke and Clouds." To the author, the most important city in the world in the period leading up to 2000 B.C. would be Ur, Iraq. In 1500 B.C., perhaps Thebes, Egypt. In 500 B.C., it would be Persepolis, Persia. In the year 1, Rome; around A.D. 500, may be Changan, China; in 1000, Kaifeng, China; in 1500, probably Florence, Italy; in 2000, New York City; and in 2500, probably none of the above. In the 11th century, Kenfeng was the capital of Song Dynasty. Its population was more than one million. In contrast, London 's population was about 15,000. Kaifeng was prosperous and booming. Today, it is grimy and poor, not even the provincial capital. The decline is due to two reasons. First, lack of "pro-growth, pro-trade policies and technological innovations like curved iron plows, printing and paper money." Second, "hubris, for China concluded it had nothing to learn from the rest of the world."
The author considers that Kengen's is the warning for America. (The New York Times, May 22, 2005).