Zhao Ji (1082-1135), a Northern Song emperor, is regarded as an artistic genius for having left iconic paintings and pieces of calligraphy for later generations to admire. In Auspicious Cranes, he depicts the birds, which represent longevity in traditional Chinese culture, hovering above his imperial city.

Reality was not as kind. In 1127, Kaifeng fell to the Jurchen people, who ruled the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) to the north. He was taken prisoner, and his city was severely damaged in the conflict.

"Based on these findings, and thanks to evidence in Along the River During the Qingming Festival, Auspicious Cranes, and other key paintings of that time, we can picture what Dongjing's city gates really looked like," Wang adds.

In addition, archaeologists also unearthed a section of the northern wall of the inner city about 3.3 meters in height. To their surprise, they discovered that it was built on a base that dates back to the even earlier Tang Dynasty (618-907) period.

Although a city known as Bianzhou was known to exist before Dongjing rose to become a metropolis, little physical evidence of it has been found.

"Using the extraordinary finding of Jinglong Gate as coordinates, we can explore more areas of Dongjing," Wang says.

Ruins of roads, the walls of a nearby palace, towering terraces and other key structures from the Northern Song and Jin periods began to show up.

"We also discovered that the northern walls of the inner city during the Northern Song period and the imperial city of the Jin period did not overlap," Wang continues. "That gives us fresh ideas about the reconstruction of Kaifeng (after the war of 1127)."