What is "gongyi"

Gongyi , formerly Gong County , is a county-level city belonging to the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province, China. It has a population of 790,000 people and an area of 1,041 square kilometres.

Gongyi is located in the middle of Henan province, on the northern side of Mount Song. The Yellow River runs through the northern part of the city. Zhengzhou city proper lies 82 kilometres to the east and Luoyang 76 kilometres to the west.

The city was once known as Zhenxun , and was reputedly capital of China during part of the Xia dynasty.

The celebrated Song tombs are scattered through the towns (zhen) of Xicun, Zhitian, and Huiguo. They are the resting place for 7 emperors of the Northern Song dynasty and the father of the dynasty's founder. There are also the graves of loyal ministers of the Song.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Gongyi was placed under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou but came under the control of Kaifeng in January 1955 before reverting to Zhengzhou in August 1983. In 1991, Gongyi became a county-level city, still under the jurisdiction of Zhengzhou.

Gongyi is thought to be the birthplace of the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu, often considered China's greatest poet.