Fairy tale information

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: May 22, 2005KAIFENG, ChinaAs this millennium dawns, New York City is the most important city in the world, the unofficial capital of planet Earth. But before we New Yorkers become too full of ourselves, it might be worthwhile to glance at dilapidated Kaifeng in central China.Kaifeng, an ancient city along the mud-clogged Yellow River, was by far the most important place in the world in 1000. And if you've never heard of it, that's a useful warning for Americans - as the Chinese headline above puts it, in a language of the future that many more Americans should start learning, "glory is as ephemeral as smoke and clouds."As the world's only superpower, America may look today as if global domination is an entitlement. But if you look back at the sweep of hist ...