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 to the east and
Luoyang to the west. The city was once known as
Zhenxun (), and was reputedly capital of China during part of the
Xia dynasty. According to the
Bamboo Annals,
Houyi occupied Zhenxun with his forces while the Xia king
Taikang was off hunting beyond the
Luo River. He was then usurped by his lieutenant
Han Zhuo and
his son before the Xia were eventually restored. 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. ==Administrative divisions==