Kaifeng

Eight-dynasty ancient capital and Northern Song Bianjing, with the Millennium City Park's large-scale Song-culture shows and the Drum Tower night market; the most concentrated Song-dynasty experience in China.

Kaifeng lies in eastern Henan on the south bank of the Yellow River, only about 70 km from Zhengzhou and 20–30 minutes away by intercity or high-speed train. It is an ancient capital of eight dynasties, most glorious as the Northern Song capital Dongjing (Bianliang), the very city depicted in the painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. After repeated Yellow River floods, the Song-era city was buried layer upon layer underground, creating the "city stacked upon city" wonder. Today the surface is dominated by the Ming and Qing city walls, Longting, the Iron Pagoda and Daxiangguo Temple, while Song culture is recreated mainly through performance-style attractions such as Millennium City Park. The climate is temperate monsoon; the Qingming Cultural Festival in April and the Chrysanthemum Festival from mid-October to November are the two liveliest periods, and spring and autumn also have the most comfortable weather; July–August is hot and rainy, and winter is cold and dry. Sights are compact and concentrated: first, the Longting Lake area in the north, where Millennium City Park, Longting Park, the Tianbo Yang Mansion and Wansui Mountain Great Song Wuxia City are arranged around the lake; second, the central Old City area of the Drum Tower, Bookstore Street, Daxiangguo Temple and the Kaifeng Prefecture Office, for sights by day and night markets by night; third, Iron Pagoda Park and the city wall in the northeast. Getting around: Kaifeng North is the high-speed rail station, about 10 km from downtown, while Kaifeng Station (conventional rail) is south of the city right next to the Old City; there is no metro, but buses and taxis are convenient, most taxi rides between main sights cost under ¥15, and shared bikes are the most flexible way to get around the Old City. We recommend 1–2 days: on Day 1, watch the court-opening ceremony at the Kaifeng Prefecture Office and visit Daxiangguo Temple in the morning, Millennium City Park in the afternoon, and the Dongjing Dream of the Great Song live water show in the evening (evening shows in peak season); on Day 2, Longting, the Iron Pagoda, the Shaanxi–Shanxi–Gansu Guild Hall and Bookstore Street, then the Drum Tower night market for soup dumplings, fried cold noodle jelly and almond tea. Tips: buy tickets for Millennium City Park and the shows in advance through official channels; during the Chrysanthemum Festival prices rise and crowds are huge; the Drum Tower night market is crowded, so stick mainly to stalls with clearly marked prices; Song-style costume rental shops cluster around Millennium City Park and Wansui Mountain, and prices are better on weekdays.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries